EatMoreSalmon said:
10% of $100,000 is $10,000 leaving $90,000 to live on
10% of $50,000 is $5,000 leaving $45,000 to live on
10% of $100,000,000 is $10,000,000 leaving $90,000,000 to live on
The argument that a flat tax is unfair because of the 3rd dollar figure on each line is interesting, but wrong.
if the tax was totally removed, then the disparity between incomes would still exist for whatever reason it exists (job responsibility level, inherited money or lack of, patents owned, royalties earned, investments made, finding oil on your land by shooting for food, etc.)
Salaries earned are figured and awarded based on what net income will be as well. If I am offered a salary for beetle rolling, and I am a really productive beetle roller, I will be offered a salary that will allow me to live better than most beetle rollers after taxes. If I am a beginner beetle roller, I will likely be offered a salary that is less comfortable than most beetle rollers. if beetle rolling is a big thing, all of us beetle rollers will be doing pretty well. If beetle rolling is becoming obsolete, all of us beetle rollers will be making less and less - as well as the owner and investors of the beetle rolling company.
The thought process that the $5,000 in tax paid by the $50,000 income earner is "more expensive" for them does not take into account that the job that pays that is likely paying a higher wage than if there was no tax on that income.
Also not considered, the person making $100,000,000 per year is not likely to have most of that in liquid form like a bank account. It is likely invested in some job creating enterprise(s) producing jobs and income for others.
A flat tax is also easily predictable, making it far easier for the overall economy and personal budgets to deal with. No need for accountants and lawyers to get involved unless taxes are unpaid or income is disputed.
Much of this logic is distressed. Going backwards, any given tax rate is predictable to any given accountant.
A person making a hundred million a year can pay any percentage of that in taxes, and every year has it set aside, so whether it is liquid at any point is irrelevant. To argue that high earners should pay less taxes because it is a financial stress to have 40% liquid at the time they write a check to the IRS is extremely distressed logic.
The large paragraph is hard to decipher for me, but you are equating tax brackets to skill at beetle rolling and merit based pay checks. Yes, people better at their jobs will make more money, all other things being equal. I don't see that as relevant, but maybe I missed the point.
For posterity, here are my proposed tax brackets as they currently stand. Below, are the brackets if the tax cuts currently in effect, were to expire.
$0-$11,000................ 10%
$11,001-$44,725........12%
$44,726-$95,375....... 22%
$95,376-$182,100..... 24%
$182,101-$231,250... 32%
$231,251-$578,125... 35%
$578,126 and up....... 37% (currently the top bracket)
My proposed additions. I got this wrong before.
1.5m-4.999m............. 39%
5m-49.999m.............. 41%
50m-499.999m.......... 43%
500m-4.999bn........... 45%
5bn and up................ 46%
If the tax cuts expired:
10%
15%
25%
28%
33%
35%
39.6%
My proposed additions:
1.5m-4.999m............. 42%
5m-49.999m.............. 44%
50m-499.999m.......... 46%
500m-4.999bn........... 48%
5bn and up................ 49%
And to offset this, I would want the reductions in estate tax to become permanent, and to set the corporate tax rate at 25%. It was 35% before, and the tax cut reduced it to 21%.