Someone explain taxes to me

[caninepawprints]

Does he receive benefits from his employer that he has to pay a certain percentage for? I pay into a 401k, life insurance, dental plan, and maybe one or two other things. This takes more than standard taxes out of my paycheck.

[Reeve]

Good luck becoming a success without schools, roads, or basic infrastructure!

Not to mention, police, an independent judiciary, a military, and a social safety net to help avoid massive civil unrest. No, that person would have been a success in Mad Max's world too, I guess.

[jmt]

By in large, the majority of tax money goes back into social programs. So he's not that far off.

The mentality of "They can afford more, so they should have to pay more" can be summed up under the goose that laid the golden egg.

Unfortunately, low income earners in the US are stuck in a pretty vicious cycle. The mindset of day-to-day living is pretty hard to get out of since it would take a long time to do so.

However, I'm not a big fan of lessening the effect of intelligent decisions (ie: taxing those that make more) to soften the consequences of unintelligent decisions (ie: giving that money to low income earners).

It's important to remember that not all low income earners are lazy, just as not all high income earners got their money handed to them.

If reaped a reward similar to countries like Switzerland, then higher taxes wouldn't be unbearable. But, we do not. It's not even close.

[FathomFear]

Yeah, you get taxed more the more you make. 10 years ago, when I wasn't working for much more than minimum wage, I would end up paying around ~$125 in taxes bi-weekly. Now, around $900 is deducted from every paycheck, and the overall % I'm paying has gone up.

---------- Post added 2013-02-04 at 06:21 PM ----------

I am asking about taxes taken from paychecks.

(These numbers are slight estimates and not exact)

So I get paid weekly. In a 30 hour week, making 10.50 an hour, I only get $275 from the $315 I was supposed to make. Around 12% taken out.

My boyfriend who gets paid every two weeks, clocked in 88 hours, 8 of them being overtime, making 10.50 an hour, only gets around $750 of the $950ish he earned. Over 20% is taken out.

Why the huge difference?

Also, with this particular example, the size of the check will often determine the rate at which it is taxed. For example, when I get my yearly bonus check (which usually is between 14-20k) it is taxed a much higher rate than my bi-weekly pay, as the software will usually assume that you're going to be paid at that exact rate for the rest of the year (eg, 14k every two weeks) even though that clearly isn't going to happen.

Depending on where you live and how your employer is set up, you can request to be taxed at a different rate if you genuinely believe you're being over-taxed. You need to be careful about doing that, though, as you could easily get screwed come income tax time and end up needing to pay the government in missed taxes.

[larrakeyah]

and a social safety net to help avoid massive civil unrest.

Mob rule, nice argument there.

[Reeve]

Mob rule, nice argument there.

Historically, that's what has resulted when the poor fall on hard times and there isn't a safety net for them.

[larrakeyah]

Historically, that's what has resulted when the poor fall on hard times and there isn't a safety net for them.

"Hard times", no such thing. There's work for everyone but it takes some effort. The "poor" realise it's much better to resort to extortion. The poor are poor because they want to, expect no pity from me, i evade as much as i can.

[Deleted]

"Hard times", no such thing. There's work for everyone but it takes some effort. The "poor" realise it's much better to resort to extortion. The poor are poor because they want to, expect no pity from me, i evade as much as i can.

Have you ever been poor? Like, properly poor? Where a safety net is required?

[Rhyseh]

"Hard times", no such thing. There's work for everyone but it takes some effort. The "poor" realise it's much better to resort to extortion. The poor are poor because they want to, expect no pity from me, i evade as much as i can.

This is a fairly narrow view of things. There is only sufficient work where there is the infrastructure to support it. Without the government "stealing our moniez" the job market would be unbelievably small. Also I doubt we would have sufficient fresh and waste water infrastructure... Not to mention services such as city cleaning, waste disposal, electricity and telecommunications would probably not exist.

Additionally people should stop looking at welfare as "paying for the poor mans excesses". Welfare stops that poor man from mugging you or holding your children to ransom. Welfare is an effective form of reducing crimes of necessity... Granted the system will be abused, however I would much prefer to have the social parasites abuse the welfare system rather than trying to break into my house while I am at work.

Also I'm pretty sure Mob/Tribal law isn't working too well for a large number of people in Africa.....

OT: As stated tax % increases the more you earn. The tax rates in the US are quite low when compared to most other Western Countries.

[superstarz]

Ok so you get basically get taxed with anything you do in life.
you work - get taxed from your paycheck
drive a car- tax from registration fees
Drink alcohol or smoke ciggarettes - theres a tax on that
Win the lottery- get taxed for it
Open a business - get taxed for it
Sell your home - Capital gains tax
Give away some money over 10000- get taxed for it
theres heaps more but cant think of it right now

and all those taxes are suppose to pay for things like hospitals and roads and schools for your children
but wait a minute those things arent free..
want to drive on the road you pay registration fees and road tolls. want to go into hospital your paying fees
and then you have to pay school fees
so basically your getting screwed out of everything you do and there isnt a damn thing you can do about it.
were slaves basically working for the government
but people like to think we are free when in reality we arent

[shimerra]

but people like to think we are free when in reality we arent

Oh good you've figured it out we're all saved .

