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Here are some facts and analyses..... trzaska2000 Send a noteboard - 03/09/2009 02:40:22 PM
Lots of charts based on government data to click on, via the link.....but as for the question of the rich paying a greater portion of incomes taxes after the Bush cuts:

Myth #10: The Bush tax cuts were tilted toward the rich.
Fact: The rich are now shouldering even more of the income tax burden.

Popular mythology also suggests that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts shifted more of the tax burden toward the poor. While high-income households did save more in actual dollars than low-income households, they did so because low-income house­holds pay so little in income taxes in the first place. The same 1 percent tax cut will save more dollars for a millionaire than it will for a middle-class worker simply because the millionaire paid more taxes before the tax cut.

In 2000, the top 60 percent of taxpayers paid 100 percent of all income taxes. The bottom 40 percent collectively paid no income taxes. Lawmakers writing the 2001 tax cuts faced quite a challenge in giving the bulk of the income tax savings to a population that was already paying no income taxes.

Rather than exclude these Americans, lawmak­ers used the tax code to subsidize them. (Some economists would say this made that group's col­lective tax burden negative.)First, lawmakers low­ered the initial tax brackets from 15 percent to 10 percent and then expanded the refundable child tax credit, which, along with the refundable earned income tax credit (EITC), reduced the typical low-income tax burden to well below zero. As a result, the U.S. Treasury now mails tax "refunds" to a large proportion of these Americans that exceed the amounts of tax that they actually paid. All in all, the number of tax filers with zero or negative income tax liability rose from 30 million to 40 million, or about 30 percent of all tax filers.[17] The remaining 70 percent of tax filers received lower income tax rates, lower investment taxes, and lower estate taxes from the 2001 legislation.

Consequently, from 2000 to 2004, the share of all individual income taxes paid by the bottom 40 per­cent dropped from zero percent to –4 percent, mean­ing that the average family in those quintiles received a subsidy from the IRS. (See Chart 6.) By contrast, the share paid by the top quintile of households (by income) increased from 81 percent to 85 percent.

