Why does GOP want to protect tax cheats?
Riddle me this, Batman:
If it’s pointed out that a family of four making $40,000 a year pays no federal income taxes, many conservatives tend to get upset that the family isn’t paying their fair share like the rest of us.
On the other hand, if it’s pointed out that a multi-millionaire or billionaire pays no federal income tax, the reaction is to applaud his or her accountant for successfully cheating the government.
If a corporation is reported to have avoided paying corporate taxes, the reaction is again applause, under the thesis that corporations shouldn’t have to pay taxes anyway.
But if that corporation in question is General Electric, its ability to pay little or no taxes is cited as an outrageous scandal that must be addressed and investigated. (By the way, the company just announced a 77 percent increase in first quarter profits.)
And of course, as part of its demands to end the budget standoff earlier this month, the GOP demanded and got $600 million in cuts from the IRS budget. As John Berry in the Fiscal Times noted in March:
IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told a House subcommittee last week that such a budget cut over just six months likely would reduce federal revenues by $4 billion. The IRS “would need to make substantial cuts to its enforcement programs,” he said.
In other words, cut spending by $600 million, lose $4 billion in revenue and add $3.4 billion to the deficit
Of course, that’s $3.4 billion in revenue over six months that the government is already owed, under existing tax law. The GOP is in effect protecting criminals, pulling cops off the beat to ensure that those breaking the law are not caught. And remember, the money not paid by scofflaws must be paid by somebody else. Back in 2001, the most recent year for which estimates are available, almost $300 billion in taxes owed went uncollected.
But again, if the people owing those taxes are poor or middle class, that is presumably a scandal. If the people owing those taxes are affluent business people, they are heroic Americans.
At least, if I understand these things correctly …
– Jay Bookman
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417 comments Add your comment
Common Sense
April 22nd, 2011
9:40 am
The tax code is engineered so that in the end, everyone can be caught “cheating” on their taxes. Just ask the Treasurer of the United States.
Thousands of pages of tax code, designed so that they can put you through the wringer at the time of their choosing. A great weapon for public terrorism. Toe the line, or else.
Fix-It
April 22nd, 2011
9:46 am
Geithner, Schumer, slobbering Barney shall we keep going…… tell why if you or me did not pay taxes for years, to the tune of millions, with the excuse of coops, or had several hundred pot plants growing in the basement, and the claim of “I did not know” and all walk without a scratch. See if that works for you, I doubt it will, unless you are a big campaign donor or Obozo friend…Let’s see what happens if a white man stand outside of a African American voting area in army fatigues, do you think Holder would pursue that case… GE paying NO taxes on 14 billion profits, but the GOP is out for big business and killing old people and babies, you liberals are a very funny bunch. Please take off the blinders, wake up liberals, smell the Kool-Aid, I mean coffee…
FairTax.org would stall ALL of this tax bull$hit so why is the left so opposed to getting rid of the 80,000 pages of tax code?
USMC
April 22nd, 2011
9:47 am
The Atlanta Public Schools have a long way to go, but at least people are starting to wake up, shed light on the system as a whole, and start addressing the problems.
Did anyone else see the heinous HATE crime caught on film? Unbelievable:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ec0_1303444048
USMC
April 22nd, 2011
9:51 am
“FairTax.org would stall ALL of this tax bull$hit so why is the left so opposed to getting rid of the 80,000 pages of tax code?”
Because the Left wants CONTROL. They want to mete out FAIRNESS as they see it, and they careless about logic and fiscal soundness.
The Left cares about buying votes and controlling productive people and their money.
killerj
April 22nd, 2011
10:08 am
Why ask why jay,you know the reason just like the rest of us,greed and power is a way of life in our government. Go Tea Party.
