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
The tax system in the United States has changed throughout the years, with many attempts to make it "fair" or "equal" while at the same time generating enough income for the United States government to thrive. It is a complex issue, and a controversial one at that. While it may not be possible for our tax system to ever be fair, it is important to make sure it doesn 't put more financial stress and pressure on one group than on another.
Two important factors that determine a workers' income, regardless of their class, are their race and gender. Minority groups as well as women are less likely to receive an income they deserve, regardless of the job. They are seen as less educated and less capable of doing certain jobs, and they are restricted in advancing and achieving a more suitable income. Only the top capitalists, white males, are receiving the bulk of the nation's income revenue and all the benefits that come along with it. They are the richest people of the United States and instead of being taxed like everyone else, they are allowed even more lee-way. "There is a solution to this problem that will save small farms and businesses, eliminate the death tax' for all Americans and still preserve the integrity of the federal budget: Tax the net worth of the very richest Americans on a regular basis during their lifetime" (Eitzen & Leedham pg. 40). The already rich continue to earn more and more money with their jobs, and they are not being taxed in proportion to their income. They have gotten away with accumulating more of the nation's wealth, while others struggle to make it in life.
Wouldn't it be a perfect world if everyone paid their fair share of taxes? Shouldn’t everyone have skin in the game? For example, if the tax rate was 10%, then the person earning $10,000 per year would pay $1,000 in taxes, and the person earning $100,000 per year would pay $10,000 in taxes. Does this sound too good to be true? Many complain that our current tax system is broken and there has to be a better tax system. During this last presidential campaign, the idea of a flat tax system was once again discussed as an option by one of the candidates. Over the years, many bills have been introduced to congress to change our tax system. Right now, Congress is debating on a new tax system. Our President is pushing for change as he realizes the current system is not going to get the deficit down. We may not see significant change this term, but it will be interesting to see how it all turns out. This paper will discuss what is wrong with our current system, the possible solution of adopting a flat tax system, the counter evidence of why a flat tax system is probably not the solution to our tax problem and why this evidence is right. Our current system is very complex, not efficient, biased, and basically not effective. Did you know the current tax code has over 9 million words? (books.google.com) (241 words) It’s no wonder people want change. I think most would agree our current tax system needs revised. We hear on the news how big corporations pay little in
Amity Shlaes talks about how presidents such as Nixon, and Bush removed millions of Americans from the tax bracket completely and that those same exact people don’t want a proportional tax rate and want to tax the rich because “they can afford it”. That just seems unfair and unjust. The first video was very opinionated saying that the rich now make more money than before, of course they have the money now due to war times & depressions being over however, the less money they have the less likely they’re to make more investments into other things such as creating more offices, and hiring more people to work for their company
Did you know that an astonishing 43.4 percent of the people in America do not pay any income taxes" (McCullagh 1)? This is roughly 65.6 million people that aren't paying taxes and this is putting our economy and country at its breaking point. Our current tax system penalizes those that work and save money. People that pay no taxes still get to enjoy the benefits. The United States needs to look at which tax is fairer to the people and easier to administer by the government. Although some may disagree, the Flat Tax should replace the income tax to simplify and bring fairness to the system, increase income, and create jobs.
We live in a time of uncertainty. One of which is financial uncertainty, which affects all Americans regardless of social economic status. According to the Congressional Budgeting Office the US national debt is on track to being equal 78% of the gross domestic product by the year 2024 (Trumbull). Social Security pay outs have neared a level that will soon be unsustainable without a significant increase in taxes. Corporate taxes are now close to 40%, and considered to be one of the highest tax rates in the world (Stone). Former U.S. representative John E. Linder stated that the corporate tax rate has forced many of our good paying manufacturing jobs to be relocated outside the country in order to stay competitive. Making it difficult for low wage earners to transition up in income and support their families like previous generations. The problem for the American job market could be resolved if it were not for the 15 trillion dollars remaining in off shore financial centers because of the high cost due to taxes when the money is repatriated. In addition to the corporate costs, taxes have driven 2 to 3 trillion dollars into an underground economy where no taxes are paid at all (Linder). Jonathon Gruber wrote in his book Public Finance and Public Policy, that tax evasion is estimated to be $280 billion dollars a year! For those who do pay, the estimated costs for filling out the forms in order to pay the taxes is over $350 billion dollars a year. This is quickly becoming a
“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.
