[Brian Griffin]

FICA and Medicare taxes are income taxes, the only difference being is that ordinary people might get back most of what they paid in benefits.

Ordinary income tax is gone forever and usually for little good.

Amendment XVI empowers Congress to levy innumerable income taxes.

[Mariner]

“FICA and Medicare taxes are income taxes,”

That’s a ludicrous assertion.

Both are capped.

[Hepsabeth]

FICA and Medicare taxes are income taxes, the only difference being is that ordinary people might get back most of what they paid in benefits.

They might get it back. Or, they might croak at age 64 and get nothing.

Some talk as if the FICA taxes aren't really taxes at all, but they are. Decades ago they jacked up the OASDI tax for the imaginary "Social Security trust fund". Then they spent all that excess revenue on other things that had formerly been funded mostly by income tax revenue. That has to be factored in when figuring out relative tax burdens. It's not really honest to only count income tax.