Sales tax or income tax?

   / Sales tax or income tax? #21  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Personally I would prefer all to pay equally, and perhaps progressively more as one becomes wealthier. )</font>

We are all equal - just some are more equal than others? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

The problem with progressive taxes is that the definition of a "wealthier" person is "somebody making more than me." However, as your income rises, it is amazing how you don't become one of the "wealthy" and the definition remains the same.

Currently, 40% of Americans PAY NO INCOME TAX . All that needs to be done is to get that to 50%, and then we can really soak those rich!
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #22  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( ........... However, I know what I'm about to say is cruel and I will be flamed, at some point in one's declining years, you have to consider the possibility that living in the old family home is no longer feasable. Chances are the house is far to big, needs too much maintenance, not to mention the property tax. We'd all like to stay in the home we've lived in for years, but life doesn't always provide what we want. )</font>

So you think that you know what is best for me????? Possibly you will also decide what I will eat for dinner and what television programs I will watch. Maybe you will not allow me to watch television at all since I didn't please you today. You are my master and I will obey. What rock did you climb out from under????? This is the USA, not the USSR. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #23  
Guys I don't think my logic is flawed. The example given above was by choice somewhat simplistic. But the message is still there.

Different states have different exemptions, but it is hard to prove that sales tax has more impact on the wealthy than it does on the poor, or even that the impact is equal at the end of the day.

I would like to see someone do the math on that one. Please make me a believer! A dollar paid in sales tax coming out of a poor man's pocket (percentage wise, and in real terms too) hurts him a lot more than a dollar of sales tax coming out of a rich man's pocket.

Around here cars, tractors ( /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif ), implements, TVs, going out for a cheap dinner, telephones, and many, many other non luxury items are charged sales tax. And in other states even things like shoes are taxed! To the extent that luxury items seem more illusionary that real!

If you want an extreme case, visit Japan. EVERYTHING is charged a sales tax. I think it is 5% now. Their sales tax was instituted about 10 years ago, and started out at 3%.

Anyway, it would be great for someone to illustrate how a sales tax could be advantageous to the guy with the lower income.

I continue to vote for a tax based on income, preferably without any deductions, simple percentage right off the top like was suggested by someone previously in the thread. Progressive of course...let those like me with money pay a little more, I can afford it! (yea, right...) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Of course something simple like that will never happen...
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #24  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I continue to vote for a tax based on income, preferably without any deductions, simple percentage right off the top like was suggested by someone previously in the thread. Progressive of course...let those like me with money pay a little more, I can afford it! (yea, right...) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Of course something simple like that will never happen... )</font>

I too could go for a tax that was based on the first dollar and would be the same for everyone, without any limits on the top end and no deductions for how many children you have at the bottom end. The wealthy would complain that they are paying too much and the poorest of the group would also complain, because they wouldn't be rewarded for having children. Then there is the single item known as welfare. It rewards people for not getting married and having children out of wedlock. I am in favor of doing away with that, but they also would complain. Who would be paying to take care of the children that they produce proficiently while staying at home, rather than going to work. We started heading down the road to becoming a welfare state and there is no turning back now. Government needs to continue to take away our hard earned money to give it to the people that don't work. Have more children, and government will reward you with more welfare $$$$$. I have recently heard that the Federal government is now giving money to religious charities for them to distribute, but if you are not of the religion that they practice, then you don't get any of the money.
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #25  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( </font><font color="blueclass=small">( ........... However, I know what I'm about to say is cruel and I will be flamed, at some point in one's declining years, you have to consider the possibility that living in the old family home is no longer feasable. Chances are the house is far to big, needs too much maintenance, not to mention the property tax. We'd all like to stay in the home we've lived in for years, but life doesn't always provide what we want. )</font>

So you think that you know what is best for me????? Possibly you will also decide what I will eat for dinner and what television programs I will watch. Maybe you will not allow me to watch television at all since I didn't please you today. You are my master and I will obey. What rock did you climb out from under????? This is the USA, not the USSR. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif )</font>

Junkman - go re-read the post you responded to. That not what I said or what I was implying. I don't know how you could have possibly misinterpreted it that way. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif What I said, or tried to, was that people have to live within their means, and part of those means are the financial burdens placed by a property tax. Sometimes that means staying in the current house is impractical or impossible, and most people don't want to face up to that. I can't imagine how you took what I said the way you did, but for whatever my part, I apologize. <font color="black"> </font>
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #26  
You wrote what you were thinking and I was reading something else. You are correct, I missed one small 3 letter word that changed the entire meaning.... "you". /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif My mistake. Life, like taxes, will go on. No harm done. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif You said that you were going to be flamed, so I accommodated you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #27  
<font color="blue"> What I said, or tried to, was that people have to live within their means, and part of those means are the financial burdens placed by a property tax. Sometimes that means staying in the current house is impractical or impossible, and most people don't want to face up to that. </font>


8561,

You must be on the young side of retirement...or have resources that a lot of us would like to have...which is not a bad thing.

But unfortunately many are not living in castles with the option for a downgrade to a cottage, due to property taxes the government is forcing them to pay, when they are trying to make ends on a fixed, limited income during the last years of their lives...

It saddens me to hear anyone say they feel that once a person, or worse say a man's widow, reaches the point in life that they should be able to enjoy living in the home they raised their children in and maybe lived in with their lost loved one for decades, that they should just hit the bricks and get a cheap apartment somewhere because they can no longer afford to pay the property taxes... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

If that is the way anyone feels, they get a HUGE thumbs down from me...

(By the way, I can afford to pay sales tax and property tax. I just feel bad for those who these taxes hurt the most...)
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #28  
I have a neighbor that was in that situation. The tax bill got to the point that he could no longer afford to pay the taxes and after 10 years, the town started foreclosure proceeding against the property. This left me with no alternative but to purchase the property from him and pay up the back taxes. I can see this happening to a lot of people in the future, where they can't afford the taxes but can't afford to leave and go else where.
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #29  
Junk - no harm, no foul. All is well and I appreciate the reply.
 
   / Sales tax or income tax? #30  
Don't forget about the personal property tax we pay every year for the rest of our life on items we bought and paid sales tax on. I have a home built trailer I made for about 50 $ now I have to pay a tax on it forever. I vote for the flat tax and no deduction. I also favor taxing parents 5004 every year for each child until they are 18 years of age.

Charlie
 
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