Why don't you want to tax the rich?

[Frankeneinstein]

Are you implying that was my point?

no, I was clearly asserting that it should have been

They traded one evil dictator (that the US supported) for another one. Well, the people didn't do the trading. It wasn't their idea.

and their plight since then should be obvious to all [I am not implying that is your point as it is mine.]...we all good on that?

 

[task0778]

Actually, there are very few things that don't have a tariff. Even if it's domestic, the parts or materials are imported. Can you think of something that has no imported parts or materials?

The last number I saw was $187 billion in tariff revenue for I believe the last fiscal year ending Sep 30. That's peanuts in our economy. That's why the impact on inflation has yet to be noticeable. There are many things that don't have a tariff, stuff that we need or want that can't produced here. Such as:

Healthcare and safety​

• Prescription medicines such as insulin and asthma inhalers, plus some over-the-counter drugs like certain allergy medicines.
• Critical medical equipment, such as MRI machines, surgical instruments, or dialysis machines, isn’t produced in the U.S. in large quantities.
• Protective gear, such as N95 masks, hazmat suits, or specialty firefighter helmets, isn’t manufactured in sufficient quantities domestically.

Food and agriculture​

• Coffee, cocoa, and tea (not produced in the U.S. at scale), which are primarily grown in tropical climates
• Certain seafood varieties, like some species of shrimp or cod, that are primarily imported
• Some grains and raw food staples, such as quinoa or basmati rice, are imported seasonally to supplement the U.S. supply

Industrial and manufacturing inputs​

• Specialty metals and alloys, such as titanium or tungsten, that the U.S. does not produce in the required quality or quantity
• Specific electronic components, like advanced microchips or precision sensors essential to U.S. manufacturing
• Chemicals such as lithium compounds used in renewable energy production and battery manufacturing

Consumer goods​

• Certain household appliances with no domestic equivalent, like high-end European espresso machines
• Specialty sporting goods, such as competition-grade skis, or musical instruments like German-made pianos, that are crafted abroad

For the most accurate and up-to-date details, review the official exemption lists published by trade authorities, such as the U.S. International Trade Commission’s Harmonized Tariff Schedule search tool and updates on the President’s Tariff Actions.

​

Note:

But in the time since the president gave that Rose Garden speech announcing the highest tariffs in a century, enormous holes have appeared. Carve-outs for specific products, trade deals with major allies and conflicting import duties have let more than half of all imports escape his sweeping emergency tariffs.

Some $1.6 trillion in annual imports are subject to the tariffs, while at least $1.7 trillion are excluded, either because they are duty-free or subject to another tariff, according to a POLITICO analysis based on last year’s import data. The exemptions on thousands of goods could undercut Trump’s effort to protect American manufacturing, shrink the trade deficit and raise new revenue to fund his domestic agenda.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/14/trump-tariff-exemptions-us-imports-data-00685168

 

[Robert W]

Of course the word isn't in the tax law. But it's in studies of taxes. I won't stop saying it. A sales tax, which is regressive, is a bigger burden on the poor.
I've been trying to think of a way that will help you understand that. I'm going to try another approach now.
If a poor person buys a luxury like a thousand dollar phone, we rightly say they should live within their means. Those kind of items are for people who have more money. The same goes for taxes. A sales tax is
money they have to spend and they can't keep it within their means because everyone pays the same rate. But it impacts a poor person more just as buying an expensive phone impacts a poor person more than it would impact a rich person.
Regressive taxes are just wrong, and Adam Smith knew that.

You are using a word loved like a child to Democrats. As you admit, regressive is nowhere said in tax law. Taxes have a purpose, not to operate like a social club. The goal is to wisely spend customers cash and husband it.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

A sales tax, which is regressive, is a bigger burden on the poor.

A sales tax, which is equal, is a bigger burden on the poor.

 

[leftwinger]

Sure you don't have to pay the tariffs. You can just not buy anything. You're quite a joker.
No other president has done like Trump and had tantrums when some foreign leaders pissed him off and imposed tariffs to punish them. We have had mostly free trade with very limited tariffs until how.
And NO other president was stupid enough to imagine exporting countries were paying the tariffs. But he makes that claim and maga believes it.

Sock much? Tariffs can and will be paid by the exporting company that wants to sell it. They will take less profit, another option you ignore. You're a classic stain regurgitate tired old "all or nothing" points. Buy the US msfe replacement item whrn the Welfare frauds go to work to assemble it. Self pride they gain.

 

[leftwinger]

Why was there silence from Republicans? I don't think Biden went on rampages passing tariffs because someone made fun of him. And he certainly didn't impose those huge tariffs that Trump did and then remove them willy-nilly and threaten people with huge tariffs. Biden kept it within the law.

But you like foreign tariff on USA you dumb bag of human bile.

 

[Robert W]

Why was there silence from Republicans? I don't think Biden went on rampages passing tariffs because someone made fun of him. And he certainly didn't impose those huge tariffs that Trump did and then remove them willy-nilly and threaten people with huge tariffs. Biden kept it within the law.

