[sickoflibs]

RE :”Meanwhile, the richest 1 percent of American taxpayers pay 32 percent of all income taxes (up from 27.5 percent in 2007). And as the Tax Policy Center reports, 45 percent of American households pay no federal income tax whatsoever”

One of Paul Ryan's main defense's of his roadmap tax changes attacked by Democrats is that “Americans are overtaxed not undertaxed”. But what about this 45% that pay no federal income taxes, the ones congressional Republicans never mention specifically?

This 45% pays no income tax, we can assume a good % of them expect the Federal government to perform all sorts of functions, military, security and social related, they only pay medicare and SS payroll taxes that don't even cover the cost of those entitlement programs anymore yet entitle them to someone elses paycheck in the future(short some major reform). And they are opposed to losing those future benefits.

I know it's not popular, I know it's not fitting the Republican talking points that 'all taxes on anyone are bad', even when Deficits are skyrocketing, but maybe this 45% needs to be required to pay some visible Federal taxes so they know that big government cost's something. The Federal gas tax they pay is not visible to them because Democrats can just blame speculators and the oil companies.

They need to have to pay 'visible' taxes, the more visible the better, unfortunately that does NOT buy votes. Look how high gas prices is changing behaviour now. Maybe if they saw a cost to themselves relating to government spending their opinions would change.

[ding_dong_daddy_from_dumas]

In a sense, it would have been better if senate dems or Obama had stopped the GWB tax rate extensions. That likely would have kept unemployment higher (hey, they have some skin in the the game even if they pay 0 income tax), and made the modest improvements in the economy even more modest (and I would expect the higher tax rates to motivate them to spend more).

But they were not thst stupid, and now “raising taxes on the rich” seems to poll better than before November 2010.

[stephenjohnbanker]

” But what about this 45% that pay no federal income taxes, the ones congressional Republicans never mention specifically?”

That would open a can of worms, and would take balls, so forget it.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks sickoflibs.

[dalebert]

well the 45% are what dems think they can count on..if they can raise that to 60% they can kill the republic.