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What should taxes be?
Poll
 | 1 vote (9.09%) | ||
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| | 4 votes (36.36%) | ||
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| | 1 vote (9.09%) | ||
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11 members have voted
| November 9th, 2017 at 9:51:55 AM permalink | |
| AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18210 |
I guess I am paying pretty close to fair then. The utility of money thing is subjective. I still say abolish income taxes and make it 100% fees, sales, and excise taxes. The President is a fink. |
| November 9th, 2017 at 10:07:21 AM permalink | |
| petroglyph Member since: Aug 3, 2014 Threads: 25 Posts: 6227 | Doesn't the death tax go state by state? A friend of mine was just doing the duties of executor of his fathers estate. The deceased had set it up with trusts and whatever else in Oregon. The amount was well over a million dollars, maybe two? And there were zero estate taxes paid or owed. I do believe that if a person is willing to use the tax code to their advantage well enough, a person can live pretty tax free. I've seen it done, and when I was "willing to play the game', lived pretty tax free myself. It takes a business, and good records, but the rules that will allow a person [PITA] to live a deduction style life, is written in the tax code. The rules the uber wealthy, have had placed in the code for their benefit, can also be used by those with lesser means. That is the upside to taking something you love, and making a business from it. The last official act of any government is to loot the treasury. GW |
| November 9th, 2017 at 1:13:28 PM permalink | |
| Dalex64 Member since: Mar 8, 2014 Threads: 3 Posts: 3687 |
The median household income in the united states is about $59,000 The average household size is 2.53 2.53 x 13,000 = 32,890, out of 59,000 would be a tax rate of 55.7%, federal tax only, a percentage which goes up for those making less than the median family household income. Obviously that kind of "fair" would be impossible for most people, especially considering households of 4 or more. (52,000 in federal tax) As for the utility of money being subjective, of course it is, and each dollar is more important the less you make. going 100% to a consumption-based tax also disproportionately hurts those who make less by taking a larger percentage of their income. you would in effect be creating a reverse-progressive system, where based on minimum living expenses, the poor would be contributing an enormous percentage of their income on taxes. I do believe there should be consumption taxes, though. I think sources of government income need to stay diversified. So yeah, for me, the utility of money should be the largest consideration when making a tax policy. "Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts." Daniel Patrick Moynihan |
| November 9th, 2017 at 1:25:33 PM permalink | |
| kenarman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 14 Posts: 4515 |
Since you asked here is a good article on teachers salaries from the Atlantic which includes biased work from both sides including your radical left source. Teacher Salaries Studies You really need to stop reading only the sites that feed your need for confirmation bias. "but if you make yourselves sheep, the wolves will eat you." Benjamin Franklin |
| November 9th, 2017 at 6:42:42 PM permalink | |
| Evenbob Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 146 Posts: 25011 |
Teachers were making $34 an hour in 2005 for a 10 month year? I bet it's over $50 an hour now. And they only make 60% of what their EU counterparts make. Add in the benefits and they ain't exactly starving. If you take a risk, you may lose. If you never take a risk, you will always lose. |
| November 9th, 2017 at 7:36:37 PM permalink | |
| rxwine Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 189 Posts: 18762 | BLS says teachers (high school) medium income is 58,030 per year. At best that's $40 pre taxes, and that's assuming not an minute over 40 hour work week and subtracting 3 months for summer. That's for 2016. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really? |
| November 10th, 2017 at 7:43:27 AM permalink | |
| JimRockford Member since: Sep 18, 2015 Threads: 2 Posts: 971 |
First, I like this thread. It's the right way to frame the issue. I get the feeling that liberals will always want to raise taxes on the rich and will never ask what is a reasonable top tax rate. Top earners are currently paying an effective rate of about 27% (including only income tax and FICA). It's a subjective opinion, but I don't find it excessive. If your state piles on, there's nothing I can do about that.  The mind hungers for that on which it feeds. |
| December 23rd, 2020 at 5:27:50 PM permalink | |
| rxwine Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 189 Posts: 18762 |
more here https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tax-cuts-rich-50-years-no-trickle-down/ You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really? |
| December 23rd, 2020 at 6:32:34 PM permalink | |
| Gandler Member since: Aug 15, 2019 Threads: 27 Posts: 4256 |
The complication with teachers is that they have a partial year which their contracts are based off of (185 "duty days" I believe, of which only 180 days are with students, may vary by state). So that income is just based off a standard contract assuming no summer work and no extra duties. Teachers can earn more than their base salary by working in the summer or by coaching or doing extra curricular stuff (band, theatre etc....). My mother (teacher) always said gym teachers are almost always the best paid at any school because they often coach multiple sports on top of their base salary (and also often work in the summer). (Technically any teacher can coach, but obviously gym teachers tend to be the ones who coach the most sports). I also remember in my high school we had a PhD who taught physics and astronomy and always joked about how the gym teachers were the smart ones because of that (to be fair he was also a college professor at night so I am sure he made out fine).... But, to answer the original question I think 40% is a very fair for a top marginal tax rate -its actually lower now- (personally I think closer to 50% is still quite fair, especially compared to other countries....). For a 40% top rate does not mean you pay 40% on all of your income (only on income over the threshold, 500kish, your first 10k is only 10%, then 22% for 40K etc....) The progressive tax system is actually pretty genius because everyone is liable for the same rates for the same portions of their income.... If you are not happy with state/local taxes, there are 49 other states (some with no tax) and several territories and protectorates to choose from.... |
| December 23rd, 2020 at 6:36:08 PM permalink | |
| DRich Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 51 Posts: 4967 | I think 40% is close to fair over $500k. I just obviously wish the taxes were slightly lower for the $100k to $250k income range. At my age a Life In Prison sentence is not much of a detrrent. |