What is your idea of "their fair share" as it relates to taxes and the rich?

I'd just be happy if they went back to the rates under Clinton, no one left the country, no one stopped hiring or producing, All we are talking about is a lousy four percentage points.

From 35% to 39%. Yes, that's what the fuss is about.

Oh, and the estate tax. Reinstate it. It only hits when someone dies and leaves an estate over five million. Not too many of us do that, but when Steinbrenner died, he left an estate of over a billion dollars, Uncle Sam's portions of that would have been six hundred million. That's a lot of people, weapons, salaries that could have come from that. And he is just one person.

A fixed percentage, across the board consumption tax could reflect that. Say a 10% sales tax on everything but food.

For instance: Mister Billionaire buys a Credit Default Swap for say $30 million dollars. At 10% sales tax he would pay $3 million dollars in tax.

Mister Pauper doesn't buy CDSs, obviously. He buys gasoline. For a $3 a gallon he pays 30 cents tax.

But Mister Billionaire also buys gasoline. Plus, probably, jet fuel and yacht fuel.

The same sales tax also applies to buying a skyscraper in New Yawk City, or 1000 shares of Microsoft.

See where this is going? You could even make it progressive by taxing non-essentials at a higher rate.

For instance:

Food sales tax = 0

Electricity sales tax = .05%

Gasoline = 1%

Lawnmowers = 2%

iPhones = 10%

Skyscrapers, yachts, CDOs = 20%

%

well, at least you've tumbled to the slippery language used by the politicians.

you're correct -- they dodge and weave when asked to define "fair" in this context. Like Obama, this lets their audience assume the politician means the same "fair" the listener thinks of -- without committing him- or herself to any actual position.

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plainly, having more income and more assets does impose certain added costs on society as a whole -- more needs protecting, which requires more police and fire services than less. This suggest to me that per capita taxes are inherently unfair, as the better off have more to protect and thus should be paying more.

This does not, however, suggest how much more.

In the interests of economic efficiency and promoting economic growth [which benefits everyone], I suggest that the lower the tax rates, the better off society as a whole will be.

Further, I suggest that everyone paying taxes is desirable ... it promotes everyone feeling like they have a stake in the game and thus participating in the elections cycle.

Thus, I'm an advocate of flat taxes. Same percentage for everyone.

Now, I can be flexible on what is taxed, just so long as consumption is included in the mix as a significant part. I want consumption taxed because liars, cheats, and thieves [or drug dealers] aren't going to file truthful income taxes ever -- but they can't escape consumption taxes when all legit sellers of everything collect them on behalf of the government.

So, combining ideas, I think that a 20% VAT on all consumption would be best, combined with a 50% tax on inheritances exceeding some reasonable amount [to be determined by the political process]. then other taxes that do not serve a dedicated purpose should be eliminated -- that's income taxes, social insurance taxes, and unemployment taxes.

I never went in for that "fair share" BS. That is just another catchy sound bite, like "death panel." I believe the wealthiest among us can afford to pay more in taxes, without suffering. Raising taxes on the poorest Americans will just create more suffering.

Not nearly as catchy, but much more accurate assessment of the situation at the moment.

i think of it is going to be at 35%. that could desire to be the place Clinton had them and the place Reagan raised them in 1982. valuable human beings aka "wealthy human beings already pay the popular public of taxes in this country. authentic a million% pay virtually 40% of the taxes. under 5% of the valuable human beings inherited their money. The overwhelming majority labored stressful and earned their money.

My opinion of rich people paying their fair share is to be taxed at a really high rate. I personally beleive in fair distribution of wealth in a society and having 1% of the population controlling 90% of the wealth is ridiculuous. These people are complaining about only making over a million dollars a year. As a society we need to tax the snot out of the rich and give massive tax breaks to the poor.

A luxury sales tax so everybody pays the same rate. That way I will pay a little tax when I buy the $200 T.V. and the "rich" man pays a lot of tax when he buys the $2,000 T.V. We each pay the same sales tax rate, but he pays more total because he buys more expensive things. That is fair.

Yes, after tanking the global economy and the taxpayers giving them a bailout

They go right back to the same corrupt business practices that caused all this.

Their fair share would use all of their money fixing every country they screwed up their economy.

But they don't even want their loopholes taken away or a 5.6% surtax.

The corporations should of had the angry villagers with torches and pitchforks at their doors by now. The villagers should bring ropes with them now.

Fair share..

If somebody makes 10x more than me, they pay 10x more taxes.

If somebody makes 1/10th as much as me, they pay 1/10th as much taxes.

Some people are smarter, work harder, get an education, and contribute alot. These people ae often rich and they DESERVE it. 35% tax rate is high enough!