zeke
April 22nd, 2011
10:35 am
THE SOLUTION TO THE LIES STATED ABOVE, THE FAIR TAX! EVERYONE WILL PAY THE TAX. BILLIONAIRES, MILLIONAIRES, MIDDLE INCOME, LOW INCOME WILL ALL PAY THE TAX BASED ON THE AMOUNT THEY SPEND! THE IRS CAN BE REDUCED BY 90% OR MORE. Trust fund millionaires like Kennedy, Rockefeller Hearst, as well as, the dot com millionaires like Dell, Gates, Ellison and so forth will pay the tax. ALL WILL PAY THE TAX. The only reason for the irs to exist under that system is only to verify who is eligible for social security, medicare, unemployment, etc. If your salary or pay is $ 1000 per week, YOUR CHECK WILL BE $ 1000 EVERY WEEK, NOT $550 OR $600 AFTER ALL THE STUPID SOCIAL PROGRAM TAXES AND INCOME TAXES! If Bill Gates or Tiger Woods buys a $ 100 million jet, THEY WILL PAY THE SAME PERCENTAGE TAX FOR IT! Best, equitable, FAIR way to do it! But, get one thing straight, NO TAX IS A GOOD TAX, EVER!
Why does GOP want to protect tax cheats? | Jay Bookman – Slinking Toward Retirement
April 22nd, 2011
10:44 am
[...] Why does GOP want to protect tax cheats? | Jay Bookman. Posted in Opinion – Tagged Budget, Corporation, course, federal income tax, federal income taxes, federal revenues, fiscal times, General, GOP, hand, house subcommittee, income, irs budget, irs commissioner, Jay Bookman, outrageous scandal, quarter profits, reaction, Scandal, share, way SHARE THIS Twitter Facebook Delicious StumbleUpon E-mail « APNewsBreak: Mont. wants $56M from ex-billionaire – AP News Wire, Associated Press News – Salon.com No Comments Yet [...]
Corey
April 22nd, 2011
11:00 am
“Taxes are the price we pay for civilization.” Who said that? Anybody care to respond?
jm
April 22nd, 2011
11:40 am
politics……..
Tell the truth
April 22nd, 2011
6:36 pm
Brent What you meant was- “I don’t want to pay my taxes. We good little Republicans want to have a sales tax so the poor and elderly will have to pay more while our richest brethren pay less and less. After all, everyone knows that if the rich pay less in taxes then they will use that extra money to hire more of the unemployed!! Pretty soon there will be no unemployment. Errr wait- strike that last one. I forgot.
Tell the truth
April 22nd, 2011
6:46 pm
Let’s just go ahead and bite the bullet and cut all income taxes on those earning over a million dollars. That way they will use those extra dollars to hire the unemployed and solve the employment problem.
Isn’t compassionate conservatism a wonderful thing???
B
April 22nd, 2011
9:27 pm
Jay – The GOP doesn’t want to protect tax cheats.
2dogs2
April 24th, 2011
9:04 am
The problem with us rich folk is that we are tired of working our rears off, investing our money and providing others jobs and yet instead of gratitude for our work, we are faced with the we want more crowd. I pay my share and more every year and every day in some form of taxation on the products and services I use and produce.
It is true that I use every means possible to shelter and keep as much of my money as possible and I will continue to do so, guilt free until we have a flat tax or some other tax code where everyone pays in proportion to the income they make and the money they spend. I have watched for over fifty years of my life how the federal, state and county governments have wasted billions of dollars on feel good projects and policies that have only produced a generation and culture of entitlement oriented individuals and a country overtaken by illegals.
The question I always ask is if the rich/wealthy are hated so much why is it everyones goal to become rich/wealthy/well off? How many kids profess to have the goal of growing up poor, living off of my tax dollars. If being wealthy is such a sin why are the stores so full of eager lottery ticket buyers?
When I get tired enough or taxed enough or tired of working 16 hour days to generate my wealth I am simply going to take my toys and go home to a well earned retirement. Those 31 employees who gripe so loudly about having to work so hard 8 hours a day and only 2 weeks of vacation can spend more quality time at home and making new friends in the unemployment line.
Hello Costa Rica!!
Bob
April 25th, 2011
2:39 pm
I don’t know either Jay. I guess the neo-cons think that the more money you earn the more you are worth. I guess those in the military, police, fire, and EMS aren’t worth much to these neo-cons, right? I can only guess because I know better. A single cop is worth more to me than any single baseball player.
Joe Mama
April 25th, 2011
4:41 pm
@@ — “I’m not in the habit of repeating myself. I leave that to folks like AmVet, who does it so often, it’s become monotonous.”
