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Bill Gates Rejects Donating to U.S. Treasury After Calling for Higher Taxes on Rich
PJ Media ^ | 01/04/2020 | Nicholas Ballasy

Posted on 01/04/2020 8:27:49 PM PST by SeekAndFind

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates rejected the idea of voluntarily donating to the U.S. Treasury after calling for the U.S. government to raise taxes on the wealthy.

"When I say the government needs to raise more money, some people ask why Melinda and I don’t voluntarily pay more in taxes than the law requires," Gates, the second-richest person in the world, wrote in a recent blog post. "The answer is that simply leaving it up to people to give more than the government asks for is not a scalable solution. People pay taxes as an obligation of law and citizenship, not out of charity. Additional voluntary giving will never raise enough money for everything the government needs to do."

In June, PJM had asked Gates if he plans to voluntarily donate to the federal government in the absence of tax increases but he did not respond to the question.

Gates argued that "Americans in the top one percent can afford to pay a lot more before they stop going to work or creating jobs." He referred to the creation of Microsoft to support his position on taxes.

"In the 1970s, when Paul Allen and I were starting Microsoft, marginal tax rates were almost twice the top rate today. It didn’t hurt our incentive to build a great company," he said.

Gates called for increasing the capital gains tax, "probably to the same level as taxes on labor" as well as raising the estate or "death" tax.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a Democratic presidential candidate, has called for the implementation of a "wealth tax." Gates explained that he supports "taxing large fortunes that have been held for a long time," perhaps "ten years or more."

(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: billgates; tax; treasury; wealth
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To: SeekAndFind
The answer is that simply leaving it up to people to give more than the government asks for

Asks for? ASKS FOR?!

Stopped reading right there.

21 posted on 01/04/2020 9:16:35 PM PST by Lizavetta
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To: grey_whiskers

My fav saying for liberals is...’up your a$$ with a broken glass’, but a red hot railroad spike would work too.


22 posted on 01/04/2020 9:18:44 PM PST by Beagle8U (Did Eric Ciaramella kill Epstein? He didn't kill himself.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Gates: “... People pay taxes as an obligation of law and citizenship, not out of charity.”

LOL! What a clueless dufus.

No little Billy, in this country people pay taxes by way of indirect taxation for a public good and for government to carry out certain administrative functions in order to deliver said public good that all will benefit from and not for the special interests of others. For the first century of our republic it was working as designed until the direct tax scheme was illegally implemented/collected. There are no compelled “citizenship taxes” that are an obligation of law. There are only (illegally imposed)direct taxes on labor and direct taxes on profits(aka: 16th amendment) that the IRS gestapo (compels)extorts/steals from you so they can grow government, dependency, piss away on the welfare state, waste and entitlements.

I have one question for you little billy... why is it WE must balance our budgets and learn to live on less but the government never has to?


23 posted on 01/04/2020 9:28:32 PM PST by Bellagio
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To: SeekAndFind
"Americans in the top one percent can afford to pay a lot more before they stop going to work or creating jobs."

The Laffer curve is an analog response. At every point of increasing taxes there are more and more people dropping out or becoming more selective on their use of time. It's not like all entrepreneurs will work full speed until taxes hit 71% and then quit simultaneously.

24 posted on 01/04/2020 9:33:18 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Cutest internet video: Charlie bit my finger. Creepiest internet video: Joe Biden bit my finger.)
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To: SeekAndFind

“The answer is that simply leaving it up to people to give more than the government asks for is not a scalable solution. People pay taxes as an obligation of law and citizenship, not out of charity. Additional voluntary giving will never raise enough money for everything the government needs to do.”

I thought he was a logical man. Maybe he is, but thinks we’re not. Is he saying that his money has no value to the government if it’s given voluntarily, and not coerced? Can’t be that. Is he saying that his money has no value to the government because it’s not enough? Can’t be that either.

Perhaps he means that he has better uses for his money than the government does, but the rest of us do not.


25 posted on 01/04/2020 9:40:08 PM PST by rightwingcrazy (;-,)
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To: SeekAndFind

There should be a fixed way for taxing everyone. Say an 8% flat income tax and a 5% sales tax. And no government borrowing. Only deduction: charitable donations.


26 posted on 01/04/2020 10:06:05 PM PST by DennisR (Look around - God gives numerous, indisputable clues that He does, indeed, exist.)
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To: SeekAndFind

FU gates! I give him credit for what he and his company have done. Other than that he sounds like a total fidiot.


