Is there any reason why one should exclude the other?
Legolas Send a noteboard - 23/02/2012 07:32:09 PM
Wow, talk about Two Americas.....one that foots the bill, the other that feeds at the trough for free. Time for the freeloaders to start paying their fair share!
The Heritage Foundation is right that it doesn't say much good about the American tax system if half of the population doesn't pay federal income taxes. But I fail to see how that in any way invalidates the point about the unreasonably low taxes paid by the super-rich.
Other than that, the article doesn't mention an important point I learned about one of the previous times I was discussing the topic, which is the payroll tax / FICA. They do pay that, and Wikipedia informs me that for three quarters of Americans (i.e., including the lowest-earning half of that half that does pay income taxes), their payroll tax is higher than their income tax. So it's all a matter of how you look at it - if you include the payroll tax in your definition of "federal income taxes", considering that it is a federal tax levied on one's income, that fifty percent (excepting the retired and unemployed) does in fact pay federal income taxes.
Why Joel is CRAZY - Nearly Half of All Americans Don't Pay Federal Income Taxes
23/02/2012 04:43:15 AM
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Income taxes are not the only kind of taxes. 86% of Americans pay payroll or income tax.
23/02/2012 09:51:50 PM
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A not so hypothetical situation...
23/02/2012 05:46:44 AM
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Your paying more money now than then. Lower rate but more money *NM*
23/02/2012 07:52:51 AM
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Why the heck do you think the current tax system is skewed to the rich?
23/02/2012 03:18:43 PM
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Once again, poor people have no money with which to pay taxes.
23/02/2012 06:23:07 AM
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50% of America is not "poor" or too poor to pay federal income taxes.....
23/02/2012 01:01:24 PM
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You base that statement on what, exactly? Fervent desire that it be true?
25/02/2012 12:43:30 AM
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2009 (the year cited for this claim) was an outlier because of temporary tax cuts and the economy.
25/02/2012 01:14:01 AM
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Interesting, but lacking the data I consider critical; FICA etc. should not be counted, IMHO.
25/02/2012 02:10:45 AM
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It's a phrasing thing, permits more bullshit
25/02/2012 04:41:06 AM
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Maybe I am just playing the same game,but I find stats from "the other side" compelling in some ways
25/02/2012 10:36:40 AM
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You're operating under the same fallacy he does - that people should pay income taxes.
23/02/2012 12:05:52 PM
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In much the same way
23/02/2012 01:40:58 PM
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Joel is crazy, but I highly doubt that this is "why"
23/02/2012 01:36:37 PM
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I see your point, but not how it changes much in the conversation where we discussed that
25/02/2012 01:49:29 AM
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You mention this statistic all the time.
23/02/2012 02:16:47 PM
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Obviously, we are talking about the bottom 50%.....
23/02/2012 03:22:43 PM
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I wonder how much of that statistic is students
23/02/2012 02:22:58 PM
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The number "paying taxes" should include dependents of those paying
23/02/2012 02:39:21 PM
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yah I read the link, but apparently I just didn't understand their explanation.
23/02/2012 05:40:54 PM
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Federal taxes
23/02/2012 04:18:22 PM
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Your figures are fairly unrealistic
23/02/2012 04:54:44 PM
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Not entirely.
23/02/2012 06:30:18 PM
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Yeah I don't normally assume NY as a baseline
23/02/2012 06:41:37 PM
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It probably isn't. We even tax delivery fees, gardening services and other things with sales tax.
25/02/2012 07:03:46 PM
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We don't tax transport of property either
25/02/2012 08:16:53 PM
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Places usually get around it with free delivery. A tax on a $0 item is still $0. *NM*
25/02/2012 09:12:22 PM
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Is there any reason why one should exclude the other?
23/02/2012 07:32:09 PM
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And give the riff raff a reason to become involved in politics? Are you daft? *NM*
24/02/2012 05:04:51 AM
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25% of america is under 18, that means ~25% of the rest are not working or paid very little
25/02/2012 08:17:52 PM
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