[FroggyTheGremlim]

Republicans: Do what the Democrats do. Recommend

Targeted Revenue enhancements

I suggest that Republicans say "OK, we favor increasing revenues to reduce the debt. We propose targeted revenue enhancements. We will draft our "Fair Revenue Enhancement to Reduce the Debt Act" which taxes at a modest 45% (forty five percent) of the assets of such businesses and groups as:

• Television News Anchors and regulars - eg. like the salary of Katie Couric at $20 million, Chrissie Matthews at what, $2 million?;
• Members of the Film, TV and Performing Industries - eg. like the net assets of Barbra Streisand, Ed Asner, Alec Baldwin, Jon Stuart (Stewart?) , etc. How many of them have multiple homes worth gazillions?

  Like Bruce Springsteen who claims his estate as a farm in order to take a big tax cut,

  Talk about the rich. Who is richer than these creeps?

• College and University Professors - College costs have increased way, way over the rate of inflation and Professors have tenure - they can never be fired;
• Professional Athletes. - in particular, Basketball players, football wide receivers, defensive backs and running backs.
• Late Night Comedians - especially those with stables of exotic collector's automobiles worth tens of millions of dollars.
• Agents and legal representatives of above.
• Trial Lawyers - They get millions but hire no one - they do NOT create jobs.
• Pundits - They make millions but create no jobs;
• any others?

Who can deny that members of the above are:

• way above "Middle Class?"
• "Winners in Life's Lottery?"
• Good Citizens whose Patriotic Duty is to "Give something back" to the country that has given them so much?

Targeted Revenue enhancements

Targeted Revenue enhancements

Targeted Revenue enhancements

For God's sake Republicans figure it out, just once!

[NVDave]

EXACTLY.

THANK YOU for pointing out what I’ve been hammering on my congresswoman for weeks. If the Democrats want tax proposals, GIVE THEM TAX PROPOSALS.

To your list, I would add the following:

1. Remove the deduction for “financial advisors and investing expenses.” This will hit the hedge fund and private capital industry quite nicely, most of whom vote DNC.

2. Tax HFT operations.

3. Tax bespoke derivative instruments - make this one nice and high, like 50% or more. I’d prefer it if these were taxed out of existence.

4. Remove the tax-exemption on any 501(c)(3) organization that makes any pitch to their members to lobby Congress for anything. Whammo, the environmental movement is shut down.

5. Also going after the greens, make it law that those who sue the federal land management agencies over “environmental policies” cannot have their legal costs reimbursed. This was a EO from Clinton, and it has turned environmental lawsuits into a tidy cash cow for the greenies.

6. Jack up the AMT. It predominately falls on high earning individuals in “blue” states anyway. Let them scream for tax reform.

7. Tax university endowments that aren’t used to offset tuition.

I could list more, but you already have the idea. I think that you should make your proposal more generic and just go after the entertainment industry in general. Tax them until they’ve been bled white.

Oh, one more idea: Tax newspapers who are operating under a joint operation agreement.