Zone1 Tax the Rich! Make them Pay their Fair Share!

[alang1216]

We’re talking about federal income taxes. They pay zero.

What’s their share? You certainly don’t think it’s fair that half the people get a free ride.

You're talking about fed income taxes, I'm talking about real life which includes sales tax, gas tax, etc.

 

[sparky]

Other countries that tax the rich see them leave.....do i need to explain the fallout?

~S~

 

[rightwinger]

Other countries that tax the rich see them leave.....do i need to explain the fallout?

~S~

Don’t want to hurt their feelings

 

[sparky]

Don’t want to hurt their feelings

More they can hurt your economy winger.....~S~

 

[rightwinger]

More they can hurt your economy winger.....~S~

I had better be nice to those rich people

 

[Concerned American]

Good luck defining fairness but it sounds like that billionaire reaps more benefits from living in the country than most of us. Did he enlist in the army? Does he contribute large sums to our politicians to gain favors?

Did he use any benefit that isn't available to you? Why should he pay more for the same benefits that are available to you. As for the military service--did anyone twist your arm--if you served at all? Have you ever contributed to any politician--no difference. Sounds to me like you are a parasite looking for someone to carry your load. The success someone EARNS is not a reason to be penalized and forced to support those who don't have the ambition to succeed.

 

[Concerned American]

I doubt you've seen me piously tout my religious views but not coveting what others have is a good rule to live by.

Yet here you are jealously coveting another's earned wealth and advocating robbing them of a greater portion of their wealth simply because they are more successful than you are. How about fair? Pay for what you use---LOL, like scam impeachments that cost tax payers for political theater. Taxes should be paid equally by all in the country. I will gladly pay the $224,900 portion of the national debt that is owed by my family if you and every other deadbeat will do the same.
The per capita amount of U.S. public debt is approximately $112,450 as of early 2026. This figure represents the share of the national debt attributed to each citizen.
pgpf.org Wikipedia

 

[rightwinger]

et here you are jealously coveting another's earned wealth and advocating robbing them of a greater portion of their wealth simply because they are more successful than you are. How about fair?

Because they benefit more from our society

 

[ding]

How much of their fair share are the bottom 50% paying? Answer: Zero.

Zero plus tolls, gov't fees, gas tax, sales tax, utility taxes, etc.

We’re talking about federal income taxes. They pay zero.

It isn't zero.

The poor also TAKE food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing, TANF, etc., etc. equivalent to an average $41k a year. They are net takers. Responsible people pay gas taxes, sales taxes, liquor taxes, AND federal and state income taxes AND support themselves.

I'm sure some are "net takers." But even Israel offers food assistance, healthcare and housing assistance to Arab citizens and residents living inside Israel through national welfare systems. Are you suggesting we should turn our back on the less fortunate? Or do you believe they are all deadbeats?

 

[JonKoch]

Other countries that tax the rich see them leave.....do i need to explain the fallout?

~S~

• Immobile Assets: While individuals can leave, much of their wealth, such as property and companies, remains behind and subject to local taxes.
• Counter-arguments: Some studies suggest that the rate of departure is often lower than anticipated, with many wealthy individuals preferring to stay despite higher taxes.

‘Wealth taxes will cause the rich to flee’: 12 wealth tax myths debunked​

‘Wealth taxes will cause the rich to flee’: 12 wealth tax myths debunked - Tax Justice UK

Wealth taxes have huge popular support: 78% of people in the UK support higher taxes on those who own assets worth over £10 million. When it comes to convincing politicians, however, the issue of wealth taxes can become more contentious. We asked our readers to send a message to their MP...

taxjustice.uk

 

[JonKoch]

Did he use any benefit that isn't available to you? Why should he pay more for the same benefits that are available to you. As for the military service--did anyone twist your arm--if you served at all? Have you ever contributed to any politician--no difference. Sounds to me like you are a parasite looking for someone to carry your load. The success someone EARNS is not a reason to be penalized and forced to support those who don't have the ambition to succeed.

Yeah, how dare the US do that, they "did it on their own"

The Obama administration saved Tesla from bankruptcy by providing a $465 million government loan in 2010. This funding was crucial to the company's survival and allowed it to develop the Model S and build its factory.



Between 1945 and 1980, the top 1% of US earners maintained a relatively stable share of total income, generally hovering between roughly 8% and 10%. This period was characterized by lower income inequality and shared economic growth, in contrast to the rapid rise in the income share of the top 1% that began after 1980, increasing to 26% by 2024

The bottom 50% of US who 18% of the pie in 1980 dropped to 10.4% by 2024


So what did the richest do to earn this much more of the pie?

