CNN's Lying Tax Statistics

[Soliton]

As someone raised in Louisiana with all of my extended relatives in Mississippi, I will hazzard a guess.

Louisiana is not typical of the rural South. Although there are rural areas, the population and political center of gravity are in the cities. It is a southern state driven by urban culture. Hence the predominance of Democrats in local government.

Mississippi is a rural state. It is full of poor, but self-sufficient people. My grandfather got an indoor bathroom from my parents as a 40th wedding anniversary in 1969. He had virtually no taxable income for years. He grew his own vegetables, caught his own fish, raised pigs and cattle, and hunted. He had a very good life, but little money to tax. They also have a beloved Republican governor.

[joma89]

With reference to your “Only 40% of Americans pay taxes at all” comment:

The Tax Foundation link posted below notes the percentage of non-payers from tax returns is 32%, making 68% of filers tax as payers of some amount. Of course, that does not take into account the people who never filed in the first place.

How would one go about figuring out the actual percentage of people who pay taxes at all given there are plenty of non-filers out there? Given the link notes there were 132+ million returns and there are just over 300 million people in the US, the percentages would probably not change drastically from the 68% payers, and 32% non-payers even if we took into account those non-filers. I suppose this result since many of the 300 million people in the US are children, and thus non-tax filers, and there are lots of joint married filers as well.

So, I would suppose the answer of what percentage of US workers are tax payers is closer to the 68% given in the link as opposed to your 40% supposition. Either way, your implied point is still apropos that there are LOTS of non-tax payers in the US and the exact percentage of non-tax payers is less relevant.

I will have to think about that one a little more.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/1410.html

JoMa

[webschooner]

I didn’t do my own research, but those were the figures that Rush stated in recent days, and past experience has led me to tend to trust Rush’s information.

[ilgipper]

McCain must compare Obama rhetoric from 2004 through June 2008 and June 2008 to present. His words on taxes changed drastically. It must be said that what he ‘says’ today, he says to get elected. What he said last spring is what he means. That’s a reversal of the ‘evil’ Bush tax cuts and drastic increases on taxes, payroll taxes, capital gains taxes, and many new taxes to pay for his trillions of dollars of new government.

[6SJ7]

Obama has already reversed his pledge on iraq troop withdrawals, following the rules of public campaign financing, and FISA. Why believe him on taxes.

[joma89]

Sorry, I should have noted my previous response was “sarcasm”. ;-)

JoMa

[joma89]

Good answer! Nothing better than being self-sufficient. My respect to your Grandfather. Nicely done!

JoMa

[Harry Wurzbach]

Most of those "tax cuts" are simply welfare disguised as tax credits. McCain, Palin, or a surrogate should start calling it out for what it is: welfare. That term still has a dirty connotation for many taxpayers, especially, if I had to guess, among independents and a good portion of regular Democrats who actually pay taxes. Currently the bottom 40% of income earners in this country pay no federal income tax. Now they are going to receive a tax refund? WTH?! Enough is enough. I think McCain needs to address this because undoubtedly Obama will be playing the 'he wants to cut taxes for the rich' card. I think a proper response is 'I want to cut taxes for those who actually pay taxes.' McCain can appear as the more sober politician, the one who is focused on ensuring the government does not hamper economic growth in this country. One can only imagine what the effects might be on workers who get paid for not making much money. Well, we already have a good amount of history when it comes to the impact of welfare on low income workers in this country.

[popdonnelly]

“It must be a priority of American foreign policy to commit to eliminating extreme poverty”

It’s beyond our capacity to do that. What is the rest of the World, including the nations involved, going to do to eliminate extreme poverty?

[MrChips]

Wow! Thank you!

[ridesthemiles]

(1) I’ll cut takes for 95% of all Americans
Only 40% of Americans pay taxes at all.”

That fact needs to be puched by the talk shows, IMO.

Also- has anyone ever seriously looked at the statistics regarding the Earned Income Credit?

Thousands of “taxpayers” are really getting EIC, and it FAR more than any amount they EVER paid into the tax barrel.

[SERKIT]

Plugs pointed out that 95% of the people will be forced to be less patriotic, and only 5% of all people will be patriotic at all. Further, he did a pretty good job of carrying the Marxist water for Barry with the while 'reditribution of wealth' gambit. JoeBeau and The Barry need to revisit simple math.

Also, when JFK lowered rates and increased revenues, Barry was still pooping in his diapers. When Ronaldus Magnus lowered rates and increased revenue, Barry was still trying to get his poop together to slow down on drinking and smoking pot. When W lowered rates and gave a stimulus to the economy, Barry couldn't decide if that was wrong or not enough, once again not having his crap together.

