Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher taxes?

Jucon · Sep 19, 2011

Should taxes be raised on the rich?

If you only watched Fox News or listened to / read any conservative talking points, you'd probably think 75 percent of Americans are Tea Party activists who oppose all tax increases.

Now if you lived in the real world you'd know that for a long time now the majority of Americans have been in favor of raising taxes on the rich. Poll after poll after poll has been showing this, yet the Republicans continue to try to put this "class warfare" idea on the backs of Obama and the Democrats. All while claiming they have the majority on their side.

The Republicans may have some fooled, but not me...

January, 2011: Most Americans say tax rich to balance budget: poll | Reuters

Sixty-one percent of Americans polled would rather see taxes for the wealthy increased as a first step to tackling the deficit, the poll showed.

April, 2011: Poll: Raise taxes on wealthy, leave Medicare, Medicaid alone - The Hill's On The Money

On taxes, the poll reported that roughly two out of three registered voters — 64 percent — would be in favor of increasing taxes on annual income over $250,000.

Sept, 2011 (Poll done in July, 2011): Obama deficit cuts popular in polls - Behind the Numbers - The Washington Post

Fully 72 percent of Americans supported raising taxes on those with incomes over $250,000 in the July Post-ABC survey.

Nationally, support for upper income tax hikes is much higher among Democrats (87 percent) and independents (73 percent) than among Republicans (54 percent).

Sept, 2011: Should taxes on millionaires be boosted? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

According to a CNN/ORC International Poll conducted last month, 63 percent of the public said they were OK with any deficit reduction bill passed by Congress that included increased taxes on higher-income Americans and businesses, with 36 percent opposed to the idea.

Of course you can disagree with the idea that we should raise taxes on the rich... but you cannot claim that you have the majority on your side.

jackalope · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Yes, and it's an overwhelming majority.

Luna Tick · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I'm not for soaking the rich. I'm not for taxing the @#$% out of them. However, I have a big problem with GE paying no taxes and getting corporate welfare to boot. I have a problem with hedge fund managers paying a lower tax percentage than working class Americans. That makes ZERO sense. I wouldn't tax them to death, but I would let the Bush tax cuts expire and close up loopholes.

If a plumber pays 35% in Federal taxes, I don't find it absurd at all to ask a millionaire hedge fund manager to pay that same percent. That's not hating the wealthy. That's just being fair.

Helix · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Luna Tick said:
I'm not for soaking the rich. I'm not for taxing the @#$% out of them. However, I have a big problem with GE paying no taxes and getting corporate welfare to boot. I have a problem with hedge fund managers paying a lower tax percentage than working class Americans. That makes ZERO sense. I wouldn't tax them to death, but I would let the Bush tax cuts expire and close up loopholes.

If a plumber pays 35% in Federal taxes, I don't find it absurd at all to ask a millionaire hedge fund manager to pay that same percent. That's not hating the wealthy. That's just being fair.

agreed. well said.

Thrilla · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

sometimes i am, sometimes i'm not.... it depends on the argument given...and what taxes we are talking about.

I make great money.. but folks have to come at me with more than " you got it, i want it" if they want to dip in my pockets.

i reject , out of hand, the idiot arguments that are based on my supposed greed and other character defects..... the reason you don't have my money isn't because i'm greedy, it's because you haven't made a good argument as to why you should have it, or you haven't asked nice enough.

I understand that when the government is involved, i'm not going to be asked for money.. i'm going to be coerced to hand it over, or else.... but i don't think it's too much ot ask for to require a principled approach to taxation.

truth be told, i'd much rather give money directly to people... giving it to government is nonsense in my book, as i know a great portion of what i give will be wasted on bloated bureaucracy and simple ineptitude.

i'm also not swayed by appeals to popularity on the subject.... I don't care how many people are in favor of taxing the rich more ,being in a majority doesn't mean you are inherently correct.... it just means you have company.
on questions of money, the majority of "have-nots" will always vote that the "haves" must fork it over.... which is partially why i dismiss popularity polls on the subject.

Aunt Spiker · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I wonder why so many people believe that the government deserves more of anyone's money right now seeing as how they can't manage all the trillions they get from everyone each year.

stsburns · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

To OP:

Well the rich spend a lot of time and money avoiding taxes like the very poor! They've been avoiding taxes for almost 40 years, their time has come.

jamesrage · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I picked other. The rich should pay the same percentage of income tax as everybody else does and preferable that should be a flat rate with no deductions.

TurtleDude · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Jucon said:
Should taxes be raised on the rich?

If you only watched Fox News or listened to / read any conservative talking points, you'd probably think 75 percent of Americans are Tea Party activists who oppose all tax increases.

Now if you lived in the real world you'd know that for a long time now the majority of Americans have been in favor of raising taxes on the rich. Poll after poll after poll has been showing this, yet the Republicans continue to try to put this "class warfare" idea on the backs of Obama and the Democrats. All while claiming they have the majority on their side.

The Republicans may have some fooled, but not me...

January, 2011: Most Americans say tax rich to balance budget: poll | Reuters

April, 2011: Poll: Raise taxes on wealthy, leave Medicare, Medicaid alone - The Hill's On The Money

Sept, 2011 (Poll done in July, 2011): Obama deficit cuts popular in polls - Behind the Numbers - The Washington Post

Sept, 2011: Should taxes on millionaires be boosted? – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs

Of course you can disagree with the idea that we should raise taxes on the rich... but you cannot claim that you have the majority on your side.

when you rob a few to pander to the many you will have the many on your side

another reason why the progressive income tax is good politics but evil

one day atlas will shrug and all the teat suckers are gonna wonder where the milk went

TurtleDude · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Luna Tick said:
I'm not for soaking the rich. I'm not for taxing the @#$% out of them. However, I have a big problem with GE paying no taxes and getting corporate welfare to boot. I have a problem with hedge fund managers paying a lower tax percentage than working class Americans. That makes ZERO sense. I wouldn't tax them to death, but I would let the Bush tax cuts expire and close up loopholes.