27 posted on 01/04/2020 10:09:18 PM PST by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.-S.Adams)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Arthur Wildfire! March; Berosus; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Of course the mealy-mouthed bastard would serve up some rationalization for his indefensible position.

28 posted on 01/04/2020 10:24:36 PM PST by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m in a profession where I get most of my pay for the year on the last day of the year.

This year my combined withholding from that for state and fed was almost 60%. And basically we get nothing for that.


29 posted on 01/04/2020 10:29:45 PM PST by kaehurowing
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To: DennisR
There should be a fixed way for taxing everyone. Say an 8% flat income tax and a 5% sales tax.

No income tax, 3% sales tax. Ska-rew the greedy corporate government and its lifer bureaucRATs.

30 posted on 01/04/2020 10:35:13 PM PST by ROCKLOBSTER (We need to reach across the aisle, extend a hand...And slap the crap out of them)
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To: SeekAndFind

Logically he can’t deny more money will help the government do more. its why he’s calling for raising taxes.

He’s outright lying. Any additional money by default helps the government do more.


31 posted on 01/05/2020 12:00:10 AM PST by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not Averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: SeekAndFind
“In the 1970s, when Paul Allen and I were starting Microsoft, marginal tax rates were almost twice the top rate today. It didn’t hurt our incentive to build a great company,” he said.

You know, that may well have been true for Microsoft. Gates and Allen came up with some computer software at the right time, just as computers were starting to become prominent, to create an iconic company. But not many companies can get the same start that Microsoft had. High taxes can and do discourage new ideas from entering the market place.

32 posted on 01/05/2020 12:07:54 AM PST by MRadtke (Light a candle or curse the darkness?)
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To: Phillyred
they welcome stomping out potential up and comers with strangulating government.

Who remembers Microsoft overtly and then again not so overtly CRUSHING up and comers trying to take a bit of their market share ?

Pepperidge Farms remembers

33 posted on 01/05/2020 2:35:51 AM PST by onona
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To: PGR88

“The likes of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett pay lip-service to paying higher taxes because they....”

... are buying protection from the leftists, their academic-political-media-industrial complex, including its militant SJW wing who can show up at people’s homes or places of work to commit crimes in a flash.


34 posted on 01/05/2020 3:07:19 AM PST by Susquehanna Patriot
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To: unlearner

“Shorten the software patent protection to 5 years and require the source code to be open-sourced after that.”

At the very least when they abandon all support it should be legally considered as “abandonware” and become open source.


35 posted on 01/05/2020 3:14:18 AM PST by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
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To: Skywise

“Bill Gates is clueless about what it means to be a citizen or how a republican form of government works - where the people stay involved in the government and have near direct impact on how the tax dollars are spent and appropriated.”

Excellent! So are the vast majority of Americans clueless ... not because they are incapable, but because for decades our government and many private schools, have failed to educate, despite the spending trillions of hardworking taxpayer $$ .

Gates next sentence should have been along the lines of the proper role and size of the government, its continued path to bankrupt America and how its actions/inactions are a threat to the citizens’ freedoms.


36 posted on 01/05/2020 3:16:28 AM PST by Susquehanna Patriot
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To: rightwingcrazy

“Additional voluntary giving will never raise enough money for everything the government needs to do.” - Bill Gates

BUT EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT, Mr Gates, ADDITIONAL (INVOLUNTARY) TAXES will NEVER raise enough money for everything the (demokraps & GOPe) government WANTS to do. So what is the answer Bill? How much are you willing to be taxed?

Gates is beginning to remind me of the late great John D Rockefeller who handed a kid on the street a mere dime to show how charitable he is, how his great wealth hasn’t separated him from humanity. Very sad.


37 posted on 01/05/2020 3:31:34 AM PST by Susquehanna Patriot
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To: SeekAndFind

Find good charities and donate to them. The money will positively affect more lives then government largesse..


38 posted on 01/05/2020 3:38:57 AM PST by Starstruck (I'm usually sarcastic. Deal with it.)
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To: BipolarBob

Probably because the founder of FR isn’t interested in selling something to you. Those places that have a “like” button are using that info to determine something about you. They use algorithms to figure out your interests, and one of the purposes of that is to sell you something.


39 posted on 01/05/2020 4:36:17 AM PST by FamiliarFace
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To: SeekAndFind

We all know democrats will only do what they consider ‘morally right’, when compelled to by law.

These rich f*cks need calling for higher taxes need to be pounded over the head with their blatant hypocrisy at every opportunity.


40 posted on 01/05/2020 4:41:04 AM PST by qwerty1234
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