How do LIBERALS decide your "fair share" tax rate, and who said THEY can dictate that to everybody?

It's all very mysterious. And you have to be a 32nd degree liberal in order to be in on the actual policy end of things. I recently had a chat with a local professional protester, still working his way up the liberal ladder who disclosed to me that it had something to do with a top secret formula called the "Envy Coefficient". Way over my head.

Maggy- Bravo!! You've managed to mention some of the buzz words that any self respecting liberal chants before bedtime. FAIR - Incompetent Bankers - Hard working teachers - Equalized to all - Only applies over a certain amount (read; doesn't apply UNDER a certain amount).

Dave- Your figures regarding what the rich pay are amazingly incorrect. And unless you are in the top income bracket, you do not pay 35%, since that is the top income tax rate.

Voot- Nice chart you got there. But while President's may submit a budget request, it is the Congress that actually controls the purse strings. What would've been more to the point would have been a chart showing us which party controlled Congress over those periods.

lol somebody needs to relax. Now I'm not a liberal so I suppose I shouldn't answer this but whatever. The way I see it, people should pay what they can afford. So obviously someone who makes $20,000 a year should pay much less than someone who makes $90,000 a year. It would also depend on what their expenses are. A family of 6 that brings in $40,000 a year should pay less than a family of 3 who makes the same amount. And that's just based off of their expenses. Like food, clothes, ect. Now I'm not going to present a formula or any of that but I'm just saying the way I see it. If everyone were taxed just what they could afford, I think things would be fine.

But the problem comes from where that money goes. The government likes to waste tax payer money. They think they deserve annual raises and fancy yachts while other Americans are the victims of inflation. The government doesn't have to worry about inflation because they just get a raise whenever they want. So if the people in our government were actually responsible with our money and had good intentions with it, I don't think as many people would be upset over taxes.

Edit: You should give the best answer to that USA USA USA guy. He pwned you so hard. You look even more retarded now.

The only truly "fair" tax would be if you divided the annual US Budget by the population, and every household paid that amount per person living there....based on the Public Records for the address you asked this question from ( http://www.whatismyipaddress.com/ ) and the Public Record of how much tax that address PAID last year, your household would owe roughly THREE TIMES what you paid last year...

So you might want to be "vewy, vewy qwiet", LOL!

Right. Like Forbes has any interest in poor people. The government decides taxes based on pragmatism along with economic and political principles. Those principles vary among Democrats, Republicans and others. Your question is divisive. Have you considered being a uniter?

It's not fair. That's something people on both sides of the aisle has always agreed on. Where have you been?

Why do childless people pay more tax while people with children get a deduction for each child? It's kind of like robbing Peter to pay Paul wouldn't you say? It should be the other way around so as to help pay their fair share of sending their kids to school.

How about everybody gets the equivalent of three dependent deductions and you lose one for every child born? That would be more fair.

do you see any other gov't systems you like, outside the US? tax system, overall system, anything. granted, the US is a special case in the world economy, so some comparisons may not be fair.

whatever kind of system you want, you can have it. just elect the right people or otherwise GET INVOLVED WITH GOVERNMENT. otherwise, you are whining.

also, if you're really interested ther is plenty of history and details here- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_tax

Every one get to make their own decision about what they think is fair. Conservative also believe they have some special insight about how the tax burden should be apportioned, why don't you tell us what yours is.

Article 1, Section 8 of the US Constitution, Gomer:

"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States;........................."

Fair share = the annual cost of running a nation (which includes planning for the future of the nation as well as the past's mistakes)

Divided by those who accessed the services or benefited from the running of that nation

Prorated based on one's ability to pay in that year.

It's called a Democratic Republic.

The majority gets to decide how and what is taxed, there doesn't need to be a "secret formula."

For all the Conservatives talk about the Constitution, you ignore the Constitution when it comes to majority rule.

You may not like what the majority wants, too bad. You don't need to like it, because their will is going to happen regardless.