If you are a working American Citizen, you pay income tax. We are so used to the income tax that we do not even look at that part of our pay checks anymore. When we discuss our pay with friends or family we refer to it as our take-home pay not what we actually earn. Next time you receive a paycheck stop and really look at the details. There is federal income tax, state income tax, and some areas have local income tax. Do not forget about Social Security tax and Medicare. Now, imagine that the income taxes were erased from your paycheck. That's a big difference, is it not? Actually getting the money you earn. That is the reason I am an advocate of the Fair Tax Plan. We get to keep the money we earn, the government still receives revenue, and …show more content…
Because of the current income tax laws we are also missing the economic growth generated by new and expanding businesses. More and more companies are moving their corporate headquarters overseas in order to avoid a version of double taxation. Current corporate tax laws currently tax not only what companies earn in the United States; they also tax what the companies earn in other countries. It makes it unnecessarily hard for our businesses to compete in international markets. The FairTax Bill (H.R.25/S.25) was introduced in July 1999 to the 106th United States Congress by Republican John Linder and he has reintroduced it during every session convened since then. However it has never been voted on by a committee in either the House or the Senate. In order to become a law the bill will have to be included in a final version of tax legislation from either the Ways and Means Committee or Finance Committee. After that it has obtain support from the Joint Committee on Taxation, and finally pass both the House and the Senate. The formal name of the current FairTax legislation is the Fair Tax Act of 2005. It has been introduced by Linder in the House and by Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss in the Senate. The FairTax is a proposal for changing United States …show more content…
As tax time approaches, it's critical to understand which tax deductions are allowable for each particular individual taxpayer. Basically, the IRS allows a deductions for business use of a home or residence and it's your responsibility to know exactly what is an allowable IRS deduction and what is not. You obviously cannot deduct your entire home for business because you live there so follow the steps below to help you determine what portion of your home is used for business: Determine if your home is actually being used for business by meeting 2 of the next 3 conditions: • Determine if most administrative and managerial tasks are done from the home. • Determine if your home office is a separate structure. • Determine if you regularly meet clients and/or patients at your home in order to conduct business. Determine which portion of your home is used for business. Divide the number of square feet used for a home office or home based business by the total number of square feet in your home. Working at a desk in your den or kitchen a few days a year isn't going to allow you to get the home office deduction. If that same desk is used on a regular basis and only for business, well then that may qualify. Determine which expenses are allowable as deductions: rent or mortgage, portion of utility bills, travel expenses for business, computers used for business, etc. Check
People do not enjoy talking about taxes because they are too political, confusing, and depressing. It is no secret that the American tax code is a mess and something many economists describe as too broken to fix. Despite this, politicians have never stopped from trying to “fix” the code, yet they have had very little success. The U.S. Government’s tax code currently comprises “more than 67,000 pages of complexities” (Boortz, Linder, & Woodall 14). The Americans for Fair Taxation (AFFT) was founded in 1995 with one goal: create the simplest and best tax reform plan that would work in the modern market and economy. The AFFT’s best solution was a bill which they promptly called the FairTax.
The federal tax code has a level of complexity so great, that reforming it should be the one thing Republicans and Democrats can agree on. Instead, proposal after proposal calling for reform die in Congress. And there have been a lot of proposals. Arlen Specter (D-PA) put some form of a flat tax/tax reform proposal into Congress’s hands every year from 1995-2010. This is because, for the most part, the fight for reform always comes down to a two sided debate. One side wants to keep the current complex structure and the other sees no other alternative than blowing this current structure up and moving to a flat rate system. All of this brings me to the arguments for/against the flat rate tax system.
If the government starts doing that it would be fairer because everyone is getting the right amount of tax based on their income. But right now the rich and poor have to pay the same amount of money and it doesn’t matter about their income. Right now the rich should not really care about the taxes because they are rich and it doesn’t matter to them. But the taxes do matter to the poor people because they have really less amount of income and a large amount of taxes will affect them. The government has all records of people’s incomes and other information, so if the government makes a rule that the people with more income pay more taxes and the people with less income pay fewer taxes, it would be much better. But the taxes go to the government and the government makes the America better by making newer roads, better environment, and
Under I.R.C. Section 7701(b), an individual is considered a US resident for tax purposes if they are physically present in the US on at least 1) 31 days during the current year, and 2) 183 days during the three year period that includes the two years immediately before that, counting, all days of current year, 1/3 of days in first year before the current year, and 1/6 of days in the second year before the current year (Substantial Presence Test, 2013). Because Mr. Murray was physically in the US from June through December 2012, 210 days, he is considered a US resident under the substantial presence test for income tax purposes for the year 2012. All his income of $65,000 would be reported on Form 1040 and be taxed as if he was a United States resident.
The tax system in the United States has changed throughout the years, with many attempts to make it "fair" or "equal" while at the same time generating enough income for the United States government to thrive. It is a complex issue, and a controversial one at that. While it may not be possible for our tax system to ever be fair, it is important to make sure it doesn 't put more financial stress and pressure on one group than on another.
