The Tea Party LOVES America...

[Phox]

9% of a million: 90,000. Remaining: 910,000
9% of 100,000: 9,000. Remaining: 91,000.
9% of 10,000: 900. Remaining: 9,100.

Roughly how much rent is per year for a tolerable apartment here: $7,200.

This is why a flat tax is bad.

[Freeky]

9% of a million: 90,000. Remaining: 910,000
9% of 100,000: 9,000. Remaining: 91,000.
9% of 10,000: 900. Remaining: 9,100.

Roughly how much rent is per year for a tolerable apartment here: $7,200.

This is why a flat tax is bad.

OH!  Okay.

[Doktor Howl]

Mode income in the USA:  $19,800/year.

A flat tax of 9% would add $1782 in expenses to that person's household.

Which is the same as having some poor person pay the rent on that bigass house of ours AND the electric, for my benefit, with nothing in return.

Bill Gates could afford to do that.  Joe Sixpack cannot.

[Phox]

9% of a million: 90,000. Remaining: 910,000
9% of 100,000: 9,000. Remaining: 91,000.
9% of 10,000: 900. Remaining: 9,100.

Roughly how much rent is per year for a tolerable apartment here: $7,200.

This is why a flat tax is bad.

OH!  Okay.

In principle, it's "fair". However, in practice, because of the cost of living, a flat tax causes low income people to be that much poorer. It's go hungry or have the power shut off in many cases without that insignificant 9% of a low income.

ETA: What Dok said.

[Doktor Howl]

9% of a million: 90,000. Remaining: 910,000
9% of 100,000: 9,000. Remaining: 91,000.
9% of 10,000: 900. Remaining: 9,100.

Roughly how much rent is per year for a tolerable apartment here: $7,200.

This is why a flat tax is bad.

OH!  Okay.

In principle, it's "fair". However, in practice, because of the cost of living, a flat tax causes low income people to be that much poorer. It's go hungry or have the power shut off in many cases without that insignificant 9% of a low income.

It's "fair" in the sense that it's "fair" that a grown man and a 8 year old kid both get a baseball bat before brawling.

[Freeky]

Yeah, I get that now.  That is very stupid, which supports my theory.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yes; we need a progressive tax so that we are taxing excess income most heavily, and not taxing survival income at all. The tax system we have almost accomplishes this, except that it taxes the working/middle class too heavily, and barely taxes the ultimate in excess income - investment income - at all. Wages, especially for those earning under $100k/year, should not be taxed at a higher rate than investments.

[Freeky]

Don't let any libertarian hear you say that, you'd be cleaning them off the walls for weeks.

[Doktor Howl]

Don't let any libertarian hear you say that, you'd be cleaning them off the walls for weeks.

Fuck them.  They're just teabaggers that want to smoke dope.

[Freeky]

Don't let any libertarian hear you say that, you'd be cleaning them off the walls for weeks.

Fuck them.  They're just teabaggers that want to smoke dope.

I was just having a giggle at their expense. 

Also I was thinking of DP when I posted that.

[Precious Moments Zalgo]

Steve Forbes' flat tax plan was more reasonable, as it had personal exemptions.  The gist of it was something like $30,000 for a family of four, with a flat 17% on everything above the exempted amount.  So if that family makes less than $30,000, they pay nothing in taxes, and if they make $30,100, then they pay $17 in taxes.  Not perfect, but way less batshit that Cain's 9-9-9 plan.

A friend and I were joking this morning, and he said we should just take the government's expenses and divide them evenly among everyone.  Everybody owes $11,500 in taxes.  If you can't pay it, because you don't make enough or perhaps because you are a small child, your tax bill just rolls over to next year, with interest.

Also, under Cain's plan, capital gains income is not taxed at all, so important job creators like hedge fund managers and investment bankers will see significant tax reductions.

I just snorted so hard I made my ears pop.  

Job creators! 

I love that shit.  It's the sort of thing that keeps me interested in politics.

Seriously, just wow.

[Phox]

9% of a million: 90,000. Remaining: 910,000
9% of 100,000: 9,000. Remaining: 91,000.
9% of 10,000: 900. Remaining: 9,100.

Roughly how much rent is per year for a tolerable apartment here: $7,200.

This is why a flat tax is bad.

OH!  Okay.

In principle, it's "fair". However, in practice, because of the cost of living, a flat tax causes low income people to be that much poorer. It's go hungry or have the power shut off in many cases without that insignificant 9% of a low income.

It's "fair" in the sense that it's "fair" that a grown man and a 8 year old kid both get a baseball bat before brawling.

Yeah, exactly.

[PopeTom]

Everybody owes $11,500 in taxes.  If you can't pay it, because you don't make enough or perhaps because you are a small child, your tax bill just rolls over to next year, with interest.

That's even funnier than student loan debt! 

[kingyak]

Everybody owes $11,500 in taxes.  If you can't pay it, because you don't make enough or perhaps because you are a small child, your tax bill just rolls over to next year, with interest.

That's even funnier than student loan debt! 

Unfortunately, no. To follow the student loan debt model, the tax bill would have to have to roll over to the next year, with interest AND a penalty up to half the amount owed.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I seem to recall hearing (so correct me with a nailbat if necessary) that lower-income households spend a greater portion of their income on food and basic consumer goods, which are also taxed under H. Cain's plan. So the poor get screwed on their income, and then screwed again when they try to live off that income.