Tax hikes on the rich “negligible” for growth on the economy
Washington- A recent report was re released after Republicans tried to claim that tax hikes on the wealthy would be detrimental to growth in the economy. The report states that revoking the Bush era tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans will have a “negligible” impact on the economy. The report also states that the the Bush Era tax cuts did very little to help spur the growth of the economy. The report also stated that the Bush Era tax cuts helped fuel the income inequality among income classes.
“Analysis of such data conducted for this report suggests the reduction in the top tax rates has had little association with saving, investment, or productivity growth,” the study says. “It is reasonable to assume that a tax rate change limited to a small group of taxpayers at the top of the income distribution would have a negligible effect on economic growth.”
The study takes into account tax rates and economic growth that dates back to the world war 2 era. Needless to say Democrats pounced on the opportunity to prove to Republicans that tax cut for the wealthy don’t necessarily equate to growth and that the top two percent of earners should go back to Clinton Era tax rates when growth was substantial. Republicans, as they always seem to, complain and swear that raising taxes on the wealthy will only bring gloom and doom for the US economy.
“What this report demonstrates is at the core of the debate we’re having right now,” said Maryland Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, adding that it “put a stake in the heart of the Republican argument that small increases in marginal tax rates for wealthy individuals somehow hurt economic growth.” He also noted that during the Clinton years with tax hikes the US economy was doing a lot better off than when Bush introduced his tax cuts.
“What this CRS report does is take away the last little fig leaf that [Republicans] had to justify big tax cuts for very wealthy individuals,” Van Hollen said.
“Republicans have simply failed to face up to the reality,” said Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. “I hope that this CRS report will add further impetus to the speaker to sit down with Republicans, because when I’ve talked to a few of them, I don’t think they’ve had this discussion.”
Republican lawmakers claim that the report was written by a left wing study group and that its findings are biased and therefore fallacious.
This is a continuing trend with Republicans denying the facts when they stare them point blankly in the face. Maybe this report will be the wake up call needed to raise taxes on the top 2 percent.
Categories: Federal Tax, Income Tax, Tax Law Tags: federal income tax, federal tax, fiscal cliff, income tax, republican, Republican Tax, Repulbican Tax, tax code, tax pledge, tax reform, tax the rich
Companies avert paying taxes AGAIN before their taxes go up
The wealthy are scrambling to take advantage of the current tax code by exploiting the system in mass numbers and driving profits into their pockets before the tax hikes on the rich Obama wants go into effect.
Countless companies including Costco and the Las Vegas Sands have declared what they call “special dividends’ to liquidate tax free capital. This amounts to over $20 billion dollars in this last quarter alone. Other firms are shelling out bonuses, commissions, and dividends early before the wealth bombshell is to be dropped on the wealthiest few.
“We’re going to have a big jump in household income in the fourth quarter” said Crandall. “It’s going to be in excess of $50 billion.”
A majority of this scrambling is occurring in the uppermost crust of the elite. The 2% of the wealthiest Americans will be the benefits of this early cashout. President Barack Obama wants to target these wealthiest of individuals to help solve the fiscal crisis that lies before us by raising their rates.
Of interest in 2009 52% of the 124 billion dividends reported by federal government went to this 2% according to the IRS. A definite symbol of how backwards our world has become with income inequality.
This statistic alone proves just how unequal income distribution really is as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The wealth has shifted from labor income to capital income, an income with yields the benefit of lower taxes
How will this increase in taxes effect us in the long run? The rich typically save rather than spend so it is a good indication that a tax increase won’t hurt the economy by too much. It is about time that the wealthy began paying their fair share of this American Dream rather than being the gold tipped parasites that they are.
Categories: Federal Tax, Income Tax, Tax Law Tags: avoiding taxes, corporate tax, federal income tax, federal tax, federal tax fraud, income tax, tax code, tax court, tax evasion, tax fraud, tax law, tax reform
Reinvent the Tax Code
With the fiscal cliff looming and tax hikes on the inevitable rise it would seem that the most rational solution would be to revise the tax code rather than raise taxes. Now policymakers are trying to decide on whether or not they should extend 100% of the tax cuts or only 98% for a majority of Americans.
As a result of the fall elections President Obama has been insistent that we should raise taxes on the wealthiest of the American population, or those making $250,000 dollars a year or more. Republicans are completely soured by the idea of breaking their precious “no new tax” pledge to Grover Norquist. Republicans are stuck on the idea that if the wealthy pay a dime more in taxes then they have to they will stall the economy, lay off their employees, and screw the American people over in any way they can. They insist that taking away entitlements from the middle class and poor is the only way to fix this mess…even though the rich pay lower taxes than the middle class and poor and could easily afford it.
Nobody, I mean nobody, Republican or Democrat, is talking about reforming the tax code to make it fairer to the population. I mean a lot of the wealthy exploit loopholes in taxes to negate paying their fair share. This would only seem fair as the tax code is rigged so that only the very wealthiest can take full advantage of the loopholes.
Tax reform is a great option. But with a tax serviced based economy and the entire branch of the IRS being dependent on a complex tax code
Is this the right approach?
There was an attempt to fix all of these loopholes and deductions by implementing the 1986 Tax Reform Act. This act was passed in good faith but it didn’t work. Eventually the tax loopholes and deductions slowly crept in as lobbyists made their way to Capital Hill.
So what if we fixed the tax code by closing loopholes and eliminating deductions we could lower tax rates on the different income brackets. Also we would have a simpler tax code that will make taxes easier to understand and simpler to pay. Also this may encourage businesses to engage in better corporate behavior as they won’t have an incentive to exploit the tax code for their own gain. This will also lead to an overall sense of fairness amongst all individuals.
Wouldn’t this simple solution bypass all of the nagging and stonewalling in congress and make everything a bit easier for all of us? I sure would enjoy it. Wouldn’t you?
Categories: Federal Tax, Income Tax, Tax Law Tags: federal income tax, federal tax, fiscal cliff, income tax, tax code, tax law, tax reform