By David Sirota
March 5, 2013 | Salon
Showing posts with label tax expenditures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tax expenditures. Show all posts
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Lowry: Romney's argument 'flawed & dangerous'
You won't hear (see) me say this often, so get ready: arch-conservative Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, is right. He's correct. Take his conclusion:
This tendency [to demand that poor people pay federal income tax] represents a backdoor return to country-club Republicanism, with the approval of part of the Republican base. Fear of the creation of a class of “takers” can slide into disdain for people who are too poor — or have too many kids or are too old — to pay their damn taxes. For a whiff of how politically unattractive this point of view can be, just look at the Romney fundraising video.
Wow. He actually gets it this time. No further comment necessary.
His tax argument is flawed and dangerous.
By Rich Lowry
September 21, 2012 | National Review
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
How Romney engaged in class warfare
Said Romney to a room of friendly, super-rich private donors in Boca Raton on May 17:
Here are the facts: 17 percent of those non-taxpayers are the elderly with little or no income who collect Social Security and Medicare -- services they paid their whole lives for. But the elderly are "dependent" in Romney's view. Only 18 percent have no tax liability (including FICA) because they have no labor income, for whatever reason (including college students and our combat troops, for example) -- they are the true "dependents" if you prefer that term. The remaining 28 percent are lower- and middle-class workers who do pay FICA tax levied on 100 percent of their income -- revenue from which goes to fund about half of the federal budget -- Medicare and Social Security. And why do they not pay any federal income tax? Because of Dubya's tax cuts, the Standard Deduction, Mortgage Interest Deduction and the Child Tax Credit, all popular tax expenditures in place long before Obama and upheld by Republicans.
Moreover, according to CNN, more than 90 percent of all those with zero federal income tax liability earn below $50,000.
This is blatant class warfare. There's no other term for it. Not only that, it's a lie.There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what…These are people who pay no income tax.
Here are the facts: 17 percent of those non-taxpayers are the elderly with little or no income who collect Social Security and Medicare -- services they paid their whole lives for. But the elderly are "dependent" in Romney's view. Only 18 percent have no tax liability (including FICA) because they have no labor income, for whatever reason (including college students and our combat troops, for example) -- they are the true "dependents" if you prefer that term. The remaining 28 percent are lower- and middle-class workers who do pay FICA tax levied on 100 percent of their income -- revenue from which goes to fund about half of the federal budget -- Medicare and Social Security. And why do they not pay any federal income tax? Because of Dubya's tax cuts, the Standard Deduction, Mortgage Interest Deduction and the Child Tax Credit, all popular tax expenditures in place long before Obama and upheld by Republicans.
Moreover, according to CNN, more than 90 percent of all those with zero federal income tax liability earn below $50,000.
So Romney is basically admitting he can't win over the middle class, and he's blaming it on tax policies that have been in place for decades. Perhaps that's why Romney is silent on the middle class on his Issues web page.
Besides class warfare, it's preemptive excuse-making by Romney. He's laying the groundwork to justify later why he lost. At this fundraiser Romney admitted, "The fact that I'm either tied or close to the president…that's very interesting." Interesting, because he should be kicking Obama's tail in such a down economy and he knows it. But he's not. They are running neck and neck. Why? Because Romney sucks, and the GOP's ideas suck.
Now enjoy this:
When he doesn't know a camera's rolling, the GOP candidate shows his disdain for half of America.
By David Corn
September 17, 2012 | Mother Jones
Sunday, January 15, 2012
America's hidden social welfare state
"Once tax expenditures for social welfare programs are included in social spending figures, the U.S. welfare state is a similar size to those in Europe."
You don't hear about that every day! Here are some details:
"Based on direct spending on social welfare programs as a proportion of the total economy, the U.S. (at 16.2 percent) lags behind every country in Europe except Slovakia, according to data analyzed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. By contrast, when it comes to tax breaks with a social purpose, the U.S. -- at 2 percent of gross domestic product -- leads the pack."
You also don't hear that those tax expenditures go to the middle class and especially to the rich.
By Dan Froomkin
January 13, 2012 | Huffington Post
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