Posted on 01/26/2012 7:21:38 AM PST by SeekAndFind
On the heels of President Obama‘s State of the Union address, where he called for the “Buffett Rule”: a requirement that millionaires pay at least 30% of their income in taxes, the richest man in America, Bill Gates, weighed in on solutions to the country’s economic problems. “The United States has a huge budget deficit, so taxes are going to have to go up,” Gates told the BBC. “And I certainly agree that they should go up more on the rich than everyone else. That’s just justice.”
RELATED: Buffett Rule? NY Times Report Suggests Obama Plan To Ask More Of American Millionaires
“Is that a message you think that works with other people as wealthy as yourself, or is it just a small circle of friends — yourself, Warren Buffet, a few others,” the interviewer asked Gates.
“Well, I hope we can solve that deficit problem with a sense of shared sacrifice — where everybody would feel like they’re doing their part,” Gates replied. “And right now, I don’t feel like people like myself are paying as much as we should.”
Watch below via ThinkProgress:
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TGhis is not unusual. The rich often favor raising taxes. It tends to keep the competition from rising.
money quote!!
RE: The rich often favor raising taxes. It tends to keep the competition from rising.
If Bill believes that the government is a better steward at spending the money of privates citizens to “help” those who are in need, I suggest he outsource the management and money of the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to Uncle Sam.
Who is Bill Gates/
Was he the houseboy for Steve Jobs?
:::crickets:::
I'd like to see the loud mouths have some good old American competition. I'd like to see Tom Hanks, Babs Streisand and Sandra Bullock step up and hand their great big facsimile checks for $20 or $30 MILLION to the government.
“This is not unusual. The rich often favor raising taxes. It tends to keep the competition from rising.”
And we all know that Microsoft just loves competition! /sarc
All fixed! I am now demonstrably more intelligent than Bill Gates, although he has a bit more money.
If Gates really meant that he would donate ALL of his money to either the government or the “poor.” And by that I mean every cent. They didn’t steal the idea from Steve Jobs. Let the
Gates progeny find some smart person’s idea to copy.
Hey, Bill. How about every time a new version of Windows gets created, you give it away to anyone who has already bought one of the old versions. Now that sounds like justice to me...
As with his wealthy colleagues, Gates is being disingenuous. He knows that the tax on the wealthy can go up to 100%, and he’ll still pay next to nothing. Like Buffet, he will simply find ways to hide his income and protect it from government vultures.
Plus, he knows that the 30% tax on the wealthy is just a gambit on the Obamunists part to eventually apply the same 30% requisite on every working American. It’s just their way of getting the camel’s nose in under the tent.
Keep in mind, the real dream of Barack Obama’s drunken father was a 100% tax on all working Kenyans. And that is the son’s ultimate goal for all Americans.
“I’d like to see Tom Hanks, Babs Streisand and Sandra Bullock step up and hand their great big facsimile checks for $20 or $30 MILLION to the government. “
I think they’re donating to help get sopa/pipa passed
“Rich” is subjective.
I think its just peachy that people get so open minded about taxes after they make their first $20 Billion or so.
Bill gates is best buds with Buffett. Therefore, it is not surprising that they would be of the same mind. They just act separately to amplify their perceived power, so that in people’s minds, two billionaires seemingly independently coming out in favor of raising taxes on the rich appears to be more representative of all the rich rather than just two friends coming out for it together.
The only way to stand up to that bit of propaganda is for hundreds of rich people to stand up and defend themselves. The Obamas understand that it would be difficult for them to do so against the tide of the big media.
Bill gates is best buds with Buffett. Therefore, it is not surprising that they would be of the same mind. They just act separately to amplify their perceived power, so that in people’s minds, two billionaires seemingly independently coming out in favor of raising taxes on the rich appears to be more representative of all the rich rather than just two friends coming out for it together.
The only way to stand up to that bit of propaganda is for hundreds of rich people to stand up and defend themselves. The Obamas understand that it would be difficult for them to do so against the tide of the big media.
Bill gates is best buds with Buffett. Therefore, it is not surprising that they would be of the same mind. They just act separately to amplify their perceived power, so that in people’s minds, two billionaires seemingly independently coming out in favor of raising taxes on the rich appears to be more representative of all the rich rather than just two friends coming out for it together.
The only way to stand up to that bit of propaganda is for hundreds of rich people to stand up and defend themselves. The Obamas understand that it would be difficult for them to do so against the tide of the big media.
That’s just great, Bill Gates—keeping the poor poor through dependence, while supporting a system allowing ultra wealthy liberals to hide their money so they don’t pay taxes.
Typical Microsoft solution. There is another option, one that is better for everyone in the country, but it hasn't crossed his mind. The correct answer to the huge budget deficit is to cut spending. It's not that difficult to understand. If you're spending more than you make, you need to spend less. I would cut spending by $400B a year in real dollars until the budget is balanced, and the only reason I wouldn't do it all at once is to spread out the economic shock of moving toward a "sustainable" level of government spending. [Note: liberals like the word "sustainable", and I hope fiscal conservatives will start using it often.]
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