# WOW! Romney says he paid at least 13%. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 17, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745 "2012-08-17T03:49:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/181 "2012-08-19T20:15:30Z")
“On their radar”? Ya think? Bureaucracy works the same all over the world, don’t make trouble, don’t make waves. You’re gonna fuck with the guy who has a battalion of lawyers, so your supervisors get tangled up in shit, and start giving you the stink eye? You gonna mess with him? Or the guy who tried to charge his session at the Happy Ending Massage Studio as physical therapy? You want that promotion, or you want your integrity? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/182 "2012-08-19T20:20:16Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > the guy who tried to charge his session at the Happy Ending Massage Studio as physical therapy? I told you to shut up about that! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/183 "2012-08-19T20:21:07Z")
Shit! Tell your Mom I’m sorry, I just forgot… ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/184 "2012-08-19T20:36:54Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > That’s not how the ignore feature works, you dumb fuck. > > If you don’t want to read someone’s responses to the fucking moronic things you manage to type, then YOU have to put HIM on YOUR ignore list. > > Really this just sums up what a stupid dense fuck you are. You can’t even get simple things like this right, so how can anyone expect that you can understand the simplest of discussions. > > Maybe you should just put yourself on your ignore list and be done with it. Maybe you should just go fuck yourself with a splintered stick. If my posts annoy that dickweed, he should put me on ignore. Simple as that. And you’re stupid enough to call me a dense fuck for stating that obvious fact. Bless your soul. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/185 "2012-08-19T20:43:47Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > If my posts annoy that dickweed, he should put me on ignore. Simple as that. And you’re stupid enough to call me a dense fuck for stating that obvious fact. Bless your soul. If that’s what you meant, then that’s what you should have typed. But you didn’t. Because you’re dumb as half a box of rocks. It really is typical of you; you type something, and it ends up being ass-backwards to what you actually meant and ends up making you look like a retarded monkey sniffing his own shit covered fingers. When called on your stupidity, you howl and try to fling your feces, but end up simply smearing yourself with your own filth. But keep up the good work, you worthless shit-encrusted waste of skin. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/186 "2012-08-19T21:19:44Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Under Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, Mitt Romney would have paid .82% on his 2010 income taxes. That would have been $177,000 on $21.6 million dollars in earnings. > > Questions: > > 1. Do you feel that a tax code that allows this to happen is fair or justifiable? > 2. Could the United States as a government or as a country survive if everyone paid just .82% of their income in taxes? > Please please do not assume that either of these questions asked whether it would be legal or ethical or morally correct for Mitt to only pay .82%. Because that’s not what I asked and I frankly don’t care about those answers. Never did respond to this post, Clothy. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/187 "2012-08-19T21:45:18Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > If my posts annoy that dickweed, he should put me on ignore. Simple as that. And you’re stupid enough to call me a dense fuck for stating that obvious fact. Bless your soul. You haven’t made my ignore list yet. Thus far, bricker has it to himself. ---
**Author:** ![gamerunknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gamerunknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gamerunknown)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/188 "2012-08-19T22:23:25Z")
> [@Qin Shi Huangdi](#): > > In case anyone’s curious what it is: To which the obvious rejoinder is posting [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distribution_of_the_FairTax_burden). It’s just painstakingly obvious: the rich will be able to invest in financial instruments or sequester money with no governmental involvement, while those spending a plurality or a majority of their income on amenities will shoulder a greater proportion of the tax burden. The “FairTax” would be more regressive in effect than even a flat tax with no qualifiers, which is saying something. Its proponents could have had the decency to name it the “Job Creating Tax”, so that its partisanship would be more readily apparent. > [@Farmer Jane](#): > > Are we asking Nancy Pelosi to release her tax records so we can “check” to see if she’s a “criminal”? Did Nancy’s mother release 12 years of tax records to disprove any allegations of such when she ran for minority leader? No? Then shove your false equivalence into a nondeductible IRA contribution. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/189 "2012-08-19T22:40:57Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Maybe you should just go fuck yourself with a splintered stick. [Moderating] Telling other posters to fuck themselves is a violation of the Pit’s language rules. Please avoid doing this in the future. No warning issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/190 "2012-08-20T01:44:51Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > … he’s even stupider than he sounds. That would take some doing 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/191 "2012-08-20T02:03:54Z")
