[conservative sympathizer]

In what way is the penalty an income tax? It doesn’t tax income, it taxes people for existing without insurance coverage. It’s a poll tax.

The mechanism of extracting the penalty is to draw money away from one's income. It's a tax, a burden, ON income. No taxable income means no payment.

[aruanan]

In what way is the penalty an income tax? It doesn’t tax income, it taxes people for existing without insurance coverage. It’s a poll tax.

The mechanism of extracting the penalty is to draw money away from one's income. It's a tax, a burden, ON income. No taxable income means no payment.

Yeah, now you're talking like Roberts. People can have taxes levied on them without having any income at all. If someone is jobless and without any revenue stream and doesn't have health insurance then he faces the penalty of Obamacare. If it's a "tax," then it's a tax regardless of his state of income; therefore, it's not an income tax. It's a "tax" based on whether or not he did something else, that is, purchase an insurance plan. If you buy one, you don't pay the "tax." If you don't, you pay the "tax." You could call it a non-sales tax.

[ironman]

The penalty will be the greater of a flat dollar amount per person, OR a percentage of your taxable income.

Flat dollar amount for individuals: $95 in 2014; $325 in 2015; and $695 in 2016; increases indexed to inflation after that, subject to a cap.

[Tublecane]

“The mechanism of extracting the penalty is to draw money away from one’s income. It’s a tax, a burden, ON income. No taxable income means no payment.”

Youn can’t actually believe that, can you? This is a wild shot in the dark to avoid thinking about the issue, isn’t it?