Americans don't pay enough taxes

The Week ^ | April 17, 2018 | Paul Waldman

[artichokegrower]

As you filed your taxes this year, you might have spent some time grumbling. Why does it have to be so complicated? Am I paying too much? Couldn't the system be more fair?

But it's at this time of year when you ought to consider that as an American, when it comes to taxes you've got it easy.

[pierrem15]

What an imbecile.

He talks about "free college" in Europe-- sure, for the small percentage of the population who go to academic high schools and pass the entrance exams.

When I lived in Germany, only about 50% of the academic high school graduates passed the Abitur exam. So about 5% of the population got a college education.

And there were no community colleges or lower ranked colleges for a second chance.

You take an exam at 14 or 15 and if you do well, you go to an academic high school.

If you don't you go to a trade school.

It's ruthlessly efficient.

Does anyone think a system like that would be tolerated here?

And the poverty rates are calculated differently in the US than in Europe: in Europe they count the benefits received to see who is still in poverty. Here, the government counts the pre-benefit income level.

If you measured the two similarly much of the difference disappears.

What most of the extra taxes pay for are hordes of government employees.

[PreciousLiberty]

“We could all pay more, and in return get more from government than we’re getting now. We just have to decide to do it.”

Because, as we all know, the government is the most efficient way to get things done... Oh wait, it isn’t.

What would really benefit this country would be many more government folk taking to Trump’s view that there is tremendous waste in government spending, and many, many government jobs and departments that could be eliminated. The DoD, and all branches of service, should have a serious plan to increase efficiency and make cost effectiveness a major consideration for weapon acquisition.

However, given the current state of ethics and morality in this country, the odds of the above happening seem slim indeed...

[subterfuge]

Really? I pay 30percent all year, $2000 a year in tolls and I still write a check for 5 grand. And that’s not enough?

[i_robot73]

>
We could all pay more, and in return get more from government than we’re getting now. We just have to decide to do it.
>

MORE govt? I see LITTLE govt in A1S8, but We (well, at least 50%) are paying [for now] BIG govt.

[dfwgator]

Bet this guy took every possible deduction he could on his taxes.

[mewzilla]

Enough Americans don't pay enough taxes

There, I fixed it! 😄

[Mr Rogers]

The guy is actually correct. Americans should pay more taxes - because MORE PEOPLE need to pay instead of take! Roughly 20% of people filing get the Earned Income Tax Credit - “refunding” money they did not pay. Same with the additional child tax credit and some education credits, providing refunds well in excess of what the supposed tax payer pays in.

And to pay for this vote-getting generosity, those who pay end up paying obscene amounts. A single person whose income goes up from $40K to $44K will owe (IIRC) an extra $1,000 in taxes - to support those getting refunds of money they did not pay.

[Mr.Unique]

...the companies that make your tax software have successfully lobbied to keep the system more complex so you'll have no choice but to buy their products.

True

[dfwgator]

If you want a simpler tax code, be careful what you wish for....

[Mr.Unique]

..and free college..

This guy doesn't understand basic economics. Why read any further?

[i_robot73]

>
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery... the 16th Amendment restored it. There is none greedier than government!
>

And HOW it continues to exist, in violation of the 4th\5th\13th, I will *never* comprehend.

[mowowie]

This salt shaker in front of me....
How many different taxes were paid from the time the raw materials were dug from the ground till the moment i filled it with salt?

assuming it all happened in the USA of course, i’m 99.99935% sure it came from China.

[Ouderkirk]

there are a lot of misconceptions about taxes in America, starting with the idea that we pay too much.

In fact, we pay much lower taxes than most of our peer countries.

We do pay too much because the democRATS are spending too much.

Taxation is theft...plain and simple.

[wally_bert]

Our roads ought to be near perfect for what we get ripped off for.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

We could all pay more, and in return get more ^promises from government than we’re getting now. We just have to ^can decide to do it ^{or we can stick with the devil we know} .

[i_robot73]

>
We have millions of people of welfare and food stamps when the bible says “if anyone will not work then neither shall they eat”.

I just saw a 20 something perfectly healthy white man buying bottled water, gum, a cookie and coffee with food stamps at a convenient store last week!
>

Welfare violates a number of our Rights.

The number of ‘problems’ that can be solved if govt merely upheld and followed the Constitution is simply *AMAZING*.

[Hoffer Rand]

Nothing is more pathetic than somebody screaming in delight that they got a “refund” of $1200 from the IRS. Paying $10,000 to get $1200 is not a profit. Government was smart. Take and take from every check so they don’t even miss it, then “give back” a small percentage so they look like heroes come April.

I've always said we need to do away with payroll deduction. Let's have everyone, even the almost 50% who don't pay income taxes, have to shell out their yearly FICA and Medicaid payment when they file. Then, maybe, just maybe they would understand and could get behind reining in the government spending levels.

[zeugma]

I see the US as a “smarter” version of the old USSR. You don’t have to “disappear” people or send people to Gulags to keep everyone in check. Just ensure they have enough to lose and they’ll stay in line. Heck, even let them video record cops acting badly. In the end it will only strike more fear in the population.

Yup. As long as bread and circuses are plentiful, the ruling class is safe from the proles.

[Cronos]

The article answers your question, in fact the sentence preceding the one you pasted: In your average social democratic European country, you pay more taxes, but you also get a lot in return: universal health coverage, free child care, generous paid family leave, and free college, for example. If you're Danish or French or German, there are certain things you just don't have to worry about, things that keep us Americans up nights.

I have lived in Poland for the past 8 years and while we have far less of a social welfare system than Germany or Denmark or France, some points hold:

1. Universal health coverage: America spends too much on health for far lower levels of service. And obamacare has exasperated this. I believe the original sin was when insurance companies were allowed to get monopolies so that simple procedures are charged $$$ in the USA that cost $ elsewhere. Right now, thanks to obamacare, you pay skyhigh premiums, your coverage is lower. Poland isn't much better in terms of healthcare - our public healthcare is inundated with queues, but the German one is very good
   
   
2. free child care - Germany has this, we don't. we do have under 3 in state run nurseries, which are always overbooked and have something like 10 kids for every "teacher" - so people prefer private nurseries. France is much much better
   
   
3. generous paid family leave: yes, the leave is good even here
   
   
4. EEducation - now this is key. US college tutions rates are astronomical. Here there are few colleges, all very good and with limited intake, so only the best get in. Others go for trade schools and aren't saddled with huge student debt

Is it worth it? Yes

Would it work in the USA? No - what can work in a compact country like Denmark cannot work in the USA

Even in Germany, it works differently from a smaller country like Denmark.