A lot of people in here want higher taxes...

[sickdsm]

Taxes should be tax deductible also.

[DMX7]

Looks like the majority of Americans are tired of the failed policies of trickledown economics.

69% of Americans support an increase on the tax rate of those making $250,000 or more.

And that includes 54% of Republicans and 68% of Independents!

https://www.facebook.com/berniesanders/photos/a.324119347643076.89553.124955570892789/1113264815395188/?type=3&theater

The tax code is rigged.

The riggers have fantastic power and wealth (ownership of slavish politicians) to keep it rigged.

And of course, the multi-millionaire politicians would never vote themselves higher taxes.

So many of the wealthiest people aren't making most of their money through ordinary salaries. They make it through capital gains, qualified dividends, and all sorts of other things that shield them from higher tax rates that effect salaries.

[Spurminator]

Tax rate should not be seen as a fix for wealth inequality.

[CosmicCowboy]

Tax rate should not be seen as a fix for wealth inequality.

True.

It's not finite like a pie where you can only add to the smaller slice by taking away from the bigger slice. A healthy growing economy is the best equalizer and you don't get that by raising taxes.

[boutons_deux]

True.

It's not finite like a pie where you can only add to the smaller slice by taking away from the bigger slice. A healthy growing economy is the best equalizer and you don't get that by raising taxes.

CC WRONG again.

Nearly all growth in income, aka bigger pie, since the Banksters' Great Depression has gone to the top 5%, while the 95% has been losing income and net worth, where it existed.

[CosmicCowboy]

CC WRONG again.

Nearly all growth in income, aka bigger pie, since the Banksters' Great Depression has gone to the top 5%, while the 95% has been losing income and net worth, where it existed.

So?

It's not like the top 5% stole it from the bottom 95%.

The simple fact is all those middle class assembly line manufacturing jobs are gone for good. They aren't coming back no matter what Trump or Hillary do.

We are a service economy servicing a service economy and a lot of those jobs don't pay because they don't require talent to do them.

Massive immigration and the underground economy hasn't helped either...they work for cheap so fewer unskilled jobs are available for the perpetual underclass.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Sounds like a jealous to me.

Not my fault you aren't happy with your income.

Everyone compares themselves with everyone else. 90% of the new wealth goes to the 1%, wages are stagnant for 30 years, and as soon as the Arabs normalize their output the price of everything is going to start to rise again.

I bet you say the same thing when your old lady gets mad when she finds you trolling the playground. Just because they are jealous doesn't mean that the sentiment is justified, pedofattie.

[SnakeBoy]

Ok snake. What was your effective tax rate?

I'm not going to dig out my tax returns for details but I know last year it was 19% of gross including self employment tax which was pretty sweet I think. Been able to take some nice deductions as well as max out the SEP for the past few years...it's nice.

And you?

[SnakeBoy]

So?

It's not like the top 5% stole it from the bottom 95%.

Boutons thinks if other people had less he would have more

[Xevious]

I agree that taxing the rich at a higher rate does not fix wealth inequality, but trickle down economics doesn't work either. Stimulating the economy and raising wages for the middle class should be viewed as a separate issue instead of thinking some silver bullet tax adjustment is going to change things. So the question is, what is the increase in tax revenue used for?

[boutons_deux]

It's not like the top 5% stole it from the bottom 95%.

goddam, you're so full you misinform yourself.

Predatory lending, liar's loans, violatons of Federal regulations governing Federally insured mortgages, and up to 6M homes STOLEN through fraudulent foreclosures, most often with systematic broken chain of le, aka, MERS, robo-signing, foreclosure mills, etc, etc.

For-profit health is clearly form of theft, to enrich mgmt and

hedge funds, P/E outfits pilfer exorbitant, hidden fees from pension funds

[Th'Pusher]

...

[Th'Pusher]

the jealous 69%. It's already 33% over $190,000.

That would be 33% on every dollar of taxable income over $190,000. So if you made $190K per year and every single dollar of it was taxable, meaning you have no deductions (which is basically impossible), you would pay an effective tax rate 26.8%.

You love to throw around these high tax rates, but effective tax rates are what matter.

[Th'Pusher]

I'm not going to dig out my tax returns for details but I know last year it was 19% of gross including self employment tax which was pretty sweet I think. Been able to take some nice deductions as well as max out the SEP for the past few years...it's nice.

And you?

~22% of gross. Refinanced my house at a few years ago at 2.55% (which is great), but I'm not paying and therefor deducting nearly as much interest.

