Why do liberals think the rich don't pay their fair share in taxes?

Question

The wealthiest 1% of our country pays over a third of our total tax receipts, while the lowest 50% wage earners only pay 4% of our total tax receipts. It's a FACT libs, wake up. The rich pay more than their fair share in taxes.

http://www.treasury.gov/press/releases/js1287.htm

http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer

Answer 1

They don't even really believe it. But it is so ingrained in them that they spout it anyway.
If you want more info try www.irs.gov/taxfacts.
You can order the info so you can go thru it yourself. It also shows you how dramatically, Tax Shelters we reduced under Bush.
Its' a bit time consuming but good info.

Answer 2

There is already a spot on the tax form where you can voluntarily pay extra taxes if you want. It's called a "gift to reduce the public debt", and the government collects millions of dollars a year through this.

Answer 3

First, your facts are plain wrong. Look at the very articles you linked to - they talk about percentage of income tax paid, not 'total tax receipts'. That's important, because for the majority of Americans, the largest tax they pay is FICA, not income tax. And FICA, which is a very major part of our tax structure, is designed to be regressive. People working for minimum wage actually pay a higher percentage of their earnings in FICA than do CEOs. When you count only income tax, you get a very distorted picture of who pays how much in taxes.

Here are some interesting facts, all provably true, which almost nobody knows. The FICA tax is high largely because of a bill negotiated and passed under Reagan. This Reagan bill was the largest tax increase in US history. Yes, you've heard many times that the Clinton bill of 1993 was the largest tax raise in history. it isn't true, which, of course, won't stop Republican propagandists from repeating it or people like AmericanPatriot from believing it. Another fact I'll wager you don't know: most people's taxes actually were reduced by the Clinton bill. Taxes rose almost entirely on wealthy taxpayers. This is a sharp contrast to the Reagan increase, which raised taxes dramatically for average taxpayers, but had a minimal effect on the wealthy.

Under the US tax system there's also a disproportion between earned income, the income of average folks, and capital gains. capital gains, the main income of the very wealthy, is taxed at a lower rate.

So why do I think that the wealthy usually don't pay their fair share in taxes? Because, unlike those folks who swallow right wing propaganda, I've taken the time to learn the actual truth.

Answer 4

Yep, the rich personally fund the entitlement programs that the rest of the country enjoys. As for the Bush tax cuts, yeah, the rich received a tax cut--everyone did--but since the rich pay so darn much, their tax cut appeared bigger (at least in raw numbers rather than as a proportion). That's misleading. It's not a matter of who needs a tax cut. Everyone DESERVES a tax cut.

Answer 5

The rich do pay a lot of taxes but they also get out of paying a lot also with loopholes, off-shore accounts and businesses, company perks and stock options and many other ways to get money by. If a company presidents pays taxes on a 1 million dollar salary but gets compensation through other means that doubles or triples or more the amount he recieves he is getting a tax break. You should read what Warren Buffet says about this

Answer 6

The Treasury department??????

That's a vast right wing conspiracy think tank, you can't trust them!!!!!

Oh, sorry, I thought I was Al Cracka for a minute.

What's with jsts22 "some guy with too much money" - - - here's the problem - - Liberals think that if I get a $5K raise today, that means 1.66 thousandths of a cent LESS that is available for everyone else to be paid. That's called zero sum game. It's not reality, that's not how it works, but they believe it.

JSTS how about this, if you're a grown adult born in this country and you make $12K a year you're the one with the problem.

Answer 7

I love how repubs leave out the fact that in addition, the wealthiest 1% also controls 75% of the country. Thus, on a relative basis, the rich pay nothing compared to the middle class.

Another feeble attempt, next?

By the way, you don't think Liberals have $$, where are you living?

Answer 8

How else to you keep your base in line if you can't have class envoy and warfare.... that's why most liberals become Conservative after college fun is over and work and family take precedent.... unless the trust fund kicks in and you feel enlightened.

Answer 9

That statement is only true if you don't get an accountant that knows where the loopholes concerning off shore accounts are.

They pay more over all but a much lower percentage of their income is taken in taxes.

Answer 10

Don't try to confuse the libs with facts. They think there's this mythical pool of "rich" out there that will gladly just sit by and let the "progressives" fleece them out of 98% of everything they have to finance every goofy idea the libs can come up with.

They didn't get rich by being stupid.