Taxes and a rigged system

[Eagle11]

I wanted to simply pose a question and get some honest, constructive feedback and dialogue. I do not want .....Trump is a nazi, Trump is a russian asset etc.

I am a conservative socially and fiscally. I don't live on this forum but I come in, read and comment sometimes.

In the debate with Hillary Mr. Trump stated "Not paying taxes makes him smart". "If you want me to pay taxes, change the tax code". This is not just Trump, many people on both sides of the aisle take advantage of this. (Soros, Buffett, Bezos, Gates etc...)

I have argued this for years. Many on the left want to raise the percent the ultra wealthy are taxed at but if the CODE is not changed it will not matter. It will only be us paying a higher percentage.

I say all that to ask this..... What has to happen to change the 6,871 page tax code? I am a believer that you should be able to file your taxes on a 3"x5" card. I have friends from other countries that have relocated to Thailand because they just pay 10%. It is easy, I made 200K here is your 20K I am done.

 

[CardinalBacker]

The tax code is a joke… both sides use tax policies that appeal to their voters and keep them in power.  That’s it, period. 
 

Whether you’re promising to give unsustainable handouts or instead promise to give unsustainable tax breaks, it’s just promising gifts to gain votes and it works. 
 

A progressive tax system is fair and moral in my mind, but when I pay more federal income taxes than Donald Trump and Elon Musk COMBINED, something is wrong with our system.  
 

DOGE is claiming to have saved 55 billion dollars, but the bill passed today will add 4.5 Trillion to our debt by way of unsustainable tax cuts. In other words, drop the zeroes and they’re justifying $4500 with of deficit spending because they’re saving $55…. And plan on sending everybody a $5000 (real money) check to celebrate their hard work. 
 

Our tax code is a joke. 

[HuntersLaptop2028]

Most rational people agree that tax code should be simplified and taxes should be lower.

The real debate always comes down to how exactly are we going go cover the trillions in federal debt. Republicans pretend to care. Democrats don’t even pretend to care. 

[Eagle11]

4 minutes ago, HuntersLaptop2028 said:

Most rational people agree that tax code should be simplified and taxes should be lower.

The real debate always comes down to how exactly are we going go cover the trillions in federal debt. Republicans pretend to care. Democrats don’t even pretend to care. 

I think you could have a simplified system with staggered percentages.

If you make $100 - $50K you pay 5%

If you make $51K - $200K you pay 10%

If you make $201K - $500K you pay 15%

If you make $501K - $1M you pay 17.5%

All the way out to billions. Everyone needs to have skin in the game. The percentages can be debated and agreed upon

The issue is we are asking the ones that benefit from the code the most to be fair and equitable including them and their cronies

Just my simple minded thoughts

 

[baddog]

I don’t think it makes any difference. If our tax money is squandered, stolen, and abused, anything we do to increase tax revenues will still be misused. Gotta get the abusers caught and prosecuted. So what if the filthy rich get to keep lots of their money. Maybe it can be used to hire more people trying to raise a family and the money can be circulated back into the economy. If it’s taxed away from them, it just ends up in the hands of a crooked congressman who won’t pay taxes on it. 

[thetragichippy]

11 hours ago, CardinalBacker said:

The tax code is a joke… both sides use tax policies that appeal to their voters and keep them in power.  That’s it, period. 
 

Whether you’re promising to give unsustainable handouts or instead promise to give unsustainable tax breaks, it’s just promising gifts to gain votes and it works. 
 

A progressive tax system is fair and moral in my mind, but when I pay more federal income taxes than Donald Trump and Elon Musk COMBINED, something is wrong with our system.  
 

DOGE is claiming to have saved 55 billion dollars, but the bill passed today will add 4.5 Trillion to our debt by way of unsustainable tax cuts. In other words, drop the zeroes and they’re justifying $4500 with of deficit spending because they’re saving $55…. And plan on sending everybody a $5000 (real money) check to celebrate their hard work. 
 

Our tax code is a joke. 

Elon paid 11 billion in Taxes in 2023. He also employees over 130,000 people. 
 

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think you should be penalized or demonized  for success. 

[Eagle11]

24 minutes ago, thetragichippy said:

Elon paid 11 billion in Taxes in 2023. He also employees over 130,000 people. 
 

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think you should be penalized or demonized  for success. 

If Elon did, good on him. But if you have the billionaires bragging they don't pay anything there is a problem.

And I guess the point I wanted to discuss is the problem lies in the tax code not in what percentage is attached to different levels of income

[Big girl]

12 hours ago, baddog said:

I don’t think it makes any difference. If our tax money is squandered, stolen, and abused, anything we do to increase tax revenues will still be misused. Gotta get the abusers caught and prosecuted. So what if the filthy rich get to keep lots of their money. Maybe it can be used to hire more people trying to raise a family and the money can be circulated back into the economy. If it’s taxed away from them, it just ends up in the hands of a crooked congressman who won’t pay taxes on it. 

Trickle down economics has been proven not to work. Hire more people? Who does Buffet, and Gates personally employ?

