The Hollywood Tax Story They Won't Tell at the Oscars

Wall Street Journal ^ | 2/23/2013 | Glenn Reynolds

[SueRae]

At the Democratic National Convention last year, actress Eva Longoria called for higher taxes on America's rich. Her take: "The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers—she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not."

Actually, nowadays an Eva Longoria who flipped burgers would probably qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit and get a check from the government rather than pay taxes. It's the movie set where she works these days that may well be getting the tax break.

[SueRae]

Ask how Chris Dodd suddenly became the president of the Motion Picture Association. Or why I won't watch the Oscars. Again. Hollywood hypocrites.

[KSCITYBOY]

Taxes are only for the masses. Hollywood needs all the tax breaks they can get.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My advice? Quit going to the movies. If a film is good, it’ll ALWAYS be good no matter when you see it. I borrow DVDs from my library; my confiscated TAX DOLLARS are paying for it, anyway!

Yep. I’m still a part of the problem, but to a lesser extent. :)

[The Great RJ]

I am sure that the Hollywood lefties use every tax dodge they can to avoid paying those high taxes and I am betting that many will claim one of their second homes in low tax states as a primary residence as California ratchets up their tax rates.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

Yep! All of the little lefty film industry nerds here in Colorado scrambled to pass state tax incentives to attract the Hollywood producers to come work here, in state. Hypocrites serving hypocrites.

[Oldexpat]

The two biggest stars in Hollywood won’t show up for the Oscars? Michelle and BArack? Why not...they have had most ot the crowd to the WH on one day or another.

[sten]

a flat percentage, above a defined poverty line, is the same for everyone. no favoritism.

define the poverty line at $20k. you make $50k, you have to pay 20% on the $30k... or $6000.

make $500k ... you owe 20% of $480k ... or $96k

doing the math for the country:
—
individual income per capita: $41,560
estimated US population: 310m
US total income: $12.883 trillion
number of workers: 140m
poverty allowance: $20k
total poverty allowance: $2.8 trillion
taxable income: $10.083 trillion
at 20%, total tax revenue: $2.016 trillion

this is almost exactly the amount brought in now... but removes the class warfare possibility. this is what ‘fair’ actually looks like.

*per capita income: http://bber.unm.edu/econ/us-pci.htm
*definition of per capita: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_capita_income

[ronnie raygun]

Hollywood is the propaganda arm of the regime. You and I will never know how much taxes these cretans pay

[Gay State Conservative]

The House Republicans should attach an amendment to *every single* bill voted upon providing for a line to be placed on all Federal tax forms...1040,1040EZ,etc....giving taxpayers the option of donating a sum of money to the US Treasury *over and above* what they're required by law to pay.Massachusetts has had such a line on its tax forms for years and I read a few years ago that something like 200 returns (in a state of 6 million people) check the box in a typical year.

[abb]

If you send a check in payable to the U. S. Treasury, I promise you they’ll present it for payment.

[Gay State Conservative]

If you send a check in payable to the U. S. Treasury, I promise you they’ll present it for payment.

Of course they will.In fact the Treasury has a section on its website telling people exactly how one can donate money to the US Government...I've actually visited the site but can't recall how I found it (otherwise I'd provide a link).My plan,as already enacted by Massachusetts,puts this whole "I'm not taxed enough" BS right out in the open and would allow stats showing how many people grossing,for example,$500K/yr,pay a nickel more than what the law requires.Like I said...Massachusetts...6 million people...and 200 opt to "donate" money to the state.It's right there in the open..a local Boston talk host makes reference to it periodically when he wants to point out the hypocrisy of this state's "progressives".

[Graybeard58]

define the poverty line at $20k. you make $50k, you have to pay 20% on the $30k... or $6000.

Russia's flat tax is 14%.

[ansel12]

If a film is good, it’ll ALWAYS be good no matter when you see it. I borrow DVDs from my library; my confiscated TAX DOLLARS are paying for it, anyway!

I do the same thing.