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Bill Gates Endorses Raising Taxes On The Rich: ‘That’s Just Justice’
MediaIte ^ | 01/26/2012 | James Crugnale

Posted on 01/26/2012 7:21:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind

by James Crugnale | 7:22 pm, January 25th, 2012
» 52 comments

On the heels of President Obama‘s State of the Union address, where he called for the “Buffett Rule”: a requirement that millionaires pay at least 30% of their income in taxes, the richest man in America, Bill Gates, weighed in on solutions to the country’s economic problems. “The United States has a huge budget deficit, so taxes are going to have to go up,” Gates told the BBC. “And I certainly agree that they should go up more on the rich than everyone else. That’s just justice.”

RELATED: Buffett Rule? NY Times Report Suggests Obama Plan To Ask More Of American Millionaires

“Is that a message you think that works with other people as wealthy as yourself, or is it just a small circle of friends — yourself, Warren Buffet, a few others,” the interviewer asked Gates.

“Well, I hope we can solve that deficit problem with a sense of shared sacrifice — where everybody would feel like they’re doing their part,” Gates replied. “And right now, I don’t feel like people like myself are paying as much as we should.”

Watch below via ThinkProgress:

CLICK ABOVE LINK FOR THE VIDEO


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: billgates; rich; tax; taxes
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To: Lancey Howard

That wouldn’t be constitutional, but I like your thinking.

Do a “net worth” tax on anyone calling for higher taxes.

Want higher taxes? Fine, write a check for 10% of what you’re worth.


41 posted on 01/26/2012 9:12:02 AM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter knows whom he's working for)
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To: MrB
That wouldn’t be constitutional

LOL!
Since when has that crumbling old parchment, that "living document", stood in government's way? I'm pretty certain those sneaky scumbags in Washington DC could figure something out..

I like your idea - - plenty of tax bills contain specifically named corporations and even some individuals deep in the verbiage of their "write-ups". Raise tax rates for EVERYBODY and then exclude everybody EXCEPT the named "generous" billionaires from having to pay the higher rate. Maybe that would skirt the Constitution sufficiently. Or, craft a tax bill that has the rate those big mouth billionaires want, but make it voluntary. See who pays.

42 posted on 01/26/2012 9:24:10 AM PST by Lancey Howard
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To: SeekAndFind

Everyone can see how much Obama and the libs hate big business and the rich. As far as I am concerned they deserve everything he is throwing at them. After all if they would stop pouring money into his coffers he would die on the vine. They going to keep supporting zero with money they can just suck it up.


43 posted on 01/26/2012 9:24:15 AM PST by Americanexpat (Everytime I see that guy's face ot)
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To: SeekAndFind
And right now, I don’t feel like people like myself are paying as much as we should.”

Stop thinking like a libtard, Bill. Your feelings of guilt is not a rational justification for the initiation of force and violation of natural rights by the expropriation of property.

And higher taxes is destructive to the economy as a whole in the long run because it is an assault on savings which has a negative effect on the standard of living of the average worker and on the unemployment rate. The series of tendencies is: higher taxes leads to less savings which leads to less investment which leads to less capital accumulation which leads to less production which leads to less supply which leads to higher prices which leads to less real wage rates for the average worker which means lower average standard of living.

Less investment and capital accumulation also leads to less demand for labor which means both less money wage rates of the average worker and less decrease in the unemployment rate.

44 posted on 01/26/2012 9:35:00 AM PST by mjp ((pro-{God, reality, reason, egoism, individualism, natural rights, limited government, capitalism}))
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To: SeekAndFind

Yes, we should create a special wealth tax rate for Gates, Buffet and his billionaire Leftist friends.
These hypocrites are always trying to divert attention away from themselves and place it on the sucessful small businessman next door. The uber rich Leftists avoid taxes by structuring their assets as investment income or in overseas business holdings. They also benefit by squashing potential upstart competitors or buying out potential competitors on the cheap. That’s Buffett’s and Google’s model.
Too bad that the Leftist drones have no clue that the big corporate Leftists are all about consolidating money and power by raising taxes on their smaller business competitors.


45 posted on 01/26/2012 9:50:46 AM PST by grumpygresh (Democrats delenda est; zero sera dans l'enfer bientot.)
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To: grumpygresh

RE: Yes, we should create a special wealth tax rate for Gates, Buffet and his billionaire Leftist friends.

________________

Hey, if they did that, the Waltons of Wal-Mart and the Koch brothers get punished too.


46 posted on 01/26/2012 9:58:24 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: taildragger

RE: OK, I think his software sucks, but that is my issue.

Bill Gates has not been with Microsoft since 2006.

If you still dislike their software, Steve Ballmer is the man to blame.


47 posted on 01/26/2012 10:03:36 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind
‘That’s Just Justice’

Only if you ignore the "impartial" aspect of "justice".
48 posted on 01/26/2012 10:07:16 AM PST by Sopater (...where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. - 2 COR 3:17b)
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To: SeekAndFind

Take that, all you Bing fans!


49 posted on 01/26/2012 10:09:57 AM PST by cynwoody
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To: MrB

Gates actually has another motivation to embrace liberal positions - to keep the government off his back. Once burned, twice shy.


50 posted on 01/26/2012 11:30:06 AM PST by Daveinyork
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To: SeekAndFind

Give the socialist billionaires their tax, for goodness sakes. Tax billionaires into the back yard shed! Cut them off from their crappy global foundations and social and political engineering games.

Tax the billionaires at 100%! Give them no “unjust” loopholes. Level their playing field so they can’t play anymore socialst, elitist games with the Republic! They want it. They are begging for it! LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE!


51 posted on 01/26/2012 12:10:37 PM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: SoldierDad
In the past, Democrats went to Congress then became milionaires.

Republicans became millionaires, then ran for Congress.

I've never had a problem with the rich.

52 posted on 01/26/2012 12:58:52 PM PST by lonestar (It takes a village of idiots to elect a village idiot.)
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To: lonestar
It is the idiots who support democrats who have the problem with the rich. Which is dripping with irony. As you wrote, Dims become millionaires AFTER getting into Congress (I wonder how/s). The hypocrisy of the left is so thick it can be cut with a knife.
53 posted on 01/26/2012 1:12:53 PM PST by SoldierDad (Proud dad of an Army Soldier who has survived 24 months of Combat deployment.)
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To: SoldierDad

its “i got mine” politics.

Democrats keep the next garage inventor at bay so the existing rich people can bribe democrats and “protect their existing status”


54 posted on 01/26/2012 1:23:34 PM PST by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: SoldierDad
The Dems also don't have a problem with millionaires who play professional sports or who try to sing and/or act.

It's only the people who had a thought or worked for their money.

55 posted on 01/26/2012 3:09:35 PM PST by lonestar (It takes a village of idiots to elect a village idiot.)
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