“Oh, that’s going to be a problem. That would leave me with $40,000 a year, and I know I can’t live on that. I really need $50,000 a year for my family to survive.”
“Hmmmmmm. That is a problem, isn’t it? See, we’re really depending on you sending us $10,000 a year in taxes. Hmmm. Let’s see – how about we give you a salary of $60,000 a year, and you can send us $10,000 a year in taxes. That will leave you with $50,000 and you can live on that. Sounds fair?”
“You bet!”
Is the worker paying taxes? It's just government shifting money from one pocket to another. Now, if you, as a worker at a manufacturing facility, pay $10,000, then the govenrment is actually getting revenue. YOU are paying taxes. Federal workers? I don't think they really pay taxes.
As a 25 year Federal employee I just have to pipe in on this. He is certainly not an idiot, however the fact that so many seem to not grasp his concept certainly explains why we as a country are in such deep trouble. Federal employees that get a paycheck derived 100% from taxpayers may “pay” federal income tax on paper, but they certainly do not contribute money to the US Treasury in the form of income tax. They simply send some money back. It’s a shell game. I’ve said for years that citizens that receive more in payments from the government than they pay in should not be allowed to vote (with an exemption for active duty military). This does not make me very popular at the water cooler!