Sales Tax for you

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Dec 10, 2005
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Not really. If we had a flat tax the bottom 50% would actually be contributing instead of being a net negative or 0 to the federal income tax. Is it fair that half the nation pays nothing? That doesn't sound progressive or regressive. It sounds like you're putting all your eggs in one basket of depending on the rich.... Except unlike the poor, the rich can do things to avoid taxation.

Also on that note of tax avoidance: Regressive taxes are much harder to avoid paying.
When can we retire this tired old and wrong trope they the bottom 50% pay nothing. Your wallet cares not what the tax is called when you pay it. They all pay FICA, excise taxes, and whatever other sorts of taxes and use fees they encounter in their daily lives.
 
Nov 8, 2012
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When can we retire this tired old and wrong trope they the bottom 50% pay nothing. Your wallet cares not what the tax is called when you pay it. They all pay FICA, excise taxes, and whatever other sorts of taxes and use fees they encounter in their daily lives.

It's... still a fact? The majority of revenue that is generated in the country is from income taxes.

FICA goes to dedicated programs - both of which are to pay for those respective programs - not the every-day budgetary items.

I'm sorry it hurts people's feelings, and I don't deny that they pay other taxes and I never insinuate otherwise. The facts are the facts though.

No, FICA is not the federal income tax. No, state taxes are not federal taxes. Comparing these things to federal income taxes is downright silly. It's not all 1 big bucket, but if there was one big bucket it would be federal income since that is what generates the majority.

It is also argued that FICA is not a tax since it is directly tied to benefits that you are able to receive - not in a giant pool of yearly budgets

Consequently, Kevin Hassett wrote that FICA is not a tax because its collection is directly tied to benefits that one is entitled to collect later in life
 
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