You weren’t asked to repeat yourself. You were asked to *explain* yourself. Kindly pay closer attention.
“You were on the previous thread with long-winded posts that were centered on racism.”
Sorry, neither. What you call “long-winded,” I call complete and comprehensive. Perhaps the big words and complex ideas make your head hurt?
Furthermore, I asked you to explain your charges of racism and bigotry; predictably, you did not.
“I came in with a piece regarding school choice, adding to that I submitted an article where Hispanic and Black leaders were calling for school choice.”
You dishonestly mischaracterized your position as supportive of “school choice,” which I pointed out is actually ’subsidized school choice’ in your usage. As I have said on these blogs several times, and as I shall say to you again, you already *have* school choice today. What you do not have — and what you appear to be pressing for — is *subsidized* school choice, a new entitlement.
Who knew a conservative like @@ would be in favor of new and expanded entitlement programs?
“You brought up subsidies.”
No, *you* did. You’re actually asking for *subsidized* school choice; you just don’t *say* the word *subsidized.* If school choice was all you were after, you could take advantage of it today, with no action required for government or school authorities. But that’s *not* all you’re about, and so you continue to bellyache about it.
“Actually, the money is already being paid in. If it’s a failing school from which the minority children aren’t benefiting, they should have the choice of taking that money elsewhere.”
They already have the choice of going to another school, or homeschooling if the parents would prefer. There’s your school choice right there.
“It would be the parents who make up the difference in cost. It’ll serve the children and society as a whole in the long term.”
Sounds like a great entitlement for middle- and upper-class parents who have the means to make up that difference. The poor parents, about whom you claim to care, not so much. So much for your faux altruism, @@.
“Share “the love”, or at the very least, let it follow the child.”
The love’s already shared. That’s what the free public education is about. But, just like food stamps, section 8 housing and public transportation, you don’t get to choose the form that the public assistance will take.
You don’t get to take your free public education’s value over to Pace Academy and demand your kid get taught.
You don’t get to take your WIC or food stamps to Ruth’s Chris and trade them in for a steak.
You don’t get to take your Section 8 authorization over to a Buckhead condo and demand the keys.
And you don’t get to turn in Breeze cards and unused MARTA tokens for a used car.
“I would say you’re a cold-hearted Republican but we’re for school choice.”
No, you’re for *subsidized* school choice and entitlements. And you’re not cold-hearted, but you are dishonest and evasive about it.
“And besides, I already know from your little drama earlier than you’re a “disheartened” Rep turned Dem.”
Yep. And you’re doing *such* a great job of winning me back. (laughing)
“Oh whoa is you!!!! My heart was breaking.”
I bet your heart really *was* breaking on those November nights in 2006 and 2008. (laughing)
Joe Mama
April 25th, 2011
4:42 pm
@@ — “What kinda name is Joe Mama anyway? Is it like YO’ MAMA!!!”
Well look who *just* caught on.
(laughing, pointing)
Joe Mama
April 25th, 2011
4:55 pm
2dogs2 — “The problem with us rich folk is that we are tired of working our rears off, investing our money and providing others jobs and yet instead of gratitude for our work, we are faced with the we want more crowd.”
In many cases over the last 10-20 years, rich folks’ financial behaviors *do not* provide others jobs, and so tax breaks for such individuals end up having the effect of incentivizing wealth accumulation, NOT job creation.
I’d have no problem whatsoever incentivizing *direct* job creation through the tax code, but I do have a problem with incentivizing wealth accumulation or simple investment through it. Build and invest in a business (I don’t care if it’s a lawn service, a Subway franchise or the dress shop you set your ex-wife up in), and I’ll completely get behind tax incentives for you AFTER the jobs get created and stick around for at least a year.
But I’m not interested in giving you a tax break because you threw five or six figures at your equities account to invest in P&G or B of A. If y’all’s investment activities were *actually* creating jobs for Americans, I’d feel differently, but manifestly, they are not. So kindly direct more of that money at the EXPLICIT creation of jobs, and not at the IMPLICIT creation of them, such as the hey-i-invested-in-the-stock-market-now-where’s-my-cookie sort.