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Fiscal Cliff: Why Congress Might Have to Mess with the 401(k)
Time ^ | 11/29/12 | Dan Kadlec

Posted on 11/29/2012 11:20:58 AM PST by Perdogg

One of the earliest fears about tax-favored savings accounts like IRAs and 401(k) plans was that when this pool of savings grew large enough Congress would not be able to resist tapping it to help solve the nation’s debt problems. We’re about to find out if those fears—persistent for decades—have been justified.

Everything including the sacred mortgage deduction is on the table as lawmakers wrestle with the fiscal cliff, a year-end avalanche of scheduled spending cuts and tax increases. With a combined $10 trillion sitting in IRAs and 401(k) plans, retirement accounts make a juicy target. Some of this money has never been taxed, and under current law never will be.

(Excerpt) Read more at business.time.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 0bamanation; 112th; 401k; apieceoftheaction; bho44; corruptbastards; debt; fairness; ghilarducci; nationalization; pension; pigford3; redistribution; retirement; savings; spending; spreadthewealth; taxandspend; theft; waivethis
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To: brownsfan
"If they want it, they’ll take it, and there’s not spit you can do about it."

Oh, I think they'll be a little surprised by my response.

101 posted on 11/29/2012 3:19:22 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Working is for suckers.)
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To: trebb

“I bought a house and never benefited from the “sacred mortgage deduction”. I suppose if I had bought out of my range it might have been different, but I wonder how many middle class folks actually save anything with it. I would hazard a guess that they are upper-middle-class and/or spending more than would be prudent.’

That is correct. The Mortgage Interest Loophole (as Rush calls it) doesn’t affect the bottom half of taxpayer, since the standard deduction is so big. The REAL WINNERS from this are, just as you say, upper middle-class (and higher) people with large mortgages (i.e., in BLUE states). Let them sacrifice for once.


102 posted on 11/29/2012 3:23:58 PM PST by BobL (You can live each day only once. You can waste a few, but don't waste too many.)
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To: annieokie

“THAT revolt is well overdue RIGHT NOW.
Election Fraud...Tax hikes...Redistrubition...Obamacare.

When does the Revolt begin, and how will we know it started?”

Revolt of what? For there to be a “revolt” there must be a means by which the revolt takes place.

Your not going to get 150 million people to act suddenly as one. The Government will shoot or arrest the first handful and the rest will fall inline out of fear as they always do before tyrants.

If you want a revolt you have to oraginze a means of resistance! The only means we have at our disposal capable of even giving Washington pause is our States, and we can only control a handful of them in that way.

But to control any of them we will require a concerned political campaign to put into place in theses states people willing to fight for our rights on our behalf. Otherwise there can and will be no revolt!


103 posted on 11/29/2012 3:25:14 PM PST by Monorprise
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To: sickoflibs
You see 401Ks are NOT tax free as Time claims they are, they are tax defered.

The return on investment (ROI) from Roth 401(k)'s and Roth IRA's are tax-free. Your contributions are taxed, but all withdrawals are tax-free -- including all earnings.

And, there is no minimum required distribution for Roth IRA/401(k), so you can pass it on to a heir, tax-free. However, your heir will be required to make minimum required distributions.

104 posted on 11/29/2012 3:26:06 PM PST by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: Perdogg

Go ahead...come after it. I’ll take out anyone that tries.


105 posted on 11/29/2012 3:28:12 PM PST by Fledermaus (The Republic is Dead: Collapse the system. Let the Dems destroy the economy!)
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To: PeterPrinciple
I am willing to be corrected but that is a lie.

It is not a lie. If you read the rest of the article, the author is referring to Roth IRA's and Roth 401(k)'s.

You pay income taxes on your contributions to Roth accounts, but you do not pay any taxes on withdrawals -- including any earnings and gains between contribution and withdrawal.

106 posted on 11/29/2012 3:29:05 PM PST by justlurking (tagline removed, as demanded by Admin Moderator)
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To: Perdogg

It’s a political gimmick. This way Boehner gets to pretend he saved us from a worse fate than what we’re getting. Let’s hit the fiscal wall and see what happens.


107 posted on 11/29/2012 3:29:29 PM PST by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: BobL

“That is correct. The Mortgage Interest Loophole (as Rush calls it) doesn’t affect the bottom half of taxpayer, since the standard deduction is so big. The REAL WINNERS from this are, just as you say, upper middle-class (and higher) people with large mortgages (i.e., in BLUE states). Let them sacrifice for once.”