The FairTax plan, which was originally introduced back in 1999, was reintroduced by House Representative John Linder and Senator Saxby Chambliss in 2007. It proposes to replace the current income tax system, which includes personal income, corporate income, estate and gift, capital gains, alternative minimum tax, Social Security, Medicare, and self-employment
In my opinion as to whether or not the current federal income tax structure is fair for most Americans is that it is not fair. The following information will provide support for my decision. The main federal tax brackets are for single individuals, married individuals filing separately, married individuals filing as a couple and individuals filing as a head of household. In the financial year 2014, the lowest tax bracket paid a rate of 10% on income up to $9,075 while the highest bracket paid an average rate of 36.4% ($406,751 and above). Most individuals pay taxes across several tax brackets, and as a result, they end up with the progressive tax structure. In the current progressive federal income structure, individuals with a lower
This article written by Dave Roos explains the American situation that is already in the title itself “Is it true that only 53 percent of Americans pay income tax?” To further explain, Mr. Roos pointed out that the politicians and organizations believe that the richest Americans pay the largest share of taxes. He then gives an example of the top twenty percent of Americans that earn 53.4 percent but pay 67.2 percent of total income tax. Another shocking point that was made was half of all Americans don’t pay income tax at all; reason being that they are the 99 percent. That being said, the 53 percent of Americans who pay income tax must be given credit for keeping the US in business. This statistics states to be true because only 49 percent
Our current income tax system today is very complex, unfair, inhibits saving, investment and job creation, imposes a heavy burden on families, and weakens the integrity of the democratic process. It can't be fixed and must be replaced. The U.S. income tax code is a long and complex system. The income tax system is so complex; the IRS publishes 480 tax forms and 280 forms to explain the 480 forms. The IRS sends out eight billion pages of forms and instructions each year. The administrative costs of the tax system far exceed those borne directly by the IRS. Each year Americans devote 5.4 billion hours complying with the tax code, which is more time than it takes to build every car, truck, and van produced in the U.S.
Cindy Loo Hoo was born on January 1, 1969. She resides at 543 Apple Crescent, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2G 1A1. Her telephone number is (204) 277-7777 and her Social Insurance Number is 111 000 111.
Did you know that an astonishing 43.4 percent of the people in America do not pay any income taxes" (McCullagh 1)? This is roughly 65.6 million people that aren't paying taxes and this is putting our economy and country at its breaking point. Our current tax system penalizes those that work and save money. People that pay no taxes still get to enjoy the benefits. The United States needs to look at which tax is fairer to the people and easier to administer by the government. Although some may disagree, the Flat Tax should replace the income tax to simplify and bring fairness to the system, increase income, and create jobs.
There is an ominous shadow hanging over the American people threatening to consume our freedoms, wealth, and the very sanity that holds our nation together. America is a nation born from revolution against unjust taxation from a government that does not hear the voice of those who pay the taxes. Today this nation is threatened by the same oppression that incited a revolution and gave birth to one of the greatest democracies in history of the world. The accumulated debt of America and its people is without rival in the modern world, and threatens to tear this nation apart. The only way to deal with the rising debt of a nation is to tax its people, like the Federal Income Tax. Many question the Federal income tax, asking if this is a
With the ever-increasing complexity of the United States tax code, it has become more important than ever for companies to understand and implement possible tax benefits for the company and its employees. One major benefit that applies to both is employer-provided meals. Employer-provided meals have become a major topic due to their double-sided benefits. These are both tax beneficial to employers, as the meals can be deducted by the business as an expense on its federal income tax return, which reduces the business’ tax liability. Concurrently, the benefit of the provided meal is excluded from the taxable gross income of the employee, providing the employee with a tax-free benefit. After fully understanding the laws related to employer-provided meals, a business could begin thinking about implementation of the benefit.
So, it is no surprise that the middle class may also have concerns about the Fair Tax being onerous as well, but once they understand that the price they currently pay at the register includes an embedded costs of the taxes that were paid by the company selling the product, then they realize that the consumption tax is simply a swap, and that the main benefit is that they receive their wages tax-free. Another benefit is that the consumption tax only applies to services, and newly purchased items (Amadeo). If someone decides to buy a home, a car, or anything else that has been previously owned, the purchase is then tax-free. The benefit for the middle class does not stop there, because there is the benefit of attracting more jobs and higher wages as a result of the Fair Tax. Recently 500 international companies were asked how eliminating corporate taxes in the United States would affect their business decisions, and 80% said that they would build their next plant or building in U.S. Creating a higher demand for skilled labor to fill the new positions created, translates to higher wages (Linder). Which would be welcome news a time when millions are out of work, and even college graduates are having a hard time finding a good paying
The current tax system is named progressive tax. Progressive tax is established off the people who make more money pay more in taxes while the people who make less money pay less in taxes. This system does not fit in well with today 's society because the more compensated are charged much more than the less compensated, “the top 1% of taxpayers have consistently paid more in federal income taxes than the bottom 90% since 2003 and that share has increased almost every year since 1980” (Phillips). Having the top 1% of taxpayers pay more than the super majority of the country is extraordinarily unfair to the 1%. A main principle of the United States is equality, so the tax policy should be more equal. With flat tax enacted every person would be paying the identical percentage of tax. With this in mind, it is not exactly equal, but very close. On the flip side, it does give the lower income people a break while