A Progressive Tax System In The United States

As we have been learning, America has broken away from Britain. This all started with the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War, where the British and the colonists were allies. After the Treaty of Paris and Pontiac’s Rebellion, where the Indians fought the British for defeating their allies and trading partners and for stealing their land. After all of this, the British started taxing the colonists more. The colonists didn’t believe that this was fair. They lost family in the war, or they fought in the war themselves, yet they still must pay taxes.

As Tax Paying Americans, Tax Plans are a very important concept in our lives. Do you feel that there is a better option out there? In this paper we will discuss the differences between the Fair Tax Plan, Flat Tax Plan and the Progressive Tax Plans. We will discuss the Pros and Cons of each plan. What is the best option out there and is there any other version that could be more acceptable? There are many proposals that have been offered in recent years, it is important to do a thorough review of all plans in order to make an

Throughout the entire existence of any form of government, there has always been taxes. Most of the time (if not all), people hate taxes. With this being said, the United States has adopted a progressive tax since its very existence. We believe that if our nation is placed under a flat tax system, our economy will operate more effectively. If we incorporate a flat tax system we will be able to ensure fairness among all citizens, eliminate tax loopholes, and allow opportunities for business expansion. With this being said, we will be examining the strengths and weaknesses about the flat tax system and how it has been used into practice.

There is an ominous shadow hanging over the American people threatening to consume our freedoms, wealth, and the very sanity that holds our nation together. America is a nation born from revolution against unjust taxation from a government that does not hear the voice of those who pay the taxes. Today this nation is threatened by the same oppression that incited a revolution and gave birth to one of the greatest democracies in history of the world. The accumulated debt of America and its people is without rival in the modern world, and threatens to tear this nation apart. The only way to deal with the rising debt of a nation is to tax its people, like the Federal Income Tax. Many question the Federal income tax, asking if this is a

The federal income tax system is an intricate system and increases its complexity through newly enacted laws and regulations. The tax codes are difficult to decipher; however, it is a system that maintains the development of an entire country. The political aspects serve to focus on major loopholes and develop strategies for improvements. The laws and regulations highly coincide and work cohesively to obtain its objectives. Undoing or restructuring the federal tax system would cause a major disruption on economic and social terms (Prescott, & Hardin, 2013).

A progressive income tax system is what most countries have adopted for taxation purposes. It appears as if this is the most suitable method as rates increase more to those who can afford to pay them. As taxes continue to increase, more and more people start talking about viable options that would benefit bottom line taxpayers. An option that has been proposed by some is the idea of having a flat rate that in theory would eliminate the concept of inequality by taxing everyone and everything at the same rate.

Taxes have always been a contentious issue of debate in the United States; furthermore it is exacerbated by the specific philosophy of individuals, states, and regions. Too be clearer, nobody enjoys paying taxes, however it is the cost we pay for having civilization. Nevertheless, selfishness creeps in to many individuals who feel no particular benefit. Taxes have a real way of polarizing many people from different socio-economic backgrounds, because a tax is inexorably linked to a person’s belief-system. For instance, in the context of social welfare policy liberals are inclined to feel that the tax-burden should be heaped on individuals who have benefited the most from “the system”. On the other hand, we have conservatives who feel they did not receive any support, and all that is necessary is hard work and perseverance to succeed. I am not suggesting either one is correct; it is only a simple illustration to show the relation between pocketbook and personal belief. I hope studying the tax structures of New Jersey and Alabama will give me insight they both reconcile their political beliefs with their individual tax structures.

Prior to the ratification of the Sixteenth Amendment of the American Constitution, the majority of the income received by the federal government was through tariffs and excise taxation (Pollack, 2013). Tariffs are taxes “levied by governments on the value including freight and insurance of imported products (Tariffs and Import Fees, 2014)”. Excise taxes are “taxes paid when purchases are made on a specific good, such as gasoline (Excise Tax, 2014).” While the individual citizen did not incur wage taxation, through trickle-down economics, consumers often dealt with higher costs of goods as importers sought to recoup

In America, we enjoy freedoms that we often take for granted. We have the power to decide things for ourselves, such as our leaders, our rights, and our liberties. We have the ability to debate and evaluate the effectiveness and the relevance of a law or bill, and we must use this power when it comes to the methods of taxation. Currently, the US uses a progressive income tax as its means to raise revenue. Deborah Lee and Richard A. Grant, in “Counterpoint: Expanding Sales Taxes Helps the Rich, Hurts the Poor,” believe that a progressive income tax is the fairest and most constructive ways to fund the government, and that such a tax benefits the poor more than a sales tax.

What is a progressive tax system? How does it differ from a regressive tax system? A progressive tax system is a system where the more money you make the more taxes you pays the less money you make the less taxes you pay. Regressive system is anything you make you pay that same.

With today’s tax system, Americans feel like they are constantly shoveling their money out the door. People who object the flat tax system argue that it isn’t going to be able to fund the government, but most of us know that our government has a spending problem…not a revenue problem. “In 1970, the federal tax revenue was $192 billion; in 2010, tax revenue was $2.1 trillion – and it still isn’t enough money to pay for all the programs that politicians want.” ("Creators") With this new system, every income group would gain. Through the earned income tax credit, most low income Americans would be eliminated, benefiting the majority. In another sight the gains of the highest income group would be third highest among the six income groups. The income in tax variation and change in incentives would end up resulting in an increase of 1.8 percentage points for the economy.

Our current tax system is outrageously unjust. Most working people pay too much in taxes compared to corporations, multi-millionaires, and billionaires. Many of our biggest and most profitable corporations pay little or no tax. Most investment income is taxed at less than the rate of workers. Income disparities have become so pronounced that America's top 10 percent now averages nearly nine times as much income as the bottom 90 percent. Wages in the United States have been stagnating for more than three decades. Typical American workers and the nation's lowest wage workers have seen little or no growth in their real weekly wages. Since the mid-1980’s there has been an enormous transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the wealthiest

Benjamin Franklin once said, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Taxation has always been a hot-button issue in the United States, as it was one of the primary reasons the United States revolted from the British. The media have once again turned its attention to the issue of taxation, but primarily on the increasing of taxes solely on upper-class citizens. The United States currently employs a progressive tax rate, which means that the upper class already is liable for a higher percentage of taxes. During the current presidential campaign, each of the candidates has their own unique idea of tax reform. Some of the candidates’ tax plans cut taxes for all through the change to a flat tax rate, while other plans do quite the contrary and raise taxes for all. The candidates who are favoring the increase of taxes on the wealthy are attempting to enact laws, which increase funding for government programs, attempt to redistribute the wealth to the lower class, and eliminate the debt of the United States. However, the candidates who are attempting to enact a flat tax rate are attempting to eliminate outdated government programs and to help to increase jobs. A higher tax rate on the wealthy through a progressive tax system, at a cursory glance, may appear to be beneficial, however, I am arguing to show the negative effects not only for the wealthy but the United States economy as a whole.

Taxes are essential for they enable the economy to function more properly. Taxes are useful for funding programs such as, public transportation, education, and health care services, however, taxation on goods and other resources can negatively affect individuals whose socioeconomic status is low. In my opinion, taxation has different effects on different areas of our economy, taxes do affect American citizens as well as the economic policy by raising or lowering the amount of income the government receives.

The United States tax system has an extensive history that has transformed from a modest system to a complex taxation system over the years. From the beginning, the tax system has undergone changes due to past wars, inclusion of social programs, changes to social programs, presidential views, and economic fluctuations. Every tax year, the tax laws continue to change from the methods of the past.