Our current income tax system today is very complex, unfair, inhibits saving, investment and job creation, imposes a heavy burden on families, and weakens the integrity of the democratic process. It can't be fixed and must be replaced. The U.S. income tax code is a long and complex system. The income tax system is so complex; the IRS publishes 480 tax forms and 280 forms to explain the 480 forms. The IRS sends out eight billion pages of forms and instructions each year. The administrative costs of the tax system far exceed those borne directly by the IRS. Each year Americans devote 5.4 billion hours complying with the tax code, which is more time than it takes to build every car, truck, and van produced in the U.S.
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.
Human rights are rights that we deserve including the right to equal wages; gender and ethnic inequality has been an on-going issue in the United States for a very long time. This inequality has been the reason for the Wage Gap which is a violation of everyone’s human rights. Some people believe that the wage gap is just a gender problem but it is not, it is unequal opportunities for racial and gender minorities; in fact some women that are of a certain race are paid significantly less than someone who is only of one minority. The wage gap relates to human rights because it violates the right to standard adequate living and fair wage. The wage gaps existence is soon to be understood through the deplorable conditions of women and racial
Research shows if minimum wage was to climb that it would hurt the least skilled and the least experienced people trying to seek a job the most. There are different of opinions people believe in about the positive and negative aspect of minimum wage. Supporters argue that such a boost will shrink poverty without plummeting jobs and that it will boost confidence, increase the normal living, and cut inequality and have businesses to be well-organized. Opponents that are not for minimum wage say it will increase poverty, unemployment and is not good toward businesses. The question about minimum wage and the effects it would cause if it was to rise, remains one of the most commonly studied topics.
First off, women in America can’t make as much money as the average white male, as stated before. This is an issue for women across the states, and while most people could simply assume that women just tend to pick lower paying jobs, which is only slightly true, women still tend to make less money in ALL jobs and fields compared to men. However, 21% is simply the average wage gap throughout the nation. In certain states, such as Louisiana, the gap is even higher at 35%. Equally important, this gap can increase even more based on their race as well. Compared to white men, black women make 63% of their annual wage. For Pacific Islanders, 62%. For Hispanic women, it’s as low as 54%. On a bigger scale, this means that for every $100 that the average white male makes, the average Spanish woman can only make $54.
In the United States, there is a huge income disparity between the richest ten percent, and bottom ninety percent. The American tax, and political system favors the top 10% while neglecting the middle and working classes, suppressing living wages and exporting jobs overseas. A society where working 40 hours a week will not put food on the table. If the average hardworking American is working endless hours to try and support their families which is just slightly above the poverty line, while groups of 400 individuals, who are heads of the top 500 companies and financial institutions, who if even work, is less than 108 days a year, and are proud owners of 50% of U. S’s entire wealth. This is the reality of the United
If the United States are going to tax people, then they should tax everyone fairly. Corporate welfare can be as close to those, who shouldn't receive food stamps, or people like panhandlers, who pay no taxes for the money they receive. According to Citizens for Tax Justice, “American Fortune 500 corporations are avoiding up to $600 billion in U.S. federal income taxes by holding more than $2.1 trillion” of retained profits offshore, which they identify as “permanently reinvested” to stay away from a tax liability. Millionaires and Billionaires as well regularly pay less in taxes than a middle class American. Huffington Post states that millionaires and billionaires benefit from tax loopholes, deductions, deferrals and other types of accounts. This show’s corruptness and unfairness because the 1 percent continues to profit while the 99 percent pay most of all the taxes. The 99 percent of the people struggle to pay the bills while the 1 percent worries about what sports car they will buy next. In addition, when Wall Street fails, the taxpayers have to pay for their damages. For example, Millions of taxpayers lost their jobs due to the 2008-2009 Wall Street collapse, yet they are unwilling to pay additional taxes to pay for education and healthcare for the people who bailed them out. The United States should eliminate corporate welfare until they agree
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