ANT TAX FOUNDATION

Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, 2024 Update

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made many significant, but temporary, changes to the individual income tax code to lower tax rates, widen brackets, increase the standard deduction and child tax credit, and more.

taxfoundation.org

 

[sparky]

• Immobile Assets: While individuals can leave, much of their wealth, such as property and companies, remains behind and subject to local taxes.
• Counter-arguments: Some studies suggest that the rate of departure is often lower than anticipated, with many wealthy individuals preferring to stay despite higher taxes.

‘Wealth taxes will cause the rich to flee’: 12 wealth tax myths debunked​

‘Wealth taxes will cause the rich to flee’: 12 wealth tax myths debunked - Tax Justice UK

Wealth taxes have huge popular support: 78% of people in the UK support higher taxes on those who own assets worth over £10 million. When it comes to convincing politicians, however, the issue of wealth taxes can become more contentious. We asked our readers to send a message to their MP...

taxjustice.uk

yup Jon, you can post those Euro if,ands&butts all day long.....

Capitalism elevated this country to levels of living standards in less than 2 centuries than all those countries combined could in 2 millenia

Those euro trash countries devolving into socialism got no game , they are hands down the best example of sorts that failed history class

and are now sharing the misery among themselves because of it
~S~

 

[sparky]

So what did the richest do to earn this much more of the pie?

They stayed in the USofA Jon

~S~

 

[JonKoch]

Yet here you are jealously coveting another's earned wealth and advocating robbing them of a greater portion of their wealth simply because they are more successful than you are. How about fair? Pay for what you use---LOL, like scam impeachments that cost tax payers for political theater. Taxes should be paid equally by all in the country. I will gladly pay the $224,900 portion of the national debt that is owed by my family if you and every other deadbeat will do the same.
The per capita amount of U.S. public debt is approximately $112,450 as of early 2026. This figure represents the share of the national debt attributed to each citizen.
pgpf.org Wikipedia

Oh good, the jealousy card shaking head


A 2020 RAND Corporation study (updated to $79 trillion by 2023) found that rising income inequality has redistributed roughly $50 trillion in cumulative income from the bottom 90% of U.S. earners to the top 1% since 1975. The report, "Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018," indicates this is the "foregone income" the90% would have earned had income growth matched the equitable trends of the post-WWII era


Key Findings of the Study:

• Massive Wealth Shift: The study found that from 1975 to 2018, the bottom 90% of households saw their income growth lag, resulting in a $47 trillion shortfall, which grew to over $50 trillion by early 2020.
• 
  
• The "Gap" Defined: Researchers Carter Price and Kathryn Edwards found that if income growth had remained as equitable as it was between 1945 and 1974, the average American worker would be earning significantly more today.
• 
  
• Impact on Workers: The study estimates that the average, full-time worker in the bottom 90% was losing roughly $1,144 per month in income due to this shift.
• 
  
• Annual Cost: By 2018, this trend was costing the bottom 90% approximately $2.5 trillion in annual income

Contextual Factors:

• Not Just Investment Gains: The report clarifies that this is not just a transfer of existing assets, but rather a structural change in how income (wages and salary) is distributed, driven by changes in policy and productivity gains that did not translate to higher wages.

• Updated Figures: As of March 2025, analyses based on this methodology indicate that this cumulative shift reached $79 trillion by 2023.

HOW? TAX POLICY FOR ONE, REAGANOMICS
The Reagan administration implemented several regulatory and tax changes in the 1980s that dramatically increased the use of stock-based compensation and share repurchases, which critics argue allowed executives to "game the system" to boost their personal wealth. Key policy changes included

• 1982 SEC Rule Change (Stock Buybacks): The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) under Reagan passed Rule 10b-18, which provided a "safe harbor" that effectively legalized large-scale stock buybacks. Prior to this, massive buybacks were often considered market manipulation.

• 1981 & 1986 Tax Acts (Incentive Stock Options): Reagan's Economic Recovery and Tax Act of 1981 restored favorable tax treatment for stock options, renaming them Incentive Stock Options (ISOs). These changes, along with the Tax Reform Act of 1986, lowered the top personal income tax rate, allowing profits to be taxed at lower capital gains rates rather than higher ordinary income rates.

Shift to Shareholder Primacy: These policies, combined with a shift in antitrust enforcement, encouraged a "shareholder value" model that rewarded executives with stock-linked bonuses.