[TeyshaBlue]

Nice rate but the mortgage interest deduction does stuck. I did a refi last year and didn't anticipate the hit.

[RandomGuy]

True.

It's not finite like a pie where you can only add to the smaller slice by taking away from the bigger slice. A healthy growing economy is the best equalizer and you don't get that by raising taxes.

What if the economy grows and the only people benefitting from that growth are the people at the top?

How much of our economy should go to service the fabulously wealthy?



When do we say that we value the education of poor children more than the ability of the Kardashians to buy another $10,000 pair of ing shoes?

[rmt]

What if the economy grows and the only people benefitting from that growth are the people at the top?

How much of our economy should go to service the fabulously wealthy?



When do we say that we value the education of poor children more than the ability of the Kardashians to buy another $10,000 pair of ing shoes?

It's not the Kardashians buying $10k worth of shoes that's affecting poor children's education (and it's not for lack of taxpayer dollars spent either). More likely, the culprit is Democrat's resistance to school choice, their strong support of teachers' union (and the ability to get rid of bad teachers) and parental non-involvement. I don't follow the Kardashians, but if they have found a way to parlay their talent/life, etc into money and people follow then, then more power to them. I don't see why they should be blamed for poor kids' education or why anyone should be criticizing how anyone spends their own money. Others also have that freedom to try to earn money.

[CosmicCowboy]

It's not the Kardashians buying $10k worth of shoes that's affecting poor children's education (and it's not for lack of taxpayer dollars spent either). More likely, the culprit is Democrat's resistance to school choice, their strong support of teachers' union (and the ability to get rid of bad teachers) and parental non-involvement. I don't follow the Kardashians, but if they have found a way to parlay their talent/life, etc into money and people follow then, then more power to them. I don't see why they should be blamed for poor kids' education or why anyone should be criticizing how anyone spends their own money. Others also have that freedom to try to earn money.

True

and to think the Kardashian empire started with a sex tape...

RG, guess you could try that...

[tlongII]

[pgardn]

I'm not going to dig out my tax returns for details but I know last year it was 19% of gross including self employment tax which was pretty sweet I think. Been able to take some nice deductions as well as max out the SEP for the past few years...it's nice.

And you?

17% last year. That's lower than other years for sure. I know I have had others over 20%. But I do not ask the accountant to seek out every detail because I am sloppy keeping up. Lazy. Also I no debt. I don't carry inventory etc... Own everything straight up. When was the last time you got audited?

[RandomGuy]

It's not the Kardashians buying $10k worth of shoes that's affecting poor children's education (and it's not for lack of taxpayer dollars spent either). More likely, the culprit is Democrat's resistance to school choice, their strong support of teachers' union (and the ability to get rid of bad teachers) and parental non-involvement. I don't follow the Kardashians, but if they have found a way to parlay their talent/life, etc into money and people follow then, then more power to them. I don't see why they should be blamed for poor kids' education or why anyone should be criticizing how anyone spends their own money. Others also have that freedom to try to earn money.

The only talent these rich kids have is winning the genetic lottery.

My point was more along the line of the widows farthings, when it comes to allocating tax burdens. Progressive income taxes is a very Christian concept in that regard.

[RandomGuy]

True

and to think the Kardashian empire started with a sex tape...

RG, guess you could try that...

heh, think I will pass.

[Winehole23]

En lements and government services are popular on both sides of the aisle but one side demands a pony too: tax cuts.

Republicans think they shouldn't have to pay for en lements by corresponding cuts in services. It's the two Santa Claus theory.

[Winehole23]

given the trend of wealth ac ulation since the 1980's, who can most afford to pay?

The Great Recession and the subsequent recovery from it have deepened the wedge between the very wealthy and everyone else in America, plunging the poor deeper into debt and wiping out two-fifths of the wealth held by families in the heart of the middle class. The wealthiest Americans, meanwhile, appear close to regaining all their losses over the same period, according to a new analysis released Thursday by the Congressional Budget Office.


The analysis shows the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans now hold three-quarters of the nation's wealth, up from two-thirds in 1989, and a three percentage-point increase from the start of the recession. Most Americans found themselves with less wealth in 2013 than Americans of a similar age had in 1989; the only age group doing better than its counterparts from a quarter-century ago was senior citizens.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-even-started/

[Winehole23]

in b4 CC suggests that people who have already been flayed need more skin in the game.