If a plumber pays 35% in Federal taxes, I don't find it absurd at all to ask a millionaire hedge fund manager to pay that same percent. That's not hating the wealthy. That's just being fair.

you think most plumbers are making 350K or more a year?

Sensibility · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

It's an incomplete question, at best. Is the implication that ONLY the rich should pay higher taxes? Then the answer is a resounding NO. We should ALL pay higher taxes, especially the 50% of Americans who effectively pay no income tax at all. The rich should pay a bit more than they are (39.6% should do nicely), but we ALL need to have some skin in the game and we should ALL pay a few percentage points more.

At the same time, we should strip back some government services and realize that the federal government cannot and should not do everything.

jamesrage · Sep 19, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

TurtleDude said:
when you rob a few to pander to the many you will have the many on your side

another reason why the progressive income tax is good politics but evil

one day atlas will shrug and all the teat suckers are gonna wonder where the milk went

Those who rob Peter to pay Paul will always have the support of Paul.

Cephus · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I'm entirely in favor of everyone, rich and otherwise paying an equal percentage of their income. I am not in favor of soaking the rich and asking them to pay 50%+ of their income so others can pay less.

Catawba · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

TurtleDude said:
when you rob a few to pander to the many you will have the many on your side

another reason why the progressive income tax is good politics but evil

one day atlas will shrug and all the teat suckers are gonna wonder where the milk went

How does your opinion account for most of our debt being approved by Republican presidents?

Jucon · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Cephus said:
I'm entirely in favor of everyone, rich and otherwise paying an equal percentage of their income. I am not in favor of soaking the rich and asking them to pay 50%+ of their income so others can pay less.

I don't know anyone who is asking them to pay 50% or higher. I'd be asking for closer to 38 to 40%.

And let me ask you something, do you think you could support your family if you could only get a job that pays less than $20,000 a year, and then have to pay 20%+ of that to the government? I object to putting someone who already is in poverty that much further bellow the poverty line.

Which is why the poor should pay a lower tax rate and the rich, who can afford it, should pay a higher rate.

Cephus · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Jucon said:
I don't know anyone who is asking them to pay 50% or higher. I'd be asking for closer to 38 to 40%.

You have to remember under Eisenhower, the rich paid 90% and lots of people want to put it right back there.

And let me ask you something, do you think you could support your family if you could only get a job that pays less than $20,000 a year, and then have to pay 20%+ of that to the government? I object to putting someone who already is in poverty that much further bellow the poverty line.

Anyone who is only earning $20k and has a family to support is an idiot.

spud_meister · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Most definitely not. :mrgreen:

Jucon · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Cephus said:
You have to remember under Eisenhower, the rich paid 90% and lots of people want to put it right back there.

Thank you for the history lesson... I am well aware. I still know no one who wants to go back to those numbers. And I can assure you any such opinion is held by few people.

Cephus said:
Anyone who is only earning $20k and has a family to support is an idiot.

I suggest you go volunteer at a food shelter to gain a little humility.

Wiseone · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I'm part of the other, because I believe the tax code should be simplified to be more effective, less confusing, and ultimately cheaper to maintain, before we look at adjusting people's rates. For example I'm in the Army so the Federal gov't pays my salary, however they also make me pay taxes. So basically I'm paying the gov't taxes on what the gov't pays me, why not simplify it so its just a one way transition. So if X Is what I make and Y is what they take back, just pay me X-Y and fire whoever is paid by the gov't to manage this ridiculous waste of time. This goes for all Federal jobs.

Exception, you still pay taxes on other forms of income which don't come from the gov't.

Cephus · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Jucon said:
Thank you for the history lesson... I am well aware. I still know no one who wants to go back to those numbers. And I can assure you any such opinion is held by few people.

It's not as rare as you'd like to think, I found lots of people advocating a return to just that. 14 Ways a 90 Percent Top Tax Rate Fixes Our Economy and Our Country | OurFuture.org

I suggest you go volunteer at a food shelter to gain a little humility.

I don't need humility, I have reality. People need to be responsible for themselves. That means not doing things until they can afford to do them.

Fleshofthegods · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Cephus said:
I'm entirely in favor of everyone, rich and otherwise paying an equal percentage of their income. I am not in favor of soaking the rich and asking them to pay 50%+ of their income so others can pay less.

Thats understandable, but there's no reason why the rich can't pay a little bit more than everyone else.

Aunt Spiker · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Catawba said:
How does your opinion account for most of our debt being approved by Republican presidents?

Oh Catawba - don't let us down now. You're more aware of reality than that

TurtleDude · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Fleshofthegods said:
Thats understandable, but there's no reason why the rich can't pay a little bit more than everyone else.

same is true for all those getting a free ride currently

cpwill · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

Jucon said:
I suggest you go volunteer at a food shelter to gain a little humility.

you must not have spent much time at food shelters. half those people were dressed better and driving better vehicles than I was. when michele obama goes to work at a soup kitchen, all the "customers" take pictures of her... with their iPhones.

Chenoa · Sep 20, 2011

Re: Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher tax

I voted other. I don't believe in soaking the "rich". You'd have to raise the tax bracket to over 35% and I don't for one second believe that brackets wouldn't be raised on everyone.

Are you part of the majority of Americans who feel the rich should pay higher taxes?

Should the rich pay higher taxes?

Yes

No

Other

I don't know

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