• Stock Buybacks vs. Investment: Critics argue that Rule 10b-18 encouraged companies to spend massive amounts of money buying back their own shares to increase stock prices—and by extension, executive compensation—rather than investing in innovation, wages, or long-term growth.

• CEO Compensation Gap: The percentage of profits spent on buybacks by major companies soared from under 1% in 1982 to high levels in the following decades, contributing to a widening gap between CEO and worker pay.

• Option Backdating: While not directly enacted by Reagan, the emphasis on stock-based pay set the stage for later scandals like stock option backdating, where executives manipulated grant dates to increase their profits

While the administration marketed these changes as boosting the "entrepreneurial spirit", the resulting policy environment has been widely criticized for prioritizing short-term share price increases over corporate investment and worker wages.

 

[JonKoch]

They stayed in the USofA Jon

~S~

Yeah, we had no rich people in the US from, 1945-1980, I forgot

 

[JonKoch]

yup Jon, you can post those Euro if,ands&butts all day long.....

Capitalism elevated this country to levels of living standards in less than 2 centuries than all those countries combined could in 2 millenia

Those euro trash countries devolving into socialism got no game , they are hands down the best example of sorts that failed history class

and are now sharing the misery among themselves because of it
~S~

Got it, Europe doesn't practice capitalism

 

[JonKoch]

We’re talking about federal income taxes. They pay zero.

What’s their share? You certainly don’t think it’s fair that half the people get a free ride.

The bottom half of the US who make a whopping 10.4% of the pie, down from 18% in 1980?

Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, 2024 Update

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) made many significant, but temporary, changes to the individual income tax code to lower tax rates, widen brackets, increase the standard deduction and child tax credit, and more.

taxfoundation.org

Know who is a big part of the bottom 50%? Retirees who did pay andthe young who will pay

Besides federal income taxes are only 25% of the entire US taxes

Misconceptions and Realities About Who Pays Taxes​

Most of the people who pay neither federal income tax nor payroll taxes are low-income people who are elderly, unable to work due to a serious disability, or students, most of whom subsequently become taxpayers

https://www.cbpp.org/research/misconceptions-and-realities-about-who-pays-taxes#:~:text=Most%20of%20the%20people%20who,and%20local%20taxes%20in%202011.

 

[JonKoch]

The poor also TAKE food stamps, Medicaid, subsidized housing, TANF, etc., etc. equivalent to an average $41k a year.

They are net takers.

Responsible people pay gas taxes, sales taxes, liquor taxes, AND federal and state income taxes AND support themselves.

Overall Tax Burden: The poorest fifth of Americans pay an average of 17% of their income in total taxes.

Who Pays Taxes in America in 2024​

Who Pays Taxes in America in 2024

America's tax system is just barely progressive, and not nearly as progressive as many suggest or as progressive as it could be. There is plenty of room for lawmakers to improve the progressivity of the tax code to combat economic, wealth, and racial inequality.

itep.org

For the first time in roughly 100 years, U.S. billionaires paid a lower effective tax rate than the working class in 2018, largely driven by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The wealthiest 400 families paid an average effective rate of ~23%, less than the ~24% average for the bottom half of households.



Trump’s tax cuts helped billionaires pay less than the working class for first time.

 

[JonKoch]

The federal government -can't- tax wealth, because it isn't income.

We could. But don't

 

[Concerned American]

The Obama administration saved Tesla from bankruptcy by providing a $465 million government loan in 2010. This funding was crucial to the company's survival and allowed it to develop the Model S and build its factory.

The loan was paid back with the agreed upon interest. It is no different than the FHA guaranteeing a loan for you.

A 2020 RAND Corporation study (updated to $79 trillion by 2023) found that rising income inequality has redistributed roughly $50 trillion in cumulative income from the bottom 90% of U.S. earners to the top 1% since 1975. The report, "Trends in Income From 1975 to 2018," indicates this is the "foregone income" the90% would have earned had income growth matched the equitable trends of the post-WWII era

This is a stretch in any case. There is a reason for income differences--education, skills, experience, risk to life, health and investments. The study you quote is just a rehash of 'income equality' which is invalid. People performing the same work have virtually the same pay in this country. It is ludicrous to suggest that a burger flipper be paid on the same scale as a more productive and valuable vocation. The rest of your 'cut and paste' is just whining about your disagreement with current tax law which brings me back to my original point of doing away with taxes for 'use fees.' You use it, you pay for it as you go--can't pay? So sorry for you. Work harder, make yourself more valuable and earn what you want. The more wealthy among us are not bound to support you.