Why does it seem the more information that's easily and readily available the less informed people actually are? Could be just me I guess but it sure feels like that sometimes.

[Catta]

Oh good you've figured it out we're all saved .

Why does it seem the more information that's easily and readily available the less informed people actually are? Could be just me I guess but it sure feels like that sometimes.

They are usually just vocal about it.

Better to be silent and thought an idiot than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[superstarz]

Oh good you've figured it out we're all saved .

Why does it seem the more information that's easily and readily available the less informed people actually are? Could be just me I guess but it sure feels like that sometimes.

I created a thread about this a while ago about how we are all slaves to the government and people went on there to flame me but they dont understand we arent free.
All they said was if you dont like this society just leave.
And i say where do i go? everywhere i go is controlled by a government or a leader. There is nowhere on this earth that you can just go live without paying anything to the leaders.
We are basically born into slavery of working. Governments just give people fancy tvs cars and let them make some choices to let them think they are free when in reality your not.
because the second you don't do as they say then they cut you from society from everything.
Its like if you don't pay fines you get your lisence cancelled and if you still drive you get thrown in jail, but wait a minute if im free why cant i drive??? people dont understand that

[Reeve]

Oh good you've figured it out we're all saved .

Why does it seem the more information that's easily and readily available the less informed people actually are? Could be just me I guess but it sure feels like that sometimes.

I know, right? We're all slaves completely free to leave the country if we want to, start up new businesses, marry who we please (almost all of us), etc. Sometimes I think some people just feel the need to be persecuted, so they create their own persecution scenarios.

[Catta]

I created a thread about this a while ago about how we are all slaves to the government and people went on there to flame me but they dont understand we arent free.
All they said was if you dont like this society just leave.
And i say where do i go? everywhere i go is controlled by a government or a leader. There is nowhere on this earth that you can just go live without paying anything to the leaders.
We are basically born into slavery of working. Governments just give people fancy tvs cars and let them make some choices to let them think they are free when in reality your not.
because the second you don't do as they say then they cut you from society from everything.
Its like if you don't pay fines you get your lisence cancelled and if you still drive you get thrown in jail, but wait a minute if im free why cant i drive??? people dont understand that

Did we mention that WE are the government? The only person we are slaves to are ourselves.

[Reeve]

I created a thread about this a while ago about how we are all slaves to the government and people went on there to flame me but they dont understand we arent free.
All they said was if you dont like this society just leave.
And i say where do i go? everywhere i go is controlled by a government or a leader. There is nowhere on this earth that you can just go live without paying anything to the leaders.
We are basically born into slavery of working. Governments just give people fancy tvs cars and let them make some choices to let them think they are free when in reality your not.
because the second you don't do as they say then they cut you from society from everything.
Its like if you don't pay fines you get your lisence cancelled and if you still drive you get thrown in jail, but wait a minute if im free why cant i drive??? people dont understand that

You're one of those people. OK. There's a reason almost everywhere in the world has government. Because it's good for humanity, and we don't do very well in the absence of government. But if you're really desirous of living on your own with no government intervention, you could always take to International Waters, or go to parts of Somalia, or the deep rainforest in parts of Brazil.

[neanoa]

"Hard times", no such thing. There's work for everyone but it takes some effort. The "poor" realise it's much better to resort to extortion. The poor are poor because they want to, expect no pity from me, i evade as much as i can.

I really hope you get so poor, sick and physicly unable one day that you can't work, and hopefully the people around you will have the same egocentric opinion, lack the same amount of empathy as you and want nothing to do with you.

Perhaps then you'd change your tune.

To put everyone who needs help into the box of "mt dew" chugging moochers is ignorant and disgusting.

[Roveredo]

...or the deep rainforest in parts of Brazil.

Dont try that. The local greedy indians or illegal prospecters wouldnt allow it.

[Drungan]

Last year i payed 53% in Tax ...... Yeah Denmark rocks, but i do like it here and pay it with a smile ( almost always )

[shimerra]

I created a thread about this a while ago about how we are all slaves to the government and people went on there to flame me but they dont understand we arent free.
All they said was if you dont like this society just leave.
And i say where do i go? everywhere i go is controlled by a government or a leader. There is nowhere on this earth that you can just go live without paying anything to the leaders.
We are basically born into slavery of working. Governments just give people fancy tvs cars and let them make some choices to let them think they are free when in reality your not.
because the second you don't do as they say then they cut you from society from everything.
Its like if you don't pay fines you get your lisence cancelled and if you still drive you get thrown in jail, but wait a minute if im free why cant i drive??? people dont understand that

Which is not entirely dissimilar from how it used to be. If you didn't work in the good old days without all this guberment you died, and most of the time a lot faster and from a lot more things. All that's changed is the work we do and our odds of survival.

Your visions of freedom without government are a delusion and anarcho-capitalists, which is what your words remind me of, are some of the most childishly ignorant people of them all. Most insufferable is that they seem to think they've discovered something unnoticed by the rest of us. You seem to be under the illusion that those are your roads, they're not. Can I go shit in your bed while you're still in it? According to you I should be able to but I think both of us can agree that wouldn't be best. Quit treating absolute freedom like it's a good or desirable thing.