Should gambling be taxed?

[Zetack]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Anyway, mostly the proponents of sales taxes have an ulterior agenda - which is shifting the tax burden from the rich to the poor. If that wasn't the case, they'd also favor simplifying the current system, by - for example - eliminating itemized deductions. But they don't favor it, because itemization mostly benefits the wealthy.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are 100% CORRECT! I'd like to see the poor pay SOME of the tax burden and see my portion lowered. I'd like to see the wealthy's portion lowered even more. It is beyond unfair and insane that the top 5% of income earners shoulders 50% of the tax burden. It is just as insane that the top 50% shoulder (essentially) 100% of the tax burden.



[/ QUOTE ]

You just make stuff up to support your beliefs.

According to the Congretional Budget Office (which is non partisan).

The bottom 20 percent of income (under $14,90) paid 1.1 percent of the taxes.
The next 20 percent paid 5.2 percent of income tax revenue.
The middle 20 percent paid 10.5 percent.
The next 20 percent paid 19.5
And the top 20 percent paid 63.5 percent.

You may not like these percentages, but this, bottom fifty percent pay nothing crap, is just that.

Interestingly, since Bush came into office the effective tax rate for the top 1% of income (over 1.1 million per) has fallen from 33.4 % to 26.7%...a twenty percent drop. The government must be rolling in money.

--Zetack

[LinusKS]

When conservatives complain about the poor not paying taxes, they always leave out the payroll tax.

That's because the payroll tax is a regressive tax - the poor pay 15% out of every dollar they make, while the rich pay no tax at all on their income over $88,000.

However, your point about the rich paying most of the federal income tax is a good one.

The people who say we should switch to some other system, because the rich don't pay taxes, are wrong.

They do pay taxes. If they didn't, they wouldn't be trying so hard to change the system.

There's a very good reason why the rich pay more in income taxes, however - entirely aside from that being the fairest and most equitable way of doing things.

The rich pay more, because they have most of the money.



Purely as a practical matter, trying to raise 50% of the taxes from people who have 0.5% of the wealth is stupid.

Which won't keep conservatives from trying.

[astroglide]

[ QUOTE ]
That's because the payroll tax is a regressive tax - the poor pay 15% out of every dollar they make, while the rich pay no tax at all on their income over $88,000.

[/ QUOTE ]

eh? my payroll taxes didn't stop at $88,000 in 2004. social security maxed at $8790 and everything else kept rolling. despite this, i even ended up owing $1300 for the w2 side of my taxes.