Taxes...

[Bigmack]

Not too sure I should post this info. Kinda personal, and I haven't really figured out how I feel about it myself.

I know the Anti-Tax Dogma is central to the Repubs Theology, but I've always figured that taxes are just my dues for living in society.

We're retired... on teachers' pensions & Social Security. We have a few very small investments... nothing like apartment buildings or blocks of stocks. Teacher-sized investments.

I just did our taxes with our tax guy. After we get our $1200 "stimulus" bucks back, we will have paid a grand total of 8.5% of our income in federal taxes.

I can't imagine that somebody with serious investments and a seriously bent tax guy would do much worse. Probably a helluva lot better, actually. Am I crazy in thinking that's not a very heavy tax burden? Our state sales tax is about that much.

How can the Repubs bitch?

Of course, I begrudge every dime paid into the military/industrial complex and the tax breaks for the wealthy and the other Repub regressive taxation policies. I'd rather my tax money went for exactly the kind of programs Dumbya has gutted.

As I say, I haven't really figured out how I feel about this myself. Any observations?

[gateley]

1. 8.5% actually sounds pretty good to me,

but what would be the percentage without including the $1200?

I'm kind of reminded when people get refunds and are asked how much they paid in taxes, they reply "nothing -- I got a refund".

[LSK]

2. if I never had to worry about being homeless, having no medical debt

Not having to worry about drinking bad water or eating bad food, knowing I would be covered when I loose my job, being taken care of when I grow old or if I become disabled, I would GLADLY PAY MORE TAXES.

What the sad part is, most of our tax money goes to killing people and wars.

People in Europe have no problem with taxes because they are SECURE and at PEACE knowing they will not fall into financial peril. I would gladly be in that situation.

[sinkingfeeling]

3. I was discussing this last night with my sister. She and my BIL inherited a good deal of money and

are retired living via investments. Their tax forms (they are a private partnership) are like 30 to 40 pages long, but they only pay 15% on their capital gains.

I recently threw out the 1040 guide booklets and tax tables from 1970-2000. In so doing, I kept all my copies of my tax forms and took a look at a few of them. Way back, before St. Ronnie's tax cut, I was paying over 35% as a single mother of one child.

I make a good living, but have never had much of a problem with the tax 'burden'. However, I think it is unfair that I pay a higher percentage of my income to federal and state income taxes and Social Security/Medicare than people like Bill Gates. If you've only got capital (un-earned income), you have no withholding and pay nothing into SS/Medicare.