Are you willing to pay the majority of your paycheck to taxes?

It has been projected that if we do nothing to cut social security and medicare entitlements, the average worker in California making 60k a year will be forced, between State, Local and Federal Taxes to pay 71% of their paycheck to the Government.

In other States it won't be so bad, but the majority of working Americans will be have to be forced to pay the majority of their paychecks in taxation to cover the costs of baby boomers.

Are you willing to pay the majority of your paycheck to Government?

Why or Why not?

 

No, I wouldn't be willing to pay more in taxes. The problem we have with revenue generation doesn't have to do with a percentage of one's income, but how much of your income is taxable.

 

yes as long as we get reasonable housing, health care, and other benefits no one should mind donating most of their paycheck to mother government

 

Mate, even I would have a problem with handing over 70% of my pay to the government. I'd be okay paying no more than say, 20%. Even that would be too much! Although I dunno what we pay now.

 

You are the antithesis of an American, my friend. No rational thinkng person would be willing to hand over 71% of their income to a government. This mentality is contrary to the first major United States tax revolt, the Whiskey Rebellion.

 

presently many in the lower income and some in the middle income pay 35 percent and still don't meet their basic needs like health care and housing

so if 70 percent went to the government and their needs were met it would be a good deal

 

yup
10char
but preferably the money would be spent by the local community.

 

Absolutely not. At those rates, you're nothing but a slave to the state... a slave which has little say in how your funds are spent. That would be tyranny.

 

Sure, if it means we have universal health care, support for the elderly, benefits for pregnant women, universal education, government housing, welfare, unemployment and adequate infrastructure I will gladly pay in half my wages.

 

If I had to pay 71% of my income in taxes, I would put a significant portion of my money into capital gains.

 

How can anyone be so self sacrificing? You are actually willing to live a much reduced quality of life to ensure that the entire nation lives an equally (*)(*)(*)(*)ty quality of life?

It's obvious that you have zero ambition for anything more than just existing. Psychologists have a term for such sentiments.

Pathological Altruism

The only way someone could say such a thing, is if they have zero self confidence in their own ability to achieve a higher quality of life on their own.

 

MMM... I don't know if my math is off or if I am just stupid but I thought 71% was closer to three quarters than it was to half...

Meaning if you make $45,000/year (average for a working American) you would actually bring home $13,050.

I have no problem with taxes - which should be around 25-30% (slightly higher for millionaires) - but over that means we have too much government. I do not want the government to take care of me.
I do not want the government to make decisions for me.
I do not want to be treated like a child because I am not "spending my money correctly" and need some idiot on capitol hill to dictate where it goes.

These people we have elected are INEPT!
They will always be INEPT because it is not their money.

Giving them more money is not the answer.

 

What do you do when government demands more or becomes corrupt?

 

What most Americans would do in this situation and what Greeks and Italians have already mastered.

The art of the underground economy and working under the table.

 

In which case there is a decline in tax revenue.

 

..and hence the collapse of the welfare state.

The fact is people will always vote for more welfare, but when it comes to actually pay for it, they'll look for other people to pay for it, typically anyone they beleive may be better off than they are or they will revolt, like in Greece and soon to be Italy. There literally are no more rich people in Greece, they fled. But still the Greeks call for "taxing the rich" when there are no more rich people left!

Lavish welfare systems are simply unsustainable after several decades. The more the people get, the more they will demand. It never ends. Populism is a vicious cycle.

 

I'd be willing to pay 71% taxes if...

1) All Americans got great free healthcare (free not counting the taxes).

2) The American government was more effective, less corrupt and stuff. (it's not...)

It would be worth it then. But right now I don't like my government too much and our healthcare system is complete garbage.

 

Well i don't know how much you make, but there is no way in hell, even with healthcare paid for with money confiscated from the people that I could live on 10k a year.

 

But your money belongs to the government!!

And whatever they don't blow or pocket trickles down... Maybe 5% of it..

 

But wouldn't that mean that most of your money would go to people who could potentially help themselves? I don't mind helping out, but instead of giving people money, we need to encourage them.

 

Wealthy Americans paid more than this to fix the last session when capitism went wild..... and broke.

 

20% would not keep your country running.

I'm wondering why you're stating 20% if you don't know how much income tax Australians actually pay?

 

Your rich have already perfected this. Far better than the Greeks, you're rich have been able to change the tax codes, allowing them legally to pay less.

 

What, during a time of war?

 

Herein lies the problem.

Welfare systems were initiated to help provide a safety net for people, but what followed was a complete failure of our manufacturing. People started to see it as a lifestyle, not a safety net and here we are with too many people taking the (*)(*)(*)(*) out of the system.

This is not to say that we should deal with this by illiminating the system altogether. But undoubtedly we should reduce it to its initial idea.