[Condor51]

(1) I'll cut takes for 95% of all Americans

Somebody didn't get the memo.
Yesterday morning on F&F an Obama stooge said 90%.
He repeated that 90% over and over.

[adorno]

The first statement is patently impossible since 40% of Americans don’t pay any federal income taxes already. It is IMPOSSIBLE to cut taxes on any more than 60 percent of the population even if the tax rates were cut across the board.

While you're 100% correct, that's not the way Obama and the democrats see it.

People who don't pay taxes can still get a "tax cut" in the parlance of the democrats. A tax cut to a low-wage earner or to someone not working at all would, in effect, be the same as a welfare payment. But, democrats prefer to call it a tax cut. It sounds much better than calling it a giveaway or a welfare payment or, what it more correctly represents, "redistribution of the wealth".

The little people who don't pay taxes are easily bought by the "largesse of the government" which Obama and democrats know can buy them votes. Unfortunately, there are just too many people out there that think government exists to just "give them things".

However, the greater indisputable truth is that, Obama, just like any democrat, will not cut taxes and will do the complete opposite of raising taxes to be able to increase government spending. It is through increased government spending that the little people expect to get "free things".

Obama and democrats know quite well that the little people are not smart enough or educated enough to understand that higher government spending requires higher taxes, and higher taxes decreases business spending and in the end, causes job losses or jobs to be sent overseas. The vicious cycle eventually ends up decreasing the GDP and the overall government revenue. The stupidity of the little people will eventually cause this country to die. And the democrats don't care as long as they get to hold power. Keeping people dumb or ignorant has worked very well for the democrats.

[Mad Dawgg]

"(1) I'll cut takes for 95% of all Americans

(2) I'll raise taxes only on those making more than $250,000"

Here is a few things to remember when someone starts in on Class Warfare style taxation (Tax the rich give to the poor).

1. The US Federal Tax Code in total (The parts written by the IRS and the Congress together) is 16,845 pages long. (To give you some perspective War and Peace is 1475 pages long the Bible is anywhere from 600-2000 Pages (depending on the Edition and what all extras are added in like translations and study guides and illustrations)

Ask yourself, how much of that code is dedicated to "poor people" and how much is dedicated to business tax deductions.

2. The Premise of Raising the taxes on the rich (as presented by Liberal "fairness" crusaders )is to make them pay their fair share. We won't even tough on this particular fantasy but instead focus on who actually gets taxed when we say "the Rich". Mostly it is Corporations whether they be large businesses or smaller family owned ones its those folks who get singled out.

And the majority get their income by selling a service or goods so what happens if you raise costs (like taxes) on someone who gets their income from selling something? If they are indeed "greedy" why will they suddenly become "not greedy" and dutifully absorb the higher costs foisted on them by the looters in Washington?

Obama 's plan sez he will cut 80 Billion from taxes on the Middle class and raise them that much or more on the rich. Last I checked the Total for Corporate Tax returns that the IRS takes in is about 354 Billion.

So if we figure that Obama's plan is going to raise Taxes about 80 to 100 Billion and we divide it evenly between individuals and the corporations then Business will get thier taxes raised somewhere between 40-50 Million or more. That is over a 10% Increase in Costs for a Business. Ask yourself if they all will suddenly voluntarily make 10% Less Money.

[Lancey Howard]

In 1992 a young Democrat campaigned on promising a broad middle class tax cut. He immediately instituted the largest middle class tax hike in U.S. history.

Yep.
Every time I hear Obama spout the same exact campaign lie that Clinton used in 1992, I wonder when SOMEBODY on my TV will make the obvious reference.

(crickets)

[underbyte]

General hypothetical theory of everything answer

Self employed making approx $100,000 a year.

35% federal - 15% SS + state taxes for 55% approx. total

30% for mortgage

15% or $15,000 left for disposable income left for a family of 3

Factor in 30% inflation since 2000 - $5000 loss in buying power.

$10,000 left for utilities, car, food household expenses vacation, retirement etc.

The middle class is out of money! there is not much left to tax you can make some adjustments on disposable income but basically they are stretched to the limit.

Going up the financial ladder the only ones with disposable income or any money left are the upper middle class so the Obomination and the Democrats are like the bank robbers. If you want to rob a bank go where the money is.

With the financial collapse I favor taxing 90% on people like treasury Paulson’s 700 million bonus money that is invested in financials and only a 10% tax on money invested in US manufacturing - let them rebuild the US, they raided and stripped all the assets out of the US let them rebuild it.

[John Valentine]

We see eye to eye.

[poindexter]

Oops. I meant to say that 40% DON’T pay taxes at all.