# Is there anything wrong with "class warfare"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 10, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-wrong-with-class-warfare/634349 "2012-09-10T23:03:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 247
**Author:** ![mmmbeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mmmbeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmbeer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-wrong-with-class-warfare/634349/247 "2012-09-23T14:32:22Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Recall that Romney paid more than he was obligated to just to get his tax up to 13%. And that’s just on AGI, and doesn’t include [appreciation in his Sep-IRA fund which has magically accumulated $20 to $100 million despite the small cap on contributions](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-15/the-secret-behind-romney-s-magical-ira.html). > > 13% is an interesting tax rate – it’s about what the working class pays _just for their federal payroll taxes_ even with the temporary 2% stimulus cut, and even when their income tax is zero. > > If you think the Marxists with pitchforks are going to get Romney’s tax rate anywhere near 40%, I’ll ask what you’ve been smoking! 😃 Would 25% be “class warfare”? How about 28%? > > What _is_ class warfare is to call the push for increasing taxes on the rich “class warfare” while insisting that the working class, who already pay a higher rate than Romney when payroll (and employer-provided) taxes are included, should pay _yet even more_ so they have “skin in the game.” > > Right now, Romney and lowest-wage workers pay about the same, about 13% each. Do I understand that you want to drop Romney’s rate to 10% while increasing the rate on lowest-wage workers (payroll tax plus income tax) to 23% ? Really? You want to weasel around to say that all that means… > [@](#): > > My question for you was: Does that 10% include federal payroll taxes? Are you wanting me to just push the “I believe” button and accept that your first post means the second post? Wow! But, to answer the question: Aren’t we talking about Federal Income taxes? Do you mean something other than that? So, to go ahead and answer, I, and I thought, everyone else, am talking about Federal Income taxes. So, 10% doesn’t include it, 10% is it, and if you’re asking about something else, I haven’t commented on that. Like it doesn’t include estate tax, or taxes on yachts, or whatever. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-wrong-with-class-warfare/634349)._