Reflections Of The Progressive And Flat Rate Tax Structure

One example of the progressive tax system is the federal estate tax. This tax only effects the wealthiest of families, those with assets in excess of ten million dollars, families with less than ten million dollars are exempt from this tax. Income taxes are also progressive; as an individual’s income increases there tax burden also increases. But there are provisions that unequally favor the most well to do. These include provisions for stock dividends and profits from real estate sales to be taxed at much lower rates

There are three different types of tax systems presented in this article: Progressive income tax, Flat tax, and the Fair Tax. The progressive tax system is what we have in the US and is common in countries across the world. It bases the percentage of income tax you should pay by the amount of income you receive. Basically, if you have a large income then the rate of tax you will pay is larger and, furthermore, if you have a low income you will have a lower rate to pay. Many conservatives dislike this system because it forces the top percentage of taxpayers to pay a majority of the tax revenue. “According to the Tax Foundation, the top 1% of taxpayers have consistently paid more in federal income taxes than the bottom 90% since 2003…” It treats people differently and it allows for

In my opinion as to whether or not the current federal income tax structure is fair for most Americans is that it is not fair. The following information will provide support for my decision. The main federal tax brackets are for single individuals, married individuals filing separately, married individuals filing as a couple and individuals filing as a head of household. In the financial year 2014, the lowest tax bracket paid a rate of 10% on income up to $9,075 while the highest bracket paid an average rate of 36.4% ($406,751 and above). Most individuals pay taxes across several tax brackets, and as a result, they end up with the progressive tax structure. In the current progressive federal income structure, individuals with a lower

“I love paying my income tax! This tax system is so easy to understand!” said no United States citizen, ever. No one has ever said this because it is highly unlikely that no one actually enjoys struggling with the complexity of the current income tax system in the United States. The concept of contributing to the good of the community, county, state, and nation through taxation is not new, nor is it generally opposed by American citizens. Most tax paying citizens do not take issue with paying for police and fire protection, roads, and national security with tax dollars. However, what they do take issue with is the fact that the current tax code is a complicated nightmare. It is a bureaucratic mess of rules, regulations, and perhaps even infringements upon personal rights. Because of the complexity of the current tax code, the United States should implement a flat tax system for personal and corporate income tax to ensure consistent and fair taxation and to render the tax code as more user-friendly.

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.

The current federal income tax system in the United States (U.S.) is progressive based on the vertical equity principle. However, the tax code is getting increasingly complex and the wealthy are able to avoid paying taxes through loopholes. Hence, more people are yearning for fairness in taxation. With the looming 2016 presidential election, Senator Rand Paul’s proposal of ‘Fair and Flat Tax’ appears to have the most significant change to the current tax policy and I will now analyze if this proposal will improve the efficiency and equity of the U.S. tax code.

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.

In the constant debate over what should and should not be taxed and how much a person should have to pay in taxes, one issue remains constant. That is the question as to whether or not the U.S. should have a fair tax or a flat tax. This has been interesting for me because I hear a lot of debate on both sides about the legitimacy of both methods. There is an overwhelming feeling, fueled, in part, by the media, that wealthy Americans are not paying their fair share of taxes, when, in fact, that is not the case. In fact, an article from the directory About.com reports the following statistics from the Office of Tax Analysis: According to the Office of Tax Analysis, the U.S. individual income tax is "highly progressive," with a small group of higher-income taxpayers paying most of the individual income taxes each year. -In 2002 the latest year of available data, the top 5 percent of taxpayers paid more than one-half (53.8 percent) of all individual income taxes, but reported roughly one-third (30.6 percent) of income. -The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid 33.7 percent of all individual income taxes in 2002. This group of taxpayers has paid more than 30 percent of individual income taxes since 1995. -Moreover, since 1990 this group 's tax share has grown faster than their income share. -Taxpayers who rank in the top 50 percent of taxpayers by income pay virtually all individual income taxes. In all years since 1990, taxpayers in this group have paid over 94 percent of all

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.

In a world filled with economic turmoil, one might look at a loaf of bread today at the grocery store and wonder if it will cost the same tomorrow. The inflation factor has driven prices of food, energy and many other life essentials to an all-time high. In countries like America where the national debt has soared into the double digit trillions. It becomes a question in the minds of many, “how will we ever pay this money back?” This is a question of great magnitude and many factors decide if, and how it is possible. On a much smaller scale, the average household in America lives within a budget to manage income to debt ratio. This budget allows for the necessities to be purchased while allocating a set amount for debt obligations. When there is not enough money for required expenditures, adjustments must be made to compensate. This type of adjustment is comparable to the adjustments that must be made by the American government to allow the debt ceiling to be lowered, while still making financial obligations for consumer families affordable and manageable. This concept is often referred to as tax reform, and it is the only way America will regain strong financial standing as a country.

The United States economy, as known by all, is not in its best shape. One way in which the government gains money is by imposing taxes on people. There are many taxes that are placed on different things that everyone needs or already has. The United States uses a taxation system which is criticized by many. The system used in Progressive Tax; however, many people believe the system of Flat Tax, or Proportional Tax, should be the system that is used for taxing.

Everyone gets frustrated with income taxes and everyone complains that they are paying more than enough, but who really pays more in federal income taxes? Having a progressive tax system; meaning that the more money you earn, the more you will have to pay in taxes; would lead to the rich paying for most of the taxes and not the poor. Unfortunately, many people do not realize some of the problems with the tax system itself that offsets the balance as well as the results when it comes to taxes. There are many unseen things when looking at no more than just the statistics of who pays the most in taxes. Anything from the tax rates, the difference between federal and individual income taxes as well as state taxes can create a problem when

We have all heard the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin who stated, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” (“Benjamin Franklin Quotes”) We find this to be true as we begin working and feel the pain of money being taken from our paychecks. Then we face the chore of having to file income taxes yearly. Although there are many taxes we are subject to, most people are referring to federal income tax when they complain about taxes. There has been debate for decades about the current system but there has been no agreement on how to fix it. The United States currently has a progressive tax code which means people pay taxes according to their earnings. This has been in place since the time of Abraham Lincoln. An alternative

Policy makers have introduced a solution to the staggering proportion of taxes that Americans spend. The flat tax, based on an idea developed by Professors Robert Hall and Alvin Rabushka of Stanford University to create a fair, simple, and pro-growth tax system (Mitchell 1, 11). There are four basic criteria that make up a flat tax. First is a single low rate on taxable income, the baseline for taxable income would be raised to a certain amount dictated by a personal exemption. Second is simplicity, all Americans would fill out the same postcard-sized form to pay their taxes. Third is the reduction or elimination of deductions, credits, and exemptions, depending

Progressive- A progressive tax fluctuates depending on the income of a person. So individuals who make more money pay a larger percentage of their income in taxes compared to someone who makes less money and only has to pay a lesser percentage. There are five different levels of tax rates for different ranges of incomes. The tax burden is greater for wealthier individuals compared to poorer individuals.