Something To Think About.

[SuaveX5]

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.

At first I thought this was funny...then I realized the awful truth of it.
Be sure to read all the way to the end!

Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table
At which he's fed.

Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.

Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.

Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.

Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.

Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries, then
Tax his tears.

Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass

Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers,
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid.

Put these words
upon his tomb,
"Taxes drove me to my doom...."

When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax,
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax (42 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest expense
Inventory tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road usage taxes
Sales Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone state and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

COMMENTS: Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What the hell happened? Can you spell "politicians!"

And I still have to "press 1" for English.

[Juanted]

1. That list below assumes one has a dog, smokes, drinks, fishes, hunts, has an RV, owns a truck used for commercial purposes, is unemployed, married, just received a large inheritance, AND is over 65. ALL at the same time.

2. Those taxes fund our schools, roads, unemployment benefits, social security and medicare benefits, and police force; they ensure companies do not lie to us, over-charge us, or destroy our environment; they keep our skies safe; they fund the most successful space program in the world, and the best military in the world; they provide guaranteed, low-income school loans... You get the point.

I hate paying taxes as much as the next guy; but every story has two sides. I hate it when people complain about the taxes they pay, but fail to acknowledge the very things those taxes make possible.

Yes, we pay a lot of taxes, and yes, we waste a lot of it. If you think we pay too many taxes, though, spend some time in Europe where the normal taxpayer is dishing out some 50%-60% of his salary for taxes.

Juan

[trueX5er]

[Wagner]

I agree with Juan, partially. Taxes are a necessary evil to have the day to day luxuries that society "as a whole" enjoys. Is a large portion of this money spent wrong? Yes.

For example I use to hate Maryland because they have high taxes and tax you on everything..BUT..for one thing Maryland has some of the best kept streets in all of the Mid-Atlantic. It is obvious MD spends money on maintenance and whenever you leave the state you can instantly tell simply because the roads go to crap. So here taxes were helpful.

With that said, taxes have become out of control. Any and everything is taxed and once the government finds a clean way to tax the internet, that will happen as well. As for the comparisons to Europe, I disagree with these in almost every call. Whether it be gas price or taxes or whatever else gets thrown on the hill. The comparison is usually made with some inclination as though the US citizens should just withhold their commentary because they have it "better" then others. Having the citizens in some form or fashion guide the government is the whole point in the US. So I'm entirely for the questioning and ridicule of policies and procedures. That said, the original post was funny and sheds light on the fact that everything...and anything...is taxed

[noncom23]

Time for another "tea party".

[Eric5273]

Originally Posted by Kaefer

1. That list below assumes one has a dog, smokes, drinks, fishes, hunts, has an RV, owns a truck used for commercial purposes, is unemployed, married, just received a large inheritance, AND is over 65. ALL at the same time.

2. Those taxes fund our schools, roads, unemployment benefits, social security and medicare benefits, and police force; they ensure companies do not lie to us, over-charge us, or destroy our environment; they keep our skies safe; they fund the most successful space program in the world, and the best military in the world; they provide guaranteed, low-income school loans... You get the point.

I hate paying taxes as much as the next guy; but every story has two sides. I hate it when people complain about the taxes they pay, but fail to acknowledge the very things those taxes make possible.

Yes, we pay a lot of taxes, and yes, we waste a lot of it. If you think we pay too many taxes, though, spend some time in Europe where the normal taxpayer is dishing out some 50%-60% of his salary for taxes.

Juan

BTW, I think most Americans do pay 50-60% of their income in taxes. When you add up all the various taxes, I think it adds up to that.

Another big difference between Europe and the US is health care. In Europe, taxes include health care costs. In the US, most people pay that out of pocket. I know you can say that your employer pays for it, but that just means they are deducting it from your pay. If they didn't have to pay it, you would have a higher salary. I read the other day that the average cost of health insurance for a family of 4 in 2006 was $11,500. So figuring that in, I thnk we pay more taxes than Europeans, and we get less government services.

I think we certainly can cut down on the waste (i.e. corruption) and have lower taxes. We can also simplify the tax structure. But to compare things to how it was 150 years ago is rather rediculous.

[Juanted]

The Europeans pay 50%-60% of their income in federal and state taxes, just like us. Their rate is simply much higher. I worked and went to school in germany for a few years... trust me on this one. They pay gas taxes, sales taxes, permits, license taxes just like us -- in ADDITION to a tax rate of 50%. No, we do not pay more taxes than the Europeans. Even if you're a millionaire in the US, you're only paying about 40%.

Juan

[Eric5273]

Originally Posted by Kaefer

The Europeans pay 50%-60% of their income in federal and state taxes, just like us. Their rate is simply much higher. I worked and went to school in germany for a few years... trust me on this one. They pay gas taxes, sales taxes, permits, license taxes just like us -- in ADDITION to a tax rate of 50%. No, we do not pay more taxes than the Europeans. Even if you're a millionaire in the US, you're only paying about 40%

That's actually a very recent thing. Prior to Ronald Reagan being president, the top tax rate was north of 70% and had been since before World War II.

[Juanted]

Originally Posted by Eric5273

That's actually a very recent thing. Prior to Ronald Reagan being president, the top tax rate was north of 70% and had been since before World War II.

Not true. Tax rate on direct income hovered around 50%. The 70% of which you talk was the tax rate on "indirect income," i.e., dividends and interest.

[Eric5273]

Originally Posted by Kaefer

Not true. Tax rate on direct income hovered around 50%. The 70% of which you talk was the tax rate on "indirect income," i.e., dividends and interest.

No, it was the personal income tax.

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfa...l/schedule.cfm

If you go back to the 1940s and 1950s, the top rate varied between 80% and 94%.

Then in the 1960s, it was lowered to 70% where it stayed until 1982 when Reagan lowered it first to 50%, then to 35%, and finally to 28%. At the time it was 28%, it was actually lower than the middle tax bracket which was 32% at the time. Clinton then raised it back up to 37%, and Dubya then lowered it back to 35% where I believe it currently stands.

BTW, do you know who first proposed the idea of a progressive income tax? I'll give you a hint. His initials are KM.