Now you sound like a Liberal, that being said loopholes & deductions in the tax code are bad economic policy period.


108 posted on 11/29/2012 3:31:20 PM PST by Monorprise
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To: trebb

The pro-debt tax policies need to end, asap.


109 posted on 11/29/2012 3:32:49 PM PST by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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To: massgopguy

I can see where libs will go crazy for the idea of confiscating retirement savings accounts. I have a sister and a brother, both libs, who have saved NOTHING for retirement, yet my sister gets a brand new car (GM) every 4 years or so.

I have never had a new car and now the government is threatening to confiscate our retirement money that we saved (by NOT buying new cars) and give it to people who spent wildly and did not save.


110 posted on 11/29/2012 3:42:03 PM PST by Reddy (B.O. stinks)
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To: Monorprise
I was responding to Post #20, in regards to the Revolt.

There won't be any revolt, CW or REV., as much as I would like to think something could be done.

ALAS: it's just all PUFF, easy to be tough in the privacy of our homes.

Find someone who will say they will start it, are you with me? Oh yes they will say, then when that someone sticks their necks out there, turns around NO ONE IS BEHIND HIM.

That is just the way it is.

111 posted on 11/29/2012 3:46:33 PM PST by annieokie
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To: 1010RD

“It’s a political gimmick. This way Boehner gets to pretend he saved us from a worse fate than what we’re getting.”

That is exacly what it is, its a fairly standard political tactic.

” Let’s hit the fiscal wall and see what happens.”

We already did, remember the 1995? It was a brease dispute leftist panicing.

Seriously thou republican should vote on individual bills funding each federal agency, one by one. Obviously and diliberatly failing to pass the department of education, health, agriculture, ect...

We should have something along the lines of consent of the governed at least rather than an all or nothing deal, because I and a lot of other people strong prefer nothing.


112 posted on 11/29/2012 3:46:33 PM PST by Monorprise
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To: EBH

Also look at David’s posts on that thread. Very informative.


113 posted on 11/29/2012 3:47:12 PM PST by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000))
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To: WildHighlander57

Post #103 and #110.


114 posted on 11/29/2012 3:48:27 PM PST by WildHighlander57 ((WildHighlander57 returning after lurking since 2000))
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To: Monorprise
Revolt of what? For there to be a "revolt" there must be a means by which the revolt takes place.

Oh, you mean a totally corrupt government forced to impose severe austerity because of insane spending?

Police in Athens clash with hooded youths throwing firebombs:



This is what happens when things get bad enough; no "concerned political campaign" necessary. Minds are changed when the wolf is at the door.
America, meet Greece.
115 posted on 11/29/2012 3:55:13 PM PST by 867V309
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To: Monorprise

“Now you sound like a Liberal, that being said loopholes & deductions in the tax code are bad economic policy period.”

Yes and no. If we punish the Blue State voters that got Obama re-elected, that will be sweet justice. The base of the Republican Party, like the man who I was replying to, get very little benefit from the Mortgage Debt Loophole, as they simply don’t make $200k per year, and generally have enough kids to knock their taxes way down without it.


116 posted on 11/29/2012 3:58:18 PM PST by BobL (You can live each day only once. You can waste a few, but don't waste too many.)
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To: justlurking
But a retroactive tax on this sheltered income has been a worry from the start.

Wouldn't a retroactive tax on 20 years of 401(k) savings be an ex post facto law?

-PJ

117 posted on 11/29/2012 3:58:25 PM PST by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Perdogg

118 posted on 11/29/2012 4:07:17 PM PST by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
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To: Perdogg

Would not surprise me if the Republicans are peddling this bull squeeze so we’ll all be happy when we “only” have to pay more taxes.


119 posted on 11/29/2012 4:07:42 PM PST by IamConservative (The soul of my lifes journey is Liberty!)
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To: Perdogg

If they try to confiscate the people’s own savings in their IRAs, and somehow roll all of that over into the broken and failing Social Security program...we had best be prepared to fight.

It will be dictatorial confiscation...absolutely and utterly unconstitutional, and the tyrants (which we have known them for for some time now) will have come completely out of the closet.

Such an abuse of power and abject theft must be met with the same resistance and fervor our founders showed the King...or there will be no recovering fom it.

America at the Crossroads of History
http://www.jeffhead.com/crossroads.htm


120 posted on 11/29/2012 4:15:23 PM PST by Jeff Head
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