[Victor Fleischer, a tax law prof from the University of Colorado School of Law, writes:](http://victorfleischer.com/archives/299) > [@](#): > > Romney is claiming that he paid at least 13% in taxes every year. I call bullshit. As discussed here, Romney had a capital loss carryover in 2010, which means that he realized so many capital losses in 2009 that he couldn’t use them all to offset capital gains. > > What’s interesting is that Romney’s claim could be literally true but misleading — which means that Romney is full of bullshit, but not a dirty liar. Suppose, for the sake of argument, that a wealthy taxpayer earned $1 million in speaking fees (ordinary income), had a portfolio of investments that increased in value from $100 million to $150 million, and realized $10 million in capital gains and $15 million in capital losses. Net income for tax purposes for the year would be negative, and the taxpayer would pay close to $350,000 in income tax, and would carry forward a capital loss of $5 million. This would show up as a high tax rate – 35% of the $1 million in ordinary income — but doesn’t fairly reflect his economic income. > > Romney’s claim may be literally true only because our method of tax accounting doesn’t calculate economic gains until those gains are realized through a sale or some other disposition. Romney may have paid tax at a rate higher than 13% on his 2009 return, but the dollar amount was likely to be embarrassingly small as a percentage of his economic income and wealth. That’s why he doesn’t want to release his tax returns. Normal people don’t think like tax lawyers — they would see a tiny amount of tax paid and recognize the injustice. > > Even though Romney’s economic income was probably high in 2009–the Dow went up about 15% that year–savvy investors know they can cherry-pick losses to offset realized gains. The capital loss carry-forward on Romney’s 2010 return suggests that he did just that. > > According to Harry Frankfurt, bullshitters, unlike liars, do not deliberately make false claims about what is true. In fact, bullshit need not be untrue at all. Rather, bullshitters convey a favorable impression of themselves while remaining casually indifferent about whether what they say is true. They quietly change the rules governing their end of the conversation so that claims about truth and falsity are irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/192 "2012-08-20T14:25:28Z")
I’m just happy that we have a solid precident now. I mean, sure, every presidential candidate in the last 40 years has released his tax returns, but now that Mitt has said, “not me, motherfuckers,” at least when the next Democratic presidential candidate refuses to release his, no Republicans will criticize him, or accuse him of hiding anything. That will happen, right? I mean … you gotta look on the bright side of things. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/193 "2012-08-20T14:31:02Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > In case anyone’s curious what it is: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FairTax) See also : Economic Suicide Resulting in Reversion to Feudalistic State. ---
**Author:** ![tagos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@tagos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tagos)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/194 "2012-08-20T15:15:00Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Pardon me, I’m sure it’s been covered already, but exactly which form should I file to ADD A FUCKING GRATUITY TO MY FUCKING TAX OBLIGATION? I’ve been working and paying taxes since I was 15, but I’ve only ever been interested in paying what I ACTUALLY OWE. Now I guess I have to pay 50% to keep up with the joneses or “Do What’s Right” or something instead of paying the CORRECT amount. No - you do it by not exploiting every last loophole and structuring your finances to exploit them. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/195 "2012-08-20T15:26:40Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > If my posts annoy that dickweed, he should put me on ignore. Simple as that. And you’re stupid enough to call me a dense fuck for stating that obvious fact. Bless your soul. > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > If that’s what you meant, then that’s what you should have typed. But you didn’t. Really? Well, gee, it’s a shame you can’t read for comprehension worth a damn, isn’t it? > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by BobLibDem > How’d he get so lucky? I certainly hope I’m on your ignore as well. > **I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you add me to your ignore list? That way, I don’t have to read your knuckle-dragging responses to things I post.** > [@](#): > > Because you’re dumb as half a box of rocks. It really is typical of you; you type something, and it ends up being ass-backwards to what you actually meant and ends up making you look like a retarded monkey sniffing his own shit covered fingers. > > When called on your stupidity, you howl and try to fling your feces, but end up simply smearing yourself with your own filth. > > But keep up the good work, you worthless shit-encrusted waste of skin. I love it. You fuck up like a goat in heat, then call me names. Jesus fucking Christ, you make a moron look like a bloody genius. Please go sit in the corner and wank in silence while the adults converse. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/196 "2012-08-20T15:29:36Z")
These adults that are conversing? Your wording implies that you count yourself among them? