[remember]

The IRS publishes detailed tax tables by income level. The latest results are for 2009. They show that taxpayers earning an adjusted gross income between $100,000 and $200,000 pay an average rate of twelve percent. This is below Buffet’s rate; so she must earn more than that. Taxpayers earning adjusted gross incomes of $200,000 to $500,000, pay an average tax rate of nineteen percent. Therefore Buffet must pay Debbie Bosanke a salary above two hundred thousand.

The author of this editorial needs to read what Buffett actually said. He does seem to have been called out somewhat by a member of the Forbes staff in the comments after the editorial so I'm unclear why they even left the editorial up. In any case, I've researched the numbers and posted an explanation of them at this link. As you can see, the numbers show that Buffett's secretary could be making well less than $100,000 and paying between 30 and 40 percent using the calculations that Buffett clearly explains.

[grundle]

Wow! And thanks for all of that!

[denydenydeny]

The author of this editorial needs to read what Buffett actually said. He does seem to have been called out somewhat by a member of the Forbes staff in the comments after the editorial so I'm unclear why they even left the editorial up. In any case, I've researched the numbers and posted an explanation of them at this link. As you can see, the numbers show that Buffett's secretary could be making well less than $100,000 and paying between 30 and 40 percent using the calculations that Buffett clearly explains.

If the richest man in America pays his top administrative assistant "well less than $100,000" he's a cheapskate to the point of sociopathology.