In reality, payroll taxes are exactly the same thing as income taxes; money taken from the the individual that disappears into a black hole, never to be seen again. But to admit this obvious fact, in defense of those paying no income taxes, is to admit that a good portion of their world view is fantasy or fraud.
“In reality, payroll taxes are exactly the same thing as income taxes; money taken from the the individual that disappears into a black hole, never to be seen again.”
I disagree. As of last year, both SS and Medicare outlays exceed the amount of payroll taxes paid in. Yes, IN THE PAST payroll taxes were diverted to pay for other things and a meaningless paper “credit” placed in the SS “lock-box” to tell everyone that Uncle Sam owed the Trust Fund money. But now that is no longer true. Every penny of payroll taxes goes to its dedicated purpose: to pay for Medicare or SS.
Thus, anyone paying EXCLUSIVELY payroll taxes and no income taxes is, for the most part (ignoring the trivial amounts of federal taxes collected through excise taxes on cigarettes, liquor etc.) making NO contribution to the costs of national defense, the criminal justice system or other legitimate government activities. Consequently, everyone else is paying more than their “fair share” for these activities.
Claiming that payroll taxes just get mingled with income taxes in one big pot I believe obscures this important point.
Social Security is taxed.