Expanding the data to include all federal taxes, the share paid by the top quintile edged up from 66.6 percent in 2000 to 67.1 percent in 2004, while the bottom 40 percent's share dipped from 5.9 per­cent to 5.4 percent. Clearly, the tax cuts have led to the rich shouldering more of the income tax burden and the poor shouldering less.[18 ]
*MySmiley*
GWB Tax Cuts
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For Europeans who don't understand why Americans are against ObamaCare - 03/09/2009 04:24:35 AM 1298 Views
I'd be happy to tax top "earners" more and suffer Europes economic "collapse. " - 03/09/2009 04:30:31 AM 754 Views
The US will never work with socialism. - 03/09/2009 04:40:21 AM 824 Views
Re: The US will never work with socialism. - 03/09/2009 04:58:47 AM 815 Views
I don't think the mistrust of the government is really all that overblown - 03/09/2009 05:04:34 AM 739 Views
It's advanced beyond what it was during the Revolution, I think. - 03/09/2009 05:18:22 AM 782 Views
I would say it's grown with the government - 03/09/2009 05:23:52 AM 763 Views
Re: I don't think the mistrust of the government is really all that overblown - 04/09/2009 03:30:23 AM 709 Views
If I lived in France I wouldn't trust the Government either. - 04/09/2009 03:44:55 AM 771 Views
*laughs* the point is taken. *NM* - 04/09/2009 04:24:07 AM 498 Views
Re: The US will never work with socialism. - 04/09/2009 03:28:24 AM 863 Views
How much more can we really tax the wealthy?? - 03/09/2009 04:41:14 AM 678 Views
Sadly, I think going back to the Clinton rates would help - 03/09/2009 04:42:54 AM 645 Views
I'm ok with that....not super excited....but ok with it - 03/09/2009 04:57:32 AM 665 Views
A lot; before Reagans "reforms" we already taxed them less than any other industrialized state did. - 03/09/2009 05:06:00 AM 787 Views
I'm in the lower-middle class tax bracket - 03/09/2009 05:13:39 AM 710 Views
It's both, IMHO. - 03/09/2009 05:29:41 AM 641 Views
I hear a lot of socialism coming from you..... - 03/09/2009 05:19:08 AM 645 Views
Re: I hear a lot of socialism coming from you..... - 03/09/2009 05:40:32 AM 735 Views
Nice non-answer answer..... - 03/09/2009 05:52:04 AM 741 Views
You want detailed answers that require detailed data I don't have. - 03/09/2009 06:06:55 AM 797 Views
Here are some facts and analyses..... - 03/09/2009 02:40:22 PM 857 Views
The Heritage Foundation, huh? - 03/09/2009 03:01:17 PM 863 Views
The non-working wealthy? Please quantify..... - 03/09/2009 03:31:58 PM 819 Views
Paris Hilton? - 04/09/2009 03:43:19 AM 726 Views
You're so full of shit on this issue I don't know where to begin. - 04/09/2009 03:15:55 AM 832 Views
Re: You're so full of shit on this issue I don't know where to begin. - 04/09/2009 03:59:21 AM 919 Views
Less than 200 people were said to be US persons with Swiss accounts - 04/09/2009 04:16:24 AM 717 Views
And yet account for many millions of dollars; what does that say...? - 04/09/2009 04:21:57 AM 713 Views
It's statistically insignificant and your hyperbole is reminiscent of screaming guests on CNN. - 04/09/2009 02:07:31 PM 647 Views
Well, look at this way: - 04/09/2009 02:24:03 PM 781 Views
That's not a solution. - 05/09/2009 02:39:12 AM 783 Views
The Soviets weren't socialist, or even communist, so it's a false comparison. - 05/09/2009 03:09:06 AM 727 Views
Okay, now you've just gone into Kool-aid drinking territory. - 05/09/2009 04:32:07 AM 846 Views
Communist THEORY is predicated on democratic participation at every level,totally absent in the USSR - 05/09/2009 04:55:00 AM 967 Views
FINALLY!!! - 07/09/2009 10:22:53 AM 757 Views
Ever heard of the 20-80 rule? - 04/09/2009 04:28:54 AM 641 Views
Yes, and 90% of people are idiots. - 05/09/2009 02:41:35 AM 949 Views
Re: Yes, and 90% of people are idiots. - 07/09/2009 10:09:30 AM 762 Views
Top earners? Please define.....what income and how much more? *NM* - 03/09/2009 04:52:25 AM 502 Views
That would be open to definition, and should change with inflation. - 03/09/2009 05:13:02 AM 896 Views
What is your justification for taking over 50% of anyone's income? - 03/09/2009 05:28:22 AM 844 Views
That's a good example of why I say the rate has to be set to cost of living. - 03/09/2009 05:50:16 AM 865 Views