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/197 "2012-08-20T15:52:08Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > I’m giving the Dems the benefit of the doubt in assuming that if Obama put forth a sensible plan that would correct the tax code in favor of the people that _at least_ every Dem would have been on board. Even so, that goes to why a bill might have been passed or not. Before we get to that, we have to evaluate all the work Obama did in pushing congress to fix the tax code so that super rich guys like Romney and super-duper Rich guys like Soros pay their “fair share”. So, what might that be? Yeah Obvama was a pussy for letting the Bush tax cuts roll over for another two years. He was also a pussy on Wall street reform. He was bold on wall street bail outs (like he should have been) but he seems to be bold only if it doesn’t hurt really rich people. I mean for fuck’s sake, giving people amnesty just before the Swiss banks were about to tell us who was hiding money in swiss bank accounts was a bit of undeserved mercy wasn’t it? > [@Clothahump](#): > > Now, how do I know all this? Simple - Romney’s tax returns are up on his website, where anyone with common sense could go find them instead of spouting bullshit about how Romney “refuses to prove it”. Where is his 2009 tax return? I think it is clear to everyone taht Romney makes a lot of money and pays relatively low tax rates. I think he could blunt that issue in a week if he just released his tax returns (it would still be emblematic of the fucked up distribution of the tax burden but noone would personally fault him for it if he stopped complaining about the unjust tax burden on the wealthy). There is a conservative tax lawyer that poss on these boards. I’d like to know if HE thinks that Romney isn’t hiding something. > [@Clothahump](#): > > Really? No reason to believe that the returns he filed with the [del]Gestapo[/del] IRS, under penalty of perjury, are not factual and accurate? If they weren’t, the IRS would be all over him like white on rice and you know it. The entire point behind hiding money in swiss bank accounts was that the IRS couldn’t find it. And frankly considering how executives many treat at the money or slightly out of the money stock options contributed to IRAs, there are some issues in my mind about whether he didn’t push the bounds of the law. > [@](#): > > I don’t know what Lobohan said, and I don’t care. I’ve had him on ignore for some time now. Well, then let me repeat it. Mitt Romney has lied about his tax returns before. He didn’t underpay federal icnome taxes but he claimed to be a Utah resident for state income tax purposes while claiming to be a Massachussetts resident to determine whether he met the residency requirements to run for governor. > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > You know what surprises me most about this whole Romney tax thing? That someone hasn’t somehow leaked a copy of them. I mean, c’mon, there’s a lot of hands on these returns: Mitt, his wife, his CPA firm (I’m sure they don’t use one guy), all of his lawyers, his entire campaign, a bunch of folks on McCain’s team, and then the entire IRS. The tax year people are most interested in is 2009, McCain doesn’t have that. The amnesty isn’t part of your regular tax return, it is filed separately and becomes part of your tax return. Noone but Romeny and the IRS needs to even know that there even was an amnesty and the IRS doesn’t have a lot of leaks, especially in cases like this. > [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > I mean actual copies leaked out, not just what is effectively hearsay. Its not even hearsay. Its a double dog dare, Reid knows his source is unreliable and so do we. > [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > I don’t care if people are rich and run for office. I really don’t … …Romney’s America isn’t my America, but for fuck’s sake, lay off the tax thing already. It makes liberals sound whiny and jealous. Its not that he’s rich, its that he is rich and thnks that the rich are overtaxed. > [@Klaatu](#): > > As an independant. I want Obama to explain what he has done to help the country in the last four years, and what he will do if reelected. I want Romney to explain what he will do if elected. > > I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT THE FUCKING ISSUES!!! This is a central issue. In case you haven’t noticed, the distrubution of the tax burden has been central for over a decade. > [@Klaatu](#): > > And I suppose Romney wrote the tax code that allowed him to pay the least he could. Why don’t you take that up with Congress. Is that clear?😛 > > Oh wait. Are you suggesting that Romney could be a felon? Not only is Romney propsing to extend the current distribution of the tax burden indefinitely, his VP has proposed reducing his tax rate to near zero by eliminating taxes on invenstment income. > [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Pardon me, I’m sure it’s been covered already, but exactly which form should I file to ADD A FUCKING GRATUITY TO MY FUCKING TAX OBLIGATION? I’ve been working and paying taxes since I was 15, but I’ve only ever been interested in paying what I ACTUALLY OWE. Now I guess I have to pay 50% to keep up with the joneses or “Do What’s Right” or something instead of paying the CORRECT amount. Noone is saying that Romney should have paid more than he was legally obligated to, they are saying that he thinks his legal ly obligated taxes are too low and the rest of us are just like “WTF!!!” > [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > -This conversation is turning into, “He’s rich, so he’s a crony and a THIEF and shouldn’t be the Poor People’s President!” Er, on what evidence? > > - We don’t need his tax returns to know he’s mega-loaded or what he stands for Thats because you are trying to hear things in the worst possible way. > [@](#): > > - Are we asking Nancy Pelosi to release her tax records so we can “check” to see if she’s a “criminal”? Of course not. When she runs for president, I will