Americans will spend more on taxes than food/shelter/clothing combined

[Citizen T]

When a government takes more than than people require for their basic needs then something is wrong.





Tax Freedom day is 3 days later than last year. Tax Freedom Day

[Arewn]

*waits for someone to explain the biases of this contextually insensitive graph*

[Airwaves]

How you do think you fund your ridiculous military?

[Holtzmann]

Quick question: does that graph represent only taxes paid by the population of the US, or the entirety of US income (including industry, commerce and so on)? Because I'm fairly sure even companies with tax breaks pay more taxes than large swathes of people earn every month.

[Zdrasti]

When a government takes more than than people require for their basic needs then something is wrong.





Tax Freedom day is 3 days later than last year. Tax Freedom Day

I pay a whole hell of a lot more for housing than I do for taxes, possibly more than taxes + food combined. If this statistic is true, then I'd imagine it's true because of the taxes paid by rich people. The main point here is that once you get wealthy, you have a hard time spending all of your money. So if anything, forcing that money back into circulation through taxes is better for the economy.

[BLCalliente]

I feel ok about this.

[BLCalliente]

I pay a whole hell of a lot more for housing than I do for taxes, possibly more than taxes + food combined. If this statistic is true, then I'd imagine it's true because of the taxes paid by rich people. The main point here is that once you get wealthy, you have a hard time spending all of your money. So if anything, forcing that money back into circulation through taxes is better for the economy.

Ding ding ding! Winner!

[Bisso]

Im not from the US, but basic math tell me rich people pay more taxes than poor people, while rich people don't spend as much on housing than average or poor people. So yes, it's biased, by alot. If this graph was targeted only to families of $80k to $120k a year, then you would have a point.

[Airwaves]

Taxes go to fund some of our basic needs, such as infrastructure.

And healthcare... Oh wait America still hasn't caught up to the rest of the first world. Can fund the most expensive military in the world but can't save the poor.

[Wildtree]

taxfoundation.org.

conservative power house...


http://www.taxanalysts.com/www/featu...2?OpenDocument

[ghotihook]

I know that not even close to true for me. My housing + food is at least double what I pay in taxes probably pretty close to triple.

[Reeve]

I pay $1400/month for housing (small 1 bedroom apartment), around $250/month for food (not counting restaurants), and $1,686.48 per month in income tax. I don't really know how much I pay in other taxes. So yeah, from a middle class person's perspective, sounds possible.

It also doesn't feel like much hardship to fund civilization. I've been to countries with low taxes or where people didn't pay their taxes. They weren't nice places.

[Dezerte]

I guess you could always turn the US into a backwater-hole, making the US very cheap to run but pretty much the worst country in the world at the same time.

Or, you could raise your taxes and continue being the powerhouse you are, and hell, even reclaim the "golden age" you once had.

[chazus]

Here's the funny thing.
A person who makes $40,000 will probably eat about the same amount of food as a person who makes ten, or a hundred times that. Maybe double. But I mean.. we're talking about a few hundred a month.

A person who makes $40,000 will probably pay a lot less (or get a refund) in taxes than a people who make a ton. So yes, if you averaged "americans" with the incredibly rich, I'm sure "they" do pay more taxes. That's why graphs and ideas like this are staggeringly misleading.

[Wildtree]

Im not from the US, but basic math tell me rich people pay more taxes than poor people, while rich people don't spend as much on housing than average or poor people. So yes, it's biased, by alot. If this graph was targeted only to families of $80k to $120k a year, then you would have a point.

Hold your horses my friend...
What exactly actually is considered "paying on housing"?

Rent? I think so
Mortgage? I would think so
Property tax? I would think so..
But.... Is property tax listed in the housing expenses or on the side of state/local taxes?
Plus.. Those property taxes.. they don't go away when you are rich. They depend on the territorial value, and property value. With that said, and in all fairness, there are rich people that pay more property taxes a year than other people's homes cost. Not saying that it makes them poor and one has to feel sorry for them. Just saying that rich people don't pay less for housing than poorer people. It just affects them a lot less.

[mvaliz]

I do not spend over 20k on taxes per year. Sorry, that's ridiculous...

[chazus]

$1,686.48 per month in income tax.

$1600 a month in taxes? So you make like $7,000 a month, and ~$85,000 a year? I would hardly call that 'middle class'

[Frozenbeef]

Does this graph even need to be explained? Please tell me that everyone understands why it's merely an attempt to mislead people.

I've basically just come to the conclusion that all specific party focused websites are complete and utter hog wash <3

btw what is hog wash?...

[Wildtree]

I pay $1400/month for housing (small 1 bedroom apartment), around $250/month for food (not counting restaurants)

$250.00 sounds awfully low. Might wanna include your restaurant expenses to be a bit closer.
We're a 2 adults and 2 dogs (they need things too) household, and we spend about $750 - $850 a month. For which the dogs count around $50.00. The rest is us.

[Reeve]

$1600 a month in taxes? So you make like $7,000 a month, and ~$85,000 a year? I would hardly call that 'middle class'

Why isn't $80-85k/year middle class? That's pretty solidly middle class around here. It's not lower middle class or upper middle class, but right about in the middle of that.