Posted on 04/20/2010 4:58:25 PM PDT by Kaslin
According to the Tax Policy Center, a Washington, D.C., research organization, nearly half of U.S. households will pay no federal income taxes for 2009. That's up from the Tax Foundation's 2006 estimate that 41% of the American population, or 121 million Americans, were completely outside the federal income tax system.
These Americans pay no federal income tax either because their incomes are too low or they have higher income but credits, deductions and exemptions that relieve them of tax liability.
This lack of income tax liability stands in stark contrast to the top 10% of earners, those households earning an average of $366,400 in 2006, who paid about 73% of federal income taxes. The top 25% paid 86%. The bottom 50% of taxpayers paid less than 4% of federal income taxes collected.
Let's not dwell on the fairness of such an arrangement for financing the activities of the federal government. Instead, let's ask what kind of incentives and results such an arrangement produces and ask ourselves whether these results are good for our country. That's a question to be asked whether or not one has federal income tax liabilities.
Having 121 million Americans completely outside the federal income tax system, it's like throwing chum to political sharks. These Americans become a natural spending constituency for big-spending politicians.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
You could also illustrate it the other way: imagine a system where every full dollar paid in [federal] taxes gave that citizen 1 ‘vote’ [though a citizen could NOT split his ‘votes’ up; they would have to be en block].
The “Soak the rich” policies suddenly bite the “freeloaders” in the ass... the poor would have no votes at all and “the rich” would easily be able to ‘buy’ the candidate they want.
{Of course there is something to note about such a system, decreasing your taxes decreases the power you would have in voting; and raising taxes for others would be equivalent to giving them power.}
In order for someone to have failed to pay tax that person must be assessed taxes first. If someone has no tax liability then there is no way that person could have failed to pay taxes.
So what do you think?
Would this restriction apply to state offices?
Which would be unfair
Good question. Considering what the amendment was trying to abolish, a liberal loose constructionist jurist almost certainly would extend it to the states.
>Which would be unfair
How so? Or did you forget a sarc tag?
You probably would have to look at the constitution of the individual states, but I would guess It applies also
And let’s not forget that Government employees don’t really pay taxes on their salaries. The “taxes” are deducted in a bookkeeping slight of hand; the tax-paying citizens, who are paying the Goverment workers’ salaries, are also paying the taxes.
VietVet
Maybe I misunderstood you. If so, I apologize
Aren’t the people in the military in technical terms government employees? They do pay taxes
I don’t think I’d be comfortable with any 10% of the population having 73% of the votes.
Full circle...
No Representation without Taxation. If you have no skin in the game, you’re out!
I think we’re all getting pretty sick and tired of the entitlement crowd shoving their paws into our pockets every chance they get. It was a good idea in colonial times and it still is: no tax payments/no voting rights. I recently saw an article that said something like 47% of Americans pay no taxes—I knew it was high, but not that high. Time to make that change. Right after we clean out the corrupt morons in Washington.
It’s like the old riddle.
Q: When at a party, who gets the last slice of pizza?
A: The person who paid for it.
I say a flat 15% divided equally between a 7.5% sales tax and a 7.5% income tax.
“Those who cannot contribute are not allowed to retain their (voting) rights of citizenship.” - Aristotle
Yeah, but you know it wouldn't stay that way, and it wouldn't go lower either
No taxation without representation.
No representation without taxation.
If I pay twice as much tax as the other guy, why shouldn’t my vote count twice as much as his?
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