Do the rich pay enough in income taxes?

[opebo]

The increase is also based on after-tax earnings of the company. What is so hard for you to understand about this?

It doesn't matter what the increase is based upon - supply and demand, improved earnings prospects, a bubble - it is still income, and should be taxed as such.

[A18]

It is based upon a factor that is taxed, and is therefore reduced in proportion.

Now, if you want to abolish business taxes, and index capital gains for inflation, then I would agree that it should be taxed at the same rate as everything else.

[opebo]

It is based upon a factor that is taxed, and is therefore reduced in proportion.

Now, if you want to abolish business taxes, and index capital gains for inflation, then I would agree that it should be taxed at the same rate as everything else.

I have always thought that capital gains should be indexed for inflation, since one only wants to tax the real gain, not just inflation.  I also agree that the rates should be the same as for income, so as not to encourage people to hide capital gains as wages, or vice versa.  By the same rationale, one should not tax 'corporate' income at a lessor rate (or not tax it at all), as people will hide their income under corporate entitities.

[A18]

Do you support abolishing taxes on business?

[opebo]

Do you support abolishing taxes on business?

I think this has been accomplished in a backwards way by abolishing the tax on dividend income.  I would have much preferred keeping dividend taxes and abolishing corporate taxes.

However the danger here is that people will create corporations just to keep from paying taxes.. many actors already have corporations to recieve their pay for films. 

[A18]

How is that a danger if you tax capital gains as regular income? I am quite sure corporations are not allowed to engage in illegitimate business activity.

[MaC]

we need a flat tax, 0%.   Big fat zero, that way the government will still get the same percentage from the rich as from the poor, but at no expense whatsoever to the taxpayer. 

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

we need a flat tax, 0%.   Big fat zero, that way the government will still get the same percentage from the rich as from the poor, but at no expense whatsoever to the taxpayer. 

Wow, won't it be fun when all of the roads are privatized. Who gets to charge tolls on the Manhattan sidewalks?

[??????????]

we need a flat tax, 0%.   Big fat zero, that way the government will still get the same percentage from the rich as from the poor, but at no expense whatsoever to the taxpayer. 

Wow, won't it be fun when all of the roads are privatized. Who gets to charge tolls on the Manhattan sidewalks?

Well, as a matter of fact, one of the few constitutional rights the federal government DOES have is to build roads.

[TheresNoMoney]

The value of a stock, for example, is based on the projected after-tax earnings of a company.

No, it's not. The value of a stock is not based on any one factor. Thousands and thousands of companies that lose money each year have stock values that continue to rise. The market is not rational.

Your statement is ignorant.

[A18]

It's based on projected long-term earnings, obviously. Feel free to put all your money in a sh**tty company and watch what happens.