It seems that some Americans are:
If my federal taxes are any indication then the middle class is almost certainly not paying its "Fair Share" of federal taxes. My tax position is utterly ordinary. Married with three kids, gross annual income of approx $68K. I take only the standard deductions (no Schedule A) and received the Child Tax Credit for all three children. My total tax bite for each of the last three years was approximately $900/year, or barely over 1%.
Bah!!
Such silly statements can only come from the ignorant. The whole "tax" conversation is filled with such people...
May I suggest you're not counting / including ALL your taxes.
I suggest you add to your number: your state income taxes, your municipal income taxes, and an amount equal to two times your FICA and FICA Medicare. That will represent the taxes you pay solely based on your income.
Additionally, as a result of your work, other taxes, likely approaching an additional 4 to 5 percent of your wages are paid to the government for your work by your employer rather than being paid to you.
Add to that, Sir, your real estate taxes, the sales taxes you pay, 46.4 cents per gallon of gasoline you purchase......
Oh yes, and be certain to use the gross tax number from your tax returns, not the amount due with the returns when filed. No, Sir, I suggest you expand your thoughts a bit and suspect you will revise your observations. If you happen to be an Ohio resident, you'll perhaps be relieved to know however, that you bear your tax burden at a rate higher than 40+ other states, perhaps 45+.
Two married teachers in Ohio making 80k get taxed about 20k annually and that is fed, state, and local. Doesn't include real estate, sales, gas, and the always great take a bite of whatever else. But to some I suppose that one 80k household is an upper class home.
This is a reminder--not often given by Bush, McCain etc.--of how family friendly the Bush tax cut was. I actually agree that this guy should pay a little more.
I actually agree that this guy should pay a little more.
Interesting Peter. So this guy pays 40-45% (maybe even 50%) of his income in taxes every year, and he should "pay a little more".
How much is enough for you Mr. Lawler? 55%? 65%? Would you go as high as 75-80%?
Don't worry, you will get your wish soon enough. With the coming full socialization of medicine, housing, and retirement we will be at 80% before I retire (I am 39). Shoot, even if no new laws were written in the next 30 years (a dream I know) we will be at 80% based on Medicaid/care and Social Security alone by the time I am 69. OORRRR maybe it will be 70% with inflation of 9-15% to make up the difference.
Don't worry Mr. Lawler, you will have your "a little more" and then some. Also, I will have a moral imperative to shelter my wealth in off shore accounts...;)
The more I think about this, the more I think Mr. Lawler's "a little more" is really indicative of where we are at culturally. Here is a thoughtful "conservative" who actually asserts giving up about 1/2 of your income to the government is not enough. Does anyone REALLY hold out any hope at all that our immoral tax burden has anywhere to go but up in the next 30-50 years?
You know, wars are fought over much less than the colasaul inequity of taking 1/2 of peoples wealth. The cruel fact in this fallen world Mr. Lawler, is that given the chance (i.e. the next revolution if I am still alive), I would not hesitate to shoot you right between the eyes for attempting to take more than 1/2 of what I create. Your "a little more" truly knows no limits, no boundaries - and that gets people killed.
I know this sounds extreme, but some day enough people will wake up to the extreme of 80% of what they create being taken from them, and they will realize it is far from benign...
Chris -they used to call it feudalism.
If any of us survive to see another age possibly coming out of revolution: lets not call the order an ism.
Christopher. I think Peter L. is speaking about the guy in the original post. He does not seem to be paying close to 50%.
Mr. Adams,
On the one hand, I want to say "you can't be serious" or "what wit!", but it appears you are serious.
I don't want to be insulting, but here it goes:
Your tax burden is more than your FICA line item on your W-2. Yep, this applies even to that guy in the original post. As another poster already listed (not exhasitively) you are taxed in a myriad of ways, from fees, sales tax, property tax, 'use' taxes (such as gas tax).
FACT: that guy pays 40-50% (depending on how he structures his economic life) of his real income in taxes. Unless he is a criminal, there is just no way around it.
Does this REALLY need to be pointed out, or did your wife hit you over the head with something this evening Mr. Adams? :)
Mr. Adams,
I just had the thought you might be a student or low paid professor (or a REALLY sheltered academic - as in your spouse handles "the money") and you might be truly ignorant of the real tax burden of folks here in the USA. If so, I apologize, but please bend that attention of yours to those outside your institution for a little bit...