Poll: How much should income taxes be?

[Nordenkalt]

What are your opinions on the income tax rate? Should it be recessive, progressive, or flat? Are the rich not paying enough? I took a class in economics and discovered that taxes should be lower during times of economic hardship to encourage spending. When the economy is great they should be higher because people have plenty of money in their pockets and it's an opportunity to pay debt. I also believe in a progressive rate where the working poor don't need to pay taxes. What are your thoughts?

[Dooom35796821595]

What country are you talking about? Higher or lower then what?

Taxes should be progressive, other then that there's not much I can say due to the lack of detail.

[Nordenkalt]

What country are you talking about? Higher or lower then what?

Taxes should be progressive, other then that there's not much I can say due to the lack of detail.

Higher or lower than the current US tax rate

[Dooom35796821595]

What country are you talking about? Higher or lower then what?

Taxes should be progressive, other then that there's not much I can say due to the lack of detail.

Higher or lower than the current US tax rate

And what is the current US tax rates?

[Nilla Wayfarers]

They could easily be lowered, and should, if we could just lessen our military sending? Just a little?

[Randerica]

National sales tax only. No income tax.

[Nordenkalt]

Higher or lower than the current US tax rate

And what is the current US tax rates?

I know that it's recessive (lower income workers pay a higher percentage) but I think the maximum rate is something like 37% if you make over $300,000. The rate is much lower if you work your way through loopholes so I think they should pay something like 40% if they make over $200,000 (no loopholes) so the poor can pay less but it should fluctuate with the economy.

[Dejanic]

Progressive, but not so progressive that masses of people flee your country and revenue is lost, in the case of France.

There's a point at which the highest rate of income tax reaches where revenue is lost, clearly such a point is to be avoided.

The poorest should also pay 0 income tax if possible.

[Randerica]

They could easily be lowered, and should, if we could just lessen our military sending? Just a little?

Defense spending is 18% of the total federal budget in the United States. Social security, medicare, medicaid, and welfare encompass 59% of the total federal budget. Do you think there are some other programs that may need to be "lessened"?

[Randerica]

And what is the current US tax rates?

I know that it's recessive (lower income workers pay a higher percentage) but I think the maximum rate is something like 37% if you make over $300,000. The rate is much lower if you work your way through loopholes so I think they should pay something like 40% if they make over $200,000 (no loopholes) so the poor can pay less but it should fluctuate with the economy.

You are very much uninformed. The US tax system is not regressive. For 2015 married taxpayers filing joint returns pay 10% on income up to $18,000, 15% on income above $18,000, 25% above $75,000, 33% above $230,000, 35% above $411,000 and 39.6% on income above $464,000. Exactly what "loopholes" are you referring to?

[Nilla Wayfarers]

They could easily be lowered, and should, if we could just lessen our military sending? Just a little?

Defense spending is 18% of the total federal budget in the United States. Social security, medicare, medicaid, and welfare encompass 59% of the total federal budget. Do you think there are some other programs that may need to be "lessened"?

Okay, take this into consideration: our military spending makes up just barely less than half of the spending of the ENTIRE WORLD. That's a little much, if you ask me. I suggest we give a little more to education, seeing as we're well below the top ten for public education. Besides, those others shouldn't be lessened, seeing as even with all the support we give them, we still have issues there.

[Randerica]

Defense spending is 18% of the total federal budget in the United States. Social security, medicare, medicaid, and welfare encompass 59% of the total federal budget. Do you think there are some other programs that may need to be "lessened"?

Okay, take this into consideration: our military spending makes up just barely less than half of the spending of the ENTIRE WORLD. That's a little much, if you ask me. I suggest we give a little more to education, seeing as we're well below the top ten for public education. Besides, those others shouldn't be lessened, seeing as even with all the support we give them, we still have issues there.

So more money to fund entitlements = less "issues"? Why then has entitlement spending increased from 20% of the federal budget when the "war on poverty" began to almost 60% now and the poverty level has remained the same since about 1980?

[Nilla Wayfarers]

Okay, take this into consideration: our military spending makes up just barely less than half of the spending of the ENTIRE WORLD. That's a little much, if you ask me. I suggest we give a little more to education, seeing as we're well below the top ten for public education. Besides, those others shouldn't be lessened, seeing as even with all the support we give them, we still have issues there.

So more money to fund entitlements = less "issues"? Why then has entitlement spending increased from 20% of the federal budget when the "war on poverty" began to almost 60% now and the poverty level has remained the same since about 1980?

So, you suggest that we underfund efforts to keep our citizens alive, and instead use that money to trail and supply troops that will be rarely, if ever, deployed due to our incredible reliance on drones?

[Conserative Morality]

50% for the top bracket, NIT implemented.

[Scomagia]

50% for the top bracket, NIT implemented.

That's ridiculous. Ratcheting up the income taxes of the wealthy is not going to do anything. We have to increase the Capital Gains Tax.

[Conserative Morality]

That's ridiculous. Ratcheting up the income taxes of the wealthy is not going to do anything. We have to increase the Capital Gains Tax.

You assume that I don't think that capital gains should be counted as income.

[Scomagia]

That's ridiculous. Ratcheting up the income taxes of the wealthy is not going to do anything. We have to increase the Capital Gains Tax.

You assume that I don't think that capital gains should be counted as income.

You may think that, I don't know. You didn't make that clear.

[Conserative Morality]

You may think that, I don't know. You didn't make that clear.

I suppose that's what happens when assumptions are made regarding an unaddressed point that wasn't the subject of the topic.

[Stanavoy]

Regressive tax systems do actually work better than progressive ones, given that the government knows how to use the money.

[MERIZoC]

1 billion%.

[Mysterious Stranger 2]

G- We shouldn't have property ownership.

[Dejanic]

G- We shouldn't have property ownership.

Not every thread needs to turn into a Communism debate.

[MERIZoC]

G- We shouldn't have property ownership.

Not every thread needs to turn into a Communism debate.

And they don't. But this is an economics thread….

[Mysterious Stranger 2]

G- We shouldn't have property ownership.

Not every thread needs to turn into a Communism debate.

It's my answer to the question! It's not my fault.

[Geilinor]

And what is the current US tax rates?

I know that it's recessive (lower income workers pay a higher percentage) but I think the maximum rate is something like 37% if you make over $300,000. The rate is much lower if you work your way through loopholes so I think they should pay something like 40% if they make over $200,000 (no loopholes) so the poor can pay less but it should fluctuate with the economy.

It isn't regressive, at least the rates themselves aren't.