[thetragichippy]

2 hours ago, Eagle11 said:

And I guess the point I wanted to discuss is the problem lies in the tax code not in what percentage is attached to different levels of income

I agree there needs to be changed - I like the index card idea - think about how many jobs could be eliminated at the IRS.  The roadblock will be all the lawyers who will not be needed. They are big donors.....

My other comment was addressing CB who demonizes rich people 

[Big girl]

13 hours ago, Eagle11 said:

I think you could have a simplified system with staggered percentages.

If you make $100 - $50K you pay 5%

If you make $51K - $200K you pay 10%

If you make $201K - $500K you pay 15%

If you make $501K - $1M you pay 17.5%

All the way out to billions. Everyone needs to have skin in the game. The percentages can be debated and agreed upon

The issue is we are asking the ones that benefit from the code the most to be fair and equitable including them and their cronies

Just my simple minded thoughts

 

Isn't it already like this? 

[Big girl]

14 hours ago, CardinalBacker said:

The tax code is a joke… both sides use tax policies that appeal to their voters and keep them in power.  That’s it, period. 
 

Whether you’re promising to give unsustainable handouts or instead promise to give unsustainable tax breaks, it’s just promising gifts to gain votes and it works. 
 

A progressive tax system is fair and moral in my mind, but when I pay more federal income taxes than Donald Trump and Elon Musk COMBINED, something is wrong with our system.  
 

DOGE is claiming to have saved 55 billion dollars, but the bill passed today will add 4.5 Trillion to our debt by way of unsustainable tax cuts. In other words, drop the zeroes and they’re justifying $4500 with of deficit spending because they’re saving $55…. And plan on sending everybody a $5000 (real money) check to celebrate their hard work. 
 

Our tax code is a joke. 

How do you think Trump is doing so far

[Eagle11]

10 minutes ago, Big girl said:

Isn't it already like this? 

Not really.......I would want to remove all write offs and back door avenues to get to where someone owes nothing. That is how the ultra wealthy pay nothing. It is "legal" but ethical.......meah. 

I guess I favor a flat tax. You make $100,000, multiply by 10% and you owe $10,000. See how easy tax season becomes? But as Hippy said above, the big money decision makers won't allow this. 

The other issue is these ultra wealthy folks draw very little taxable salary, in proportion to their actual worth. They borrow off of their stock holdings and pay no tax off of that.

[tvc184]

26 minutes ago, Big girl said:

Isn't it already like this? 

No. 

[Eagle11]

9 minutes ago, Big girl said:

How do you think Trump is doing so far

Big Girl cannot join in any thread without dragging Trump into it.

Wealthy people from all parties take advantage of this system. The Clintons, Bidens, Obamas.....they all do this and that is why it has not and probably never will change. 

[tvc184]

Anything (particularly a single set of laws) that takes almost 7,000 pages to explain, is utter nonsense 

[mat]

Give him time

 

[Big girl]

On 2/27/2025 at 7:12 AM, thetragichippy said:

Elon paid 11 billion in Taxes in 2023. He also employees over 130,000 people. 
 

This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think you should be penalized or demonized  for success. 

One shouldn't be punished for being poor, either

[5GallonBucket]

52 minutes ago, Big girl said:

One shouldn't be punished for being poor, either

Percentage wise if your poor then you made poor choices.

whose punishing the poor and how?

[5GallonBucket]

23 hours ago, Eagle11 said:

Big Girl cannot join in any thread without dragging Trump into it.

Wealthy people from all parties take advantage of this system. The Clintons, Bidens, Obamas.....they all do this and that is why it has not and probably never will change. 

She refused the TDS shot.

[SmashMouth]

1 hour ago, Big girl said:

One shouldn't be punished for being poor, either

I agree, the poor should not be punished for being poor. Honest question though, how are the poor punished with taxes? And I have been on that side of the street too.

[thetragichippy]

1 hour ago, Big girl said:

One shouldn't be punished for being poor, either

They are not punished, they are actually rewarded. 

Several years ago, I did a loan for a Man who made made $28,000 that year. He paid $1800 in federal withholdings but got back right at 10K with the child tax credits.  That is not paying taxes, that is the government rewarding someone for having kids. 

Maybe you can explain why that is ok. 

[Big girl]

1 hour ago, 5GallonBucket said:

Percentage wise if your poor then you made poor choices.

whose punishing the poor and how?

B.s. Jesus said to help the poor

 

[Eagle11]

26 minutes ago, Big girl said:

B.s. Jesus said to help the poor

 

We are also taught to be wise with our money. I believe in charity and helping out but it gets tough today to say who truly wants and needs Help and who is just wanting a hand out.

[5GallonBucket]

51 minutes ago, Big girl said:

B.s. Jesus said to help the poor

 

Reading comprehension 

 

2 hours ago, 5GallonBucket said:

Percentage wise if your poor then you made poor choices.

whose punishing the poor and how?

Re read the above quote.  Did I say not help the poor????

And how you gonna throw Jesus s name behind such abbreviation.

[5GallonBucket]

Why do I even bother engaging????🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️