want her to rease her tax returns as well. > [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > That’s certainly reasonable, but his wealth is no secret so why are his returns necessary to make that call? The public knows how he got his wealth! Because he has an obscene amount of money in his IRA and there is no real likely set of circumstance that explain how that money got there unless he undervalued his contributions to his IRA. > [@Farmer\_Jane](#): > > Interesting viewpoint. But I think part of the problem is that the right tend to believe in the American dream and are the most likely to believe that they, too, could have riches if they worked hard enough. Yeah but do they think that they should pay a lower rate when they do? > [@control-z](#): > > I love how so many people are just _positive_ that Romney did something illegal on his taxes, when they obviously have absolutely no facts to back that assertion up. Just a feeling. And yet if a Republican judges something on feeling then they are idiot derps for doing so. We know his IRAs are really large. We know that he has foreign bank accounts. Its not reasonable suspicion but the fact that he is refusing to release his tax returns should make you suspicious. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I don’t care to see his tax returns. If the IRS thinks he’s done something illegal, they should audit him. I assume very rich people like him are always on their radar, although at this point it would probably be considered political if they were to do so. Still, there was plenty of time over the last few years to get him, if there was anything to get him for. So if he was hiding money in Switzerland, the IRS should have known about that? And no, rich people are not always under continuous audit. > [@Miller](#): > > [Moderating] > Telling other posters to fuck themselves is a violation of the Pit’s language rules. Please avoid doing this in the future. > > No warning issued. > [/Moderating] I never understood this. I can tell them to go fuck a monkey but not themselves? > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I mean … you gotta look on the bright side of things. How is that good in any way? You really want Democrats to be able to hide their financial history? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/198 "2012-08-20T16:08:59Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > Assuming he hasn’t broken any laws what the fuck is the problem, what kind of idiot would pay more taxes than they legally have to? > > People who are mad at the rich for not paying a higher percentage in taxes should really be mad at congress and/or the whole lobbying and campaign finance system. As others point out, it’s the policies he advocates that are the problem. He’s a Poster child for the truth that the rich are under-taxed, yet wants to lower their taxes further. And BTW, though I don’t know if you joined that fracas, **control-z** , when Mr. Warren Buffett advocated higher taxes on the rich, the right-wing shrieks were the opposite of what we hear now: “what kind of idiot would pay more taxes than they legally have to” transmuting into “how can you advocate higher taxes without paying the higher amount voluntarily?” :smack: :smack: And, there is a difference between filling out 1040 with an eye to minimizing taxes and twisting the laws however possible, but barely avoiding prosecution. I’ve linked to a discussion of Romney’s tax tricks in the past, and would link again but I find it highly unlikely **control-z** would be interested. Finally, can I say again that present American right-wing “thinking” reminds me of certain middle-class Thais who supported the present P.M.'s brother? That man bilked the Thai treasury out of _many_ millions of dollars for his personal enrichment, but when I point this out to his supporters, they respond “Yes, we know. That proves he’s smart and smart is good.” ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/199 "2012-08-20T16:29:57Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > > [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > > > I mean … you gotta look on the bright side of things. > > How is that good in any way? You really want Democrats to be able to hide their financial history? Don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re not a master at the art of sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745/200 "2012-08-20T17:07:53Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > Pardon me, I’m sure it’s been covered already, but exactly which form should I file to ADD A FUCKING GRATUITY TO MY FUCKING TAX OBLIGATION? I’ve been working and paying taxes since I was 15, but I’ve only ever been interested in paying what I ACTUALLY OWE. Now I guess I have to pay 50% to keep up with the joneses or “Do What’s Right” or something instead of paying the CORRECT amount. Not that you were actually seriously asking, but you can make voluntary contributions over and above your tax obligation to the US Treasury: "How do you make a contribution to reduce the debt? There are two ways for you to make a contribution to reduce the debt: •You can make a contribution online either by credit card, checking or savings account at [Pay.gov](http://Pay.gov) •You can write a check payable to the Bureau of the Public Debt, and in the memo section, notate that it’s a Gift to reduce the Debt Held by the Public. Mail your check to: Attn Dept G Bureau of the Public Debt P. O. Box 2188 Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188" [http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq\_publicdebt.htm#DebtFinance](http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/resources/faq/faq_publicdebt.htm#DebtFinance) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-romney-says-he-paid-at-least-13/631745.md?page=11)