You never said why democrats were not whining when it was Biden radically jacking up tariffs. If it was lawful when Biden jacked them up 100 percent, it is legal when Trump does it.

 

[task0778]

Tariffs can and will be paid by the exporting company that wants to sell it. They will take less profit, another option you ignore.

First, tariffs are paid by the importer when the shipment enters the US at the point of entry, NOT the exporter, that is untrue. The importer and the exporter may or may not agree on a lower price for the imported stuff in any future contract so the importer doesn't take a hit for whatever the product is. If the importer and the exporter cannot come to an agreement, then the exporter may take his business elsewhere, same as the importer can look elsewhere to get the price he/she wants. It isn't like the foreign exporter has no choices, he/she doesn't have to eat the cost of the tariff. What usually happens is that the importer pays the tariff and passes the cost onto US businesses and ultimately US consumers.

 

[Company 13]

Correct.
Some people do not understand how the right to choose your interactions with others makes all the difference in the world.

Sure. No one needs to buy anything ever. Problem solved.
So people who complain about property taxes should just not buy property. And people who complain about taxes and insurance on cars should simply not buy cars.
Got it.
Brilliant.

 

[Company 13]

You never said why democrats were not whining when it was Biden radically jacking up tariffs. If it was lawful when Biden jacked them up 100 percent, it is legal when Trump does it.

Yes, I did.
But now I realize people did complain about that.

 

[Company 13]

But you like foreign tariff on USA you dumb bag of human bile.

That statement is just silly. Silly.
I'm starting to understand why there are so many incels out there.

 

[SweetTea]

This is in the federal tax code.

If you make less than +/- 130,000 a year, you pay SS taxes on every penny you make. If you make +/-130,001 a year... you pay $0.00 taxes on money made above that amount. The very wealthy actually take home more money later in the year than they do in the beginning.

SS tax is actually close to 170k now, but regardless, the reason it is capped is because the already algorithmically skewed benefit is also capped. Why should someone making 200k/yr, who is already paying a higher tax rate on some of their money, pay 6-12% on that additional 30k with zero personal benefit?

 

[Company 13]

You are using a word loved like a child to Democrats. As you admit, regressive is nowhere said in tax law. Taxes have a purpose, not to operate like a social club. The goal is to wisely spend customers cash and husband it.

Hey, that's funny. If a word isn't in tax law, that proves no one should notice a tax is regressive. Weird logic you have there.
Taxes are to get money to operate the government, as outlined in the Constitution.
Taxes have frequently been used for social purposes. For example, getting deductions for mortgages encourages people to buy homes. Deductions for charitable donations encourages people to donate to charity.
But who said anything about a social club?
Please, please, please read a book. Just one. Try Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith. You won't regret it. You'll thank me later.

 

[SweetTea]

Darkwind No. But there is a lot of social frustration out there. A lot of people feel the rich are getting richer at the expense of the poor.

A “rich” home builder gets rich selling homes to people poorer than himself, and the “rich” Home Depot owner gets rich selling to the home builder. That’s not exploitation. That’s the system doing exactly what it’s built to do.

 

[SweetTea]

Anathema But there's a lot of frustration out there. Why do you think Luigi did what he did. Because of frustration towards the rich.

Trump being a billionaire president isn't helping either.

It is not frustration, it is envy. Envy tends to make people focus more on what other people have than what they can build for themselves, breeds resentment and encourages people to tear down other’s accomplishments rather than focusing on improving themselves. The Democratic Party has been fomenting this for years, but it is nothing new. It is good ole’ fashioned envy.

 

[SeaMajor7]

The inner Bolshevik envy of the demented LEFT is all this pathetic thread is about.

CRINGE

 

[SweetTea]

So have the rich pay SS taxes on 100% of their income, but then when they retire, they also draw SS on 100% of what they paid in.

Oh no, that wouldn’t be “fair”.

 

[candycorn]

SS tax is actually close to 170k now, but regardless, the reason it is capped is because the already algorithmically skewed benefit is also capped. Why should someone making 200k/yr, who is already paying a higher tax rate on some of their money, pay 6-12% on that additional 30k with zero personal benefit?

Yeah, the cap needs to be removed and everyone should get taxed on every dollar made.

 

[EMH]

Yeah, the cap needs to be removed and everyone should get taxed on every dollar made.

The solution is massive spending cuts, not tax increases.

 

[SweetTea]

Sure you don't have to pay the tariffs. You can just not buy anything. You're quite a joker.
No other president has done like Trump and had tantrums when some foreign leaders pissed him off and imposed tariffs to punish them. We have had mostly free trade with very limited tariffs until how.
And NO other president was stupid enough to imagine exporting countries were paying the tariffs. But he makes that claim and maga believes it.

Foreign manufacturers and exporters are paying a portion of the tariffs by lowering their prices. A portion is being absorbed by the importers and some is being passed along to the consumer. TDS folks refuse to acknowledge this fact. It is almost as if they don’t understand CPI and PPI numbers.