Yes, it is quite unfair. I am now struggling to make ends meet because so much money is taking out of my paycheck for federal and state income taxes. Nearly 1/4 of my income, and I make a pretty low salary of 43K. Problem is I am in the demographics that don’t get to enjoy those wonderful tax deductions.
Why should I have to struggle just so someone with a bit of back pain can enjoy staying home and watching tv while collecting disability?
Exactly. I look forward to the day when the states that tend to vote for Democrats stop having to pay so much in taxes relative to what they receive in benefits while the states that tend to vote for Republicans stop receiving so much in benefits relative to what they pay in taxes.
On the other hand, one might note the impossibility of getting blood from a stone, and note that those who earn little or no income aren’t going to be able to pay much in income taxes.
The top 1% are also largely amoral scum, have consistently screwed over the rest of humanity and are largely responsible for the present worldwide economic mess. Yet - since we are talking about fairness - I certainly don’t see them suffering many consequences for any of that.
What percentage of your tax-burden to you think goes to supporting people on disability?
Do you think it is that easy to get on disability? Then, if you are so jealous, I suggest you follow this path and get on disability and watch tv.
So, unsub, what is your solution to this “problem”? I hear a lot of people complain about the 50% but I have yet to hear what anybody is going to do about it. Lowering the taxes on the “tax payers” would not decrease the ranks of the “tax takers”. The only thing that would work would be to raise taxes. Yet I have never heard anyone propose, say, rolling back the Bush tax cuts and those juicy child tax credits (equivalent to a $10K deduction for someone in the 10% bracket). If Obama had proposed extending the Bush tax cuts, but only for those making over $250K, would the right have applauded that? I should think not.
ETA: I was a little hasty in stating that no one has proposed increasing taxes on the lower and middle class. That is the whole point of the various flat tax proposals. They just don’t come right out and say it.
According to Business Insider, half of those who pay no income tax are wage earners whose taxable earnings are counteracted by standard deductions and personal exemptions. 22% are seniors. 15% are working families who qualified for one or more tax credits (eitc, child tax credit…). The remaining 13% are higher income folks who can itemize their way to no taxes due.
Which group do you think should be targeted in tax code reforms? How much additional revenue do you think that will generate?
As for disability, which disability are we talking about? SSDI is based on your work history. We’re not going to start begrudging people their due from the social security system now are we?
It does seem unfair, especially when I, who made $140,000 last year paid less than 18% of my paycheck to federal and state taxes. 12.6% to the Feds. I think you have an incompetent accountant, or, you could be overestimating your tax bite.
It’s fair because it’s indiscriminate. You too can be a no-income-tax payer; just don’t make much money and you won’t pay income tax. It’s simple.
Ah, it’s all the fault of the illegal aliens.
Well, if you want to beat them at their own game and level the playing field, here’s what you do:
Go to Mexico and become a citizen. This should not be too difficult. No one who lives there wants to live there (they’re all jumping over the border fence) so immigration to Mexico should be easy.
Illegally immigrate back to US. This involves a short walk in the desert, a small price to pay for living the rest of your life high on the hog.
Settle in beautiful California and never pay taxes again! Also never work again because the welfare system is so benevolent you’ll be doing ten times better than those poor fools who have jobs! Since there’s absolutely no downside to being an illegal immigrant, you’re set for life!
Become a Mexican today!
Remember the old joke about a prison? The new guy hears a prisoner say “42” and the other inmates crack up. He asks what is going on, and is told that they’ve been there so long that they’ve assigned all the jokes numbers, and just say the numbers.
“Okay,” he says, “17!”.
No one makes a sound.
“What happened?” he asks.
“You didn’t tell it right.”
Can we assign numbers to nonsense like this OP, so we can refute it by writing “15” and then all laughing like hell? It would save us all a lot of time.
I live in California. Do you think that they are not going to drive just because they don’t have a license? I’d be happier if some of them at least take road tests and pass the written test. Few enough will deal with the government in any case.
This is just another article that pits the middle class against the poor.
I didn’t see it in the article, but maybe I missed it. What does this number mean, “50%”? Does it mean “50% of employable Americans”? Or are we talking “50% of all Americans?” Because now we are including the too young and too old to work, and I for one don’t want to see child labor back.
Such a vague article to get up in arms about. I’d rather be up in arms about the so-called “job creators” who are costing us way more money with their irresponsible ways.
There’s a saying that taxes are what the rich pay so that the poor won’t eat them.
Pretty good, actually. And I just did my taxes. I’m lucky enough to have the brains to make money, I’m lucky enough to have been born into a good family, and I’m lucky enough that my parents could afford to send me to a great university. I’m happy to participate in the government taking some of my money (and I actually make enough so that I have enough) to give to those less fortunate than me. I give to charity also, but we all know damn well that people would not give nearly as much support to charity for support of the less well off as they give to government.
I hope you are not just a taxpayer but are in the 1%, because if you aren’t the Republicans are pissing on you and telling you it is soup - and you seem to believe them. The rich are making more than ever, and paying a historically low percentage in taxes. And they tell you that the problem is that those without are paying too little and getting too much. On average I bet your income has stagnated over the past 10 years while theirs has skyrocketed. And yet they think their taxes are too high.
I have a great solution to your problem. Let’s pay the rich less and the poor more. Let’s build full employment by giving the poor some money to spend on buying things. The rich have enough stuff already. And don’t say the rich will invest. Who is stupid enough to build a new factory when your old factory is only running at 50% utilization.
Stop listening to Fox and repeating their glurge and start thinking logically, and maybe you will wake up and see what they are doing to you.
But you see, being poor isn’t even a burden. They have televisions and refrigerators! They’re living the life of Riley while the rest of us struggle to make payments on our xboxes, second cars, homes, and children’s college tuition! These lucky duckies and welfare fat cats just don’t understand the horrible burdens of making money and paying taxes.
And the law is what the poor endure so the rich won’t eat them, at least not at whim. Or, as Will Durant put it, “It was a very great advance when the strong consented to eat the weak by due process of law.”
Yes. Given a large number of people and an income disparity, it’s a mathematical certainty that if you zoom in far enough to the top earners, you’ll get a percentage of income that looks preposterous. If you took the top earners in the U.S. and shot them, you’d still have the same problem but with different dollar figures.
Why do you want old people, who generally move to the south,draw SS, and vote Republican, to starve? And what did these people do to deserve your ire?
Or to be more accurate, taxes & the law are what we all endure so that everyone doesn’t eat everyone. The war of all against all; humanity in the state of nature.
It’s not my problem if they vote against their self-interest. They should sack up and walk the walk. Meanwhile, blue states’ economies are being dragged down by the money drained from them toward the red states, in addition to being forced to have higher taxes than the red states just to maintain the same level of services.
