"Fairer" Taxes - they certainly are not!
To most conservatives, the Federal tax code should be used to raise money for the Federal government operations. This Prez election matters because uber-Liberal Obama has said that he will use the tax code "to make it fairer". Let's set the context with this quote from 1787 from Scottish historian Alexander Tyler:
"A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, (which is) always followed by a dictatorship."
A gift does not have to be one that is given; it can also be one that is not taken. In this case, voters have continued to vote for people that have saved them money at the expense of "the other". What have we created for a society, as I have said repeatedly before on the 'Grok, when most of that society have no skinny in the game? What is the long term result when people feel that society is "free" when it is demonstrably not? Me? My answer is more selfish children - "what's in it for me!"
My question is: "how much more change is he willing to do to make it more fair than it already is?"
Now for the numbers from the IRS that prove that what we have is not fair (H/T: NTU via Thurber's Thoughts)
| Tax | |||||
| Year | Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change |
| 2006 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $388,806.00 | 6.62% | 39.89 | 1.30% | |
| Top 5% | $153,542.00 | 5.68% | 60.14 | 0.79% | |
| Top 10% | $108,904.00 | 4.80% | 70.79 | 0.70% | |
| Top 25% | $64,702.00 | 4.24% | 86.27 | 0.33% | |
| Top 50% | $31,987.00 | 3.58% | 97.01 | 0.08% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$31,987 | 3.58% | 2.99 | -2.61% |
I echo Maggie's words:
Since Democrats, and liberals in general, are all about fairness, how is it fair that the top 5% pay 60% of the taxes? Shouldn't we all be paying a 'fair' portion? If we were really being 'fair,' wouldn't they have to pay only 5% of the federal income taxes?
And do people actually understand that if you make more than $64,702, you're in the top 25% of taxpayers? With this threshold, most public employees are 'rich.' And those good factory workers, like at Jeep and Hydromatic - good UAW union jobs - are probably in that group, especially if there are two wage earners in the family. These are the people who are already paying the vast majority of the taxes. So is it fair to make them pay more so that people who make less than $31,987 can pay less than the 3% they're currently paying?
Ok, Obama, let's hear the explanation! Tell me WHY this tax system is fair to all? Tell me that by eliminating the financial sharing of the cost of government is good for society?
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2005 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $364,657.00 | 11.16% | 39.38 | 6.75% | |
| Top 5% | $145,283.00 | 6.00% | 59.67 | 4.45% | |
| Top 10% | $103,912.00 | 4.84% | 70.30 | 3.09% | |
| Top 25% | $62,068.00 | 3.38% | 85.99 | 1.33% | |
| Top 50% | $30,881.00 | 2.52% | 96.93 | 0.24% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$30,881 | 2.52% | 3.07 | -6.97% | |
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2004 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $328,049.00 | 11.02% | 36.89 | 7.65% | |
| Top 5% | $137,056.00 | 5.36% | 57.13 | 5.10% | |
| Top 10% | $99,112.00 | 4.45% | 68.19 | 3.57% | |
| Top 25% | $60,041.00 | 4.71% | 84.86 | 1.17% | |
| Top 50% | $30,122.00 | 3.80% | 96.70 | 0.17% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$30,122 | 3.80% | 3.30 | -4.62% | |
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2003 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $295,495.00 | 3.53% | 34.27 | 1.66% | |
| Top 5% | $130,080.00 | 2.81% | 54.36 | 1.04% | |
| Top 10% | $94,891.00 | 2.40% | 65.84 | 0.17% | |
| Top 25% | $57,343.00 | 1.67% | 83.88 | -0.02% | |
| Top 50% | $29,019.00 | 1.27% | 96.54 | 0.04% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$29,019 | 1.27% | 3.46 | ||
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2002 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $285,424.00 | -2.56% | 33.71 | -0.53% | |
| Top 5% | $126,525.00 | -1.08% | 53.80 | 1.03% | |
| Top 10% | $92,663.00 | -0.10% | 65.73 | 1.29% | |
| Top 25% | $56,401.00 | 0.56% | 83.90 | 1.21% | |
| Top 50% | $28,654.00 | 0.44% | 96.50 | 0.49% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$28,654 | 0.55% | 3.50 | -11.84% | |
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2001 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $292,913.00 | -6.56% | 33.89 | -9.43% | |
| Top 5% | $127,904.00 | -0.34% | 53.25 | -5.70% | |
| Top 10% | $92,754.00 | 0.66% | 64.89 | -3.62% | |
| Top 25% | $56,085.00 | 1.56% | 82.90 | -1.32% | |
| Top 50% | $28,528.00 | 3.06% | 96.03 | -0.06% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$28,528 | 3.06% | 3.97 | 1.53% | |
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | % Change | Federal Personal | % Change | |
| 2000 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Previous Year | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | Previous Year |
| Top 1% | $313,469.00 | 6.83% | 37.42 | 3.43% | |
| Top 5% | $128,336.00 | 6.20% | 56.47 | 1.84% | |
| Top 10% | $92,144.00 | 5.09% | 67.33 | 1.32% | |
| Top 25% | $55,225.00 | 4.27% | 84.01 | 0.56% | |
| Top 50% | $27,682.00 | 4.80% | 96.09 | 0.09% | |
| Bottom 50% | <$27,682 | 4.80% | 3.91 | -2.25% | |
| Percentiles Ranked | AGI Threshold | Federal Personal | |||
| 1999 | By AGI | On Percentiles | Income Tax Paid (Cum%) | ||
| Top 1% | $293,415.00 | 36.18 | |||
| Top 5% | $120,846.00 | 55.45 | |||
| Top 10% | $87,682.00 | 66.45 | |||
| Top 25% | $52,965.00 | 83.54 | |||
| Top 50% | $26,415.00 | 96.00 | |||
| Bottom 50% | <$26,415 | 4.00 |
Comments
Posted by: Michael Kitch | September 3, 2008 12:13 PM