Argumentative Essay: Taxes In The United States

Did you know that 44 percent of the people in America do not pay any income taxes? This is approximately 66 million out of 151 million that now pay no income taxes. From 1950-1990, the percentage of people that owed no money for federal income taxes and paid no federal income taxes was 22 percent. This has now doubled and is putting our economy and country at its breaking point. Our current tax system penalizes those that work and save money. People who pay no taxes still get to enjoy the benefits. "A revolutionary change in our tax system is fundamental to re-energizing the American economy and restoring the American dream." (Moore) The United States income tax should be replaced with a consumption tax such as the flat tax to

While most taxpayers agree that tax reform is necessary for our country the problem they encounter is the difficulty they experience when trying to understand all the political terms used when discussing tax reform. This paper is an attempt to help the taxpayers of our country to better understand the political terminology and gain knowledge about some of the proposals that have been explored.

What are payroll taxes? Payroll taxes are amounts taken out of an employee's paycheck to pay for FICA insurance. FICA or the Federal Insurance Contributions Act makes payroll taxes that also include additional amounts to pay for unemployment insurance and (In some states) Disability Insurance. FICA is what pays for Social Security and Medicare. The withholding amounts for Social Security are shared equally between the employer and the employee. An employee share is 6.2 % for Social security ,and that amount is matched by the employer for a total Social Security tax rate of 12.4 % for the first $113,700 earned. Any income above is not assessed in Social Security income tax.FICA withholdings also include 1.45% for medicare benefits.

The Armey-Shelby flat tax proposal will scraps the entire income tax code and replaces it with a flat-rate income tax that treats all Americans the same. This plan would simplify the tax code, promote economic opportunity, and restore fairness and integrity to the tax system. The flat rate would be phased-in over a three-year period, with a 19 percent rate for the first two years and a 17 percent rate for subsequent years.

No matter how effective a plan may be at the former, if it cannot succeed at the latter it will never be implemented. Convincing enough voters to support the tax plan will be extremely difficult, due to both the high levels of ideological opposition to taxes and the resources and organizational strength of the measure’s primary opponents. Per an April 2016 Gallup poll, 61% of Americans believe that the wealthy pay too little in taxes (Gallup), so Americans at least agree in principle that taxes should be increased for the wealthy. Additionally, by emphasizing elements of the measure that could appeal to conservative voters, such as keeping money from leaving the economy, candidates could generate crossover appeal to both conservative and liberal parts of the electorate. The chief difficulty, ultimately, will be overcoming the formidable organizations those with a vested interest in keeping taxes low can bring to bear. Just as they did in the 1970’s, business and financial leaders will marshal their extensive “capacity to launch multi-faceted campaigns” (Hacker 125), exerting pressure on incumbent candidates to distance themselves from the new tax policy and organizing opposition via advertising, political action committees, and donations. To counteract this disadvantage, candidates must mobilize wealthy liberal activists sympathetic to the cause of tax

The one topic that has continually been a major topic in the United States is the topic of taxes. It has been a key component of political campaigns at all levels since the political scene has been of interest to me. There are two major tax systems that are viable options in the U.S. today. There is the federal individual income tax system and a single rate flat tax system. The U.S. currently uses the federal individual income tax system. This type of tax system got its start in 1864 after the American Civil War (‘The New Income Tax,’ Dunbar). It was the second tax ever used by the U.S. and was the first tax used during a time of peace. The tax system has continually become

When you hear the unemployment rate is only 4.9% it sounds really good to the ears. Then you find out that is 15,626,100 people without a job it doesn’t seem so nice. I am tired of hearing people saying the are going to create jobs and then the jobs never appear, and I’m sure you are to. When I hear someone say they are going to do something I expect it gets done, there are no if and's or buts about it. Yes over the past few years the unemployment rate has been dropping but it is still there and that simply isn’t acceptable.

Now the Federal and State legislative works about the same, but the state house is much smaller than the federal government. In Tennessee, the house is made up of 99 individuals in the House and giving that Senate participation does not surpass one-third of the House enrollment. The Senate, accordingly, has 33 individuals. Of the other 48 bicameral state congregations representation may differ from between 20-67 congresspersons and 40-400

“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes”.Taxes are inevitable, the government uses our tax dollars for many things that every citizen utilizes in some way or another. The United States government spends money in areas such as military, social security, interest on the national debt, veteran benefits, food and agricultural benefits, and education programs. A popular topic lately is, are the wealthy taxed enough or are they over taxed? Do the wealthy pay their fair share based on how much they make?

A recent national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center on April 7, 2013 found that 56% of Americans have a negative reaction towards income taxes. For this reason, most presidential candidates of both the Republican and Democratic Party, such as Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, maintain a fixed position on the way they think the current tax code should change. With all the issues and criticism the current American tax code faces there is an ongoing debated on how it should be dealt with. This Paper will explore all four, of the previously stated candidates’ tax plans

"Lower income taxes for all, with the greatest help for those most in need. Everyone who pays income taxes benefits - while the highest percentage tax cuts go to the lowest income Americans. I believe this is a formula for continuing the prosperity we've enjoyed, but also expanding it in ways we have yet to discover. It is an economics of inclusion. It is the agenda of a government that knows its limits and shows its heart." -President George W. Bush1

REPUBLICANS AIM to unveil Wednesday a long-awaited tax plan, premised on the fanciful idea that slashing taxes by $1.5 trillion over 10 years will somehow leave the federal budget better off. And it is not just the GOP’s most blinkered ideologues who have bought into this wishful thinking.

It may be surprising to know that those big men you see bossing you around and flashing cash at you, are actually being stolen from. And not just a little. For you, lovely taxpayer are very aware that you are paying your “fair share” of your “hard earned money” and aware of all the “free” programs “your” money funded. You the lower 50 percent by terms of population and wealth only account for three percent of the federal income tax annual revenue. You use the “free” programs such as food stamps, and social security, and the like, as though you payed for them. Not surprisingly, you feel like you are taxed too much, what do you do ? You blame somebody else ! (of course you do) Guess who ? The funder of all the spectacular government programs you use and “earned”. You want to

There is evidence of positive outcomes from those who have adopted the flat tax system such as economic growth, unemployment drops, and an improvement in tax compliance (“A Flat Tax Should Replace the Current System”). There are currently 41 countries and 8 states currently imposing a flat tax on income. When Pat McCrory became Governor of North Carolina in 2013, their taxes were the highest in the Southeast at the time, but he was determined to reform the tax system and increase job growth. He got with legislators to overhaul the tax system for the first time in eight decades. Two years later, North Carolina will pay off its 2.5 billion debts and the unemployment rate has dropped. These factors certainly make North Carolina a good choice for new industry, or companies or families looking to relocate. The other 7 states that join North Carolina in a flat tax system are Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Utah, and Pennsylvania. The rates run from 3.07% for Pennsylvania to 5.8 % for North Carolina. Republican Presidential Candidate Dr. Ben Carson is in favor of a flat tax system for the United States. He suggests 10-15% but believes this rate could go down over time as the national debt gets under

The Bible unequivocally commands believers in Christ to submit to the human authorities that God has placed over us. One facet of this submission to authority involves dutifully paying our taxes. Indeed, Paul enjoins, "For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed" (Romans 13:6-7). Because God's Word never changes, this tenet undoubtedly still applies to every follower of Christ living in America today. While I do believe that we as Christians must faithfully pay our taxes due to the government