Actually, taxes aren’t bad, it’s the people that spend them like they are a bottomless resource.

But SS and Medicare taxes are not like any other taxes collected by the federal gov’t. This is most readily evidenced by the entire ‘lockbox’ mentality, that SS and Medicare taxes should only go to fund SS and Medicare. These systems are supposed to be self-sufficient, and at least with SS, the returns one receives are calculated by the amount that one was taxed.

The result is that by their very nature, these taxes cannot be progressive. Medicare is a flat tax, and already is plundering high income-earners who could not possibly reap enough medical bills to exceed their Medicare taxes. And with SS, every step that is taken towards raising the taxable maximum or making the tax progressive is to turn a purpotedly old-age insurance plan into a straightforward rich-to-poor income redistribution scheme.

If you want to argue that sin taxes and the like should be taken into consideration along with income taxes, fine. But payroll taxes are a whole different creature, and have no business being lumped with other taxes for the sake of tax burden comparisons.

Second, it’s misleading to focus on the individual federal income tax, which is quite progressive. If you look (again, in the CBO data) at *all* federal taxes, it looks much less uneven, and when you factor in state and local taxes, the net result is practically a flat tax.

Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
Capital Gains Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Court Fines – (indirect taxes)
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax – (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel permit tax
Gasoline Tax – (42 cents per gallon)
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax Interest expense – (tax on the money)
Inventory tax IRS Interest Charges – (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties – (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Local Income Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Septic Permit Tax
Service Charge Taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Taxes – (Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Road Toll Booth Taxes
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax – (SUTA)
Telephone federal excise tax
Telephone federal universal service fee tax
Telephone federal, state and local surcharge taxes
Telephone minimum usage surcharge tax
Telephone recurring and non-recurring charges tax
Telephone State and local tax
Telephone usage charge tax
Toll Bridge Taxes
Toll Tunnel Taxes
Traffic Fines – (indirect taxation)
Trailer registration tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax

Scary ….

http://www.snopes.com/politics/quotes/tyler.asp

I think that it is fair that those 40% who don’t pay taxes or actually get $$$ should not be allowed to vote.

In related news, I see that Jesse Ventura is contemplating an unaffilitated run for president in 2008. One of his top priorities would be throwing out the income tax in favor of a national sales tax. (He would also rival Clinton for being on the receiving end of the most late night talk show jokes. :)

I wonder, and this is simple curiosity and not an incitement to criminal action, what would happen if only 1%, say about 1,250,000 people, just didn’t file.

Would it be called a revolt? Maybe if only 2%, 2.5 million, just said “F&%k it, I ain’t filin’,” would it be considered an insurrection?

What could the gubmint do?

As well, I wonder how it would be possible to mount such an effort, should somebody want to risk the undoubtedly harsh criminl penalties for such abetting, which is why this isn’t that but simple questions involving hypothetical situations. Really.

Meek