Still no comment on the fact that 40% of Americans don't pay any income taxes? - 03/09/2009 02:32:12 PM 780 Views
To what 40% do you refer? - 03/09/2009 02:42:55 PM 642 Views
Dude, you are not making this easy..... - 03/09/2009 03:38:01 PM 679 Views
No one "gets money from the IRS. " - 04/09/2009 02:55:02 AM 686 Views
Actually with EIC you can get money back that you never paid in. - 04/09/2009 02:56:43 AM 680 Views
It MIGHT be possible with the EIC, but in practice few people get more than they paid. - 04/09/2009 03:43:36 AM 734 Views
I don't know, I've known plenty of people that have gotten more back than they paid in - 04/09/2009 03:46:29 AM 808 Views
A neat trick then. - 04/09/2009 04:09:58 AM 808 Views
To be fair - 04/09/2009 04:50:20 AM 743 Views
Ah, gotcha. - 04/09/2009 04:53:58 AM 758 Views
Yet another example of your ignorance on tax policy. - 04/09/2009 03:19:39 AM 631 Views
The word I notice is "welfare" - 04/09/2009 03:57:01 AM 743 Views
I wouldn't say that's what it means.... - 04/09/2009 04:02:40 AM 749 Views
It's what welfare means to me... - 04/09/2009 04:32:17 AM 756 Views
I was just talking about EIC as a form of welfare, not welfare welfare. *NM* - 04/09/2009 04:45:13 AM 433 Views
yes, I get that now. *NM* - 04/09/2009 05:02:53 AM 417 Views
*NM* - 04/09/2009 05:14:01 AM 413 Views
Not necessarily - 04/09/2009 04:11:41 AM 692 Views
*shrugs* I have a soft heart. *NM* - 04/09/2009 04:30:52 AM 424 Views
It's a credit for people who file a return on income that's been taxed. - 04/09/2009 04:19:57 AM 685 Views
It is only for the WORKING poor, yes. - 04/09/2009 02:12:55 PM 670 Views
Mean it may be, but hardly illegal. - 04/09/2009 02:31:16 PM 699 Views
How does the business benefit? - 04/09/2009 04:54:27 PM 700 Views
I didn't realize you meant literal withholding. - 05/09/2009 03:03:32 AM 719 Views
That's a no-no, Joel - 03/09/2009 07:32:03 AM 683 Views
Europe impresses me for one simple reason: - 03/09/2009 09:21:28 AM 735 Views
No real comments, just 100% agree with you....plus the $12 trillion is terrifying to me. *NM* - 03/09/2009 04:33:39 AM 326 Views
If that scares you, check this out! - 03/09/2009 04:48:56 AM 833 Views
Excellent post - the US government is not capable of running HC..... - 03/09/2009 04:40:19 AM 628 Views
There is one thing the government did right - 03/09/2009 04:41:36 AM 744 Views
The bailout, some of it, was necessary..... - 03/09/2009 04:51:03 AM 742 Views
I still think it was too one sided. - 03/09/2009 05:21:45 AM 772 Views
It depends on your level of cynicism - 03/09/2009 05:38:53 AM 796 Views
when have they ever cut the fat? - 03/09/2009 08:35:36 PM 723 Views
Contrary to popular belief, they are quite good at it - 03/09/2009 09:05:15 PM 745 Views
Well there is only one catch *NM* - 03/09/2009 10:56:00 PM 415 Views
This doesn't make sense to me. - 03/09/2009 08:33:18 AM 733 Views
The key phrase is "should be. " - 03/09/2009 09:38:15 AM 905 Views
Re: The key phrase is "should be. " - 03/09/2009 09:47:39 AM 784 Views
That sounds like a good stop gap to me. - 03/09/2009 09:50:57 AM 794 Views
In fairness, most Europeans don't seem to realize what ObamaCare is. - 03/09/2009 02:34:01 PM 771 Views
What makes you think we do? - 03/09/2009 09:11:06 PM 783 Views
Oh, you don't either. I thought that went without saying. *NM* - 03/09/2009 09:25:54 PM 424 Views
As far as most people I know are concerned, opposition to ObamaCare isn't the issue. - 03/09/2009 11:04:36 PM 867 Views
It's hard not to be horrified with a government as wasteful as ours - 03/09/2009 11:24:59 PM 640 Views
I can understand horror of governments. - 03/09/2009 11:30:23 PM 640 Views
a bit, yes. *NM* - 04/09/2009 04:08:37 AM 441 Views
For Americans who don't understand why Canadians like their public healthcare. - 04/09/2009 04:23:11 AM 759 Views
Correction - 04/09/2009 04:44:32 AM 750 Views
Re: Correction - 04/09/2009 05:05:11 AM 865 Views
In all honesty.... - 04/09/2009 05:18:23 AM 699 Views
Re: In all honesty.... - 04/09/2009 07:19:28 AM 778 Views
Re: Correction - 04/09/2009 05:24:49 PM 707 Views
Re: Correction - 07/09/2009 10:11:45 AM 899 Views
That's a nice theory. - 04/09/2009 02:49:34 PM 762 Views
It's a fact - 04/09/2009 05:21:59 PM 760 Views
Re: It's a fact - 05/09/2009 03:18:39 AM 720 Views

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