Taxes are out of control

[cameronmclain]

I just visited my "tax professional" today. You don't really realize it as the year goes by, but when you see on paper how much money they TAKE out of what YOU earned, it really puts it in perspective.

Here's an example: (from the Married Filing Jointly bracket)

Income $Base Tax+ at least:

0-14,600$ 0 10%
14,600-59,400 $1,460 15%
59,400-119,950 $8,180 25%
119,950-182,800$23,31728%
182,800-326,450 $40,915 33%
326,450- ? $88,320 35%



Examplerandomlyselected number)
If you make $217,000 per year, they take at least $41,000, plus 33% of whatever you made over 182,800, (which is 11,286). Thatmeans they take$52,286!!!
FIFTY TWO THOUSAND, TWO HUNDRED EIGHTY SIX DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is a crapload of money. That is "rape" if you ask me. I'm not even going to figure if you make $400,000 a year- I'msure I wouldn't be able to fathom.



I don't know about you, but this is unbelievable to me. They just took me for a crapload of money- money that I earned and could've used for sending my kids to college, taking my wife to Europe, paying for my mom's medicine, whatever I wanted to do with it. Instead, you have a putz in a suit in Washington who thinks he knows better than me what he should do with my money. So he's pi**ing it away on welfare programs and illegal aliens- and giving himself thousands in raises every year. And who knows what else. It wouldn't bother me so much ifthey would give me a printout of where MY money is going. At least I would know I was getting screwed for a reason.



Sorry about the rant, just wanted to show this Bracket example to everyone. I guess that's the price we pay for living in a "free" country. ButI don't think we should feel like we just got screwed, do you?

[kevin1]

If you know a way to voluntarily withdraw from this system then I'm listening , but consider the alternative .

[cameronmclain]

kevin- very true. I'm not saying I would rather live anywhere else. Just pointing out how much is taken.

A man in my family complains every year about having to pay taxes, and Ialways tellhim "If you don't want to pay taxes move to another country", but of course that's not the problem. I agree that it takes money to run a nation, and thepeople of that nation are the only placeto get it. But the more and more I learn about gov'twaste, the more I wonder what they're doing with our money.

[kevin1]

Believe it or not , we actually have some of the lowest tax rates on earth .
Think about what you would have to give up too , no SSI , few if any social programs .

[Charley]

Yeah, we would give up a lot. No Salmon painted on Alaska Airlines aircraft with Federal dollars, no $50,000,000 bridge to serve a community of a few hundred people, no paving a parking lot for a religeous university (here in my town!) no money for goofy stuff like mariachi programs for public schools (Nevada) or film festivals for Rochester, New York.

I certainly don't mind paying my taxes, I'm proud to do it. I DO mind my money being constantly pissed away by congress buying itself votes.

[hillbillyhunter1]

Plus Cameron, You're basing all that on taxable income, which is not the same as gross income. You've already got to subtract your deductions and exemptions plus misc stuff like moving expenses and student loan interestfrom your gross before those calculations are applied. Then even after the tax you owe is figured there are different credits to offset the tax itself based on qualifications.

The tax burden is heavy for middle class and if you're a working person with no mortgage interest to deduct and no children, then options are limited.

[Alsatian]

I have some "views" on this subject. I pay a lot of taxes.

I get a lot for my taxes. I live in a good suburb with good schools. Despite all the brouhaha about poor public schools, my kids's schools are very good. They are DEFINITELY getting a better education than I did when I attended a school in a rural community of 1,000 souls when I was in school 1962-1974 (roughly). And I think it is a good quality education not merely with reference to my education, which might have sucked and be a poor and inadequate standard. [Note that a large factor in the quality of their education is my parental involvement in their education. I insist that they take all the Pre-AP {advanced classes} classes which the cut-ups and undisciplined students do not participate in, therefore the teacher can move faster and cover topics more rigorously. Also, I make it bloody clear to my kids what my expecations of their achivements are and I am not flexible about it.] So my substantial property taxes go to good effect. I drive a lot on the highways and the highways are pretty darned good. I drive once a year from Texas to Illinois and back at Christmas -- lots of concrete under government maintenance on that 900 mile route. I find myself driving out of Texas to places like Wyoming and Colorado more often for family vacations and hunting trips lately. Start totting up all the things my tax dollars pay for and I get a lot.

Yes, there are inefficiencies in how my tax dollars are spent. On the other hand, there are lots of inefficiencies in how money is spent in my household. I took three frozen pizzas out of the freezer two weeks ago to retrieve some game meat, failed to put the pizzas back in the freezer, found the pizzas several days later. Pizzas went in the trash. We throw away a considerable amount of food in the form of left overs. Sometimes the kids turn the air conditioner down too far (why they have to dial it down to 65 degrees instead of 72 degrees when they come home from school and it is hot I don't understand). I can give other examples. Even after acknowledging my family's inefficiencies, however, I'll grant that the government is probably less efficient. Well, that is the nature of government.

I am less concerned with the money they take from me than how the money is distributed. Education is important to me, so seeing a bigger slice go to education and less to welfare programs and do-gooder programs would suit me best. Put the money into colleges or make it easier for modest income families to send their kids to college. I am also concerned that the government not be identified as responsible for everyone. Bad things happen. That is life. It isn't the US government's responsibility or mission to "make it better." A hurricane comes. Why is it the US government's responsibility to fix that? Damn it, don't live where the hurricanes are going to strike or live with the consequences of your decision! Don't build where the avalanche's are going to crash down the mountainside or live with the consequences! It is a no brainer as far as I'm concerned. I'm not going to go live on the coast in hurricane territory or in the path of avalanches.

[Kybuckhunter]

You think they are bad now wait until the democrats are back in the White house

[cameronmclain]

I know! I can hardly contain my excitement (being sarcastic).

I think everyone is getting the idea that I don't want to pay taxes. I don't feel that way at all- I was merely pointing out how much we are required to pay, and without knowing where it is going. Also pointing out how the tax rate grows exponentially in comparison to how much you make. I'm just as happy to contribute as the next guy, what I don't like is Congress ineffeciently blowing hundreds of millions of dollars (our money) on things that aren't reported to us or we may/may not approve of.

[cameronmclain]

I should have named my post "SPENDING is out of control, not taxes are out of control"