Some U.S. companies pay more to CEOs than in Taxes

And this is why Andy and the other 'tax the rich' fools.... fail.


Maybe next time you will actually read something when Bart or I start about flat taxes.

But I doubt they are that smart.

How so?

There is a "magic" to flat taxes that prevent tax exemptions. Seems people are not smart enough to have both progressive taxes and fewer exemptions. And flat taxes automatically eliminate tax exemptions. (sarcasm)

Govts love exemptions, since they allow buying votes, such as the sports deduction of the Harperites. There is no reason to suppose that even if all exemptions are eliminated with a flat tax, that exemptions wont' be snuck back in - for the common good of course. Then we'd have the rich paying even less taxes and still get their tax exemptions.

Also, I've always heard the flat tax proposal made in regard to personal income taxes. Never to corporate taxes, which is what this story is about. That's because in Canada at least we already have a flat tax system, just one that differentiates between small and large businesses. A business earning higher profits doesn't pay a higher tax rate. Bet it's the same in the US.

Martin just isn't smart enough to understand all this tho. Bart neither since he is (or at least was) under the impression that the top marginal tax rate applies to all your earnings.

People who champion flat taxes don't understand taxation well enough to take anything they say on the subject seriously. Nod and ignore them.

If your always complaining about your taxes are you really a good citizen?

When employees of the GSA [a government agency in charge of cutting cost] blows $835,000 on a party in Las Vegas, then I would say yes you are indeed being a good citizen bitching about paying taxes.

Giving more money to the government is like giving heroin to an addict. They only want more.

Just cutting indiscriminately is like amputating the leg of the heroin addict to cure him.

Yes yes, we can see how well things are working in the US, it's
all good, nothing needs to change.

Have a look at the new EU countries, yeah it's all bad,
no one pays anything.

I don't doubt your sincerity in proposing this type of arrangement. I just have massive doubts that the ultra-wealthy are going to sit idly by and allow all the tax deductions/credits/write-offs that made them rich in the first place to be abolished. Toss in banning all executive bonuses, deferred payment schedules, offshore tax-havens, and payment in stock options as part of a comprehensive flat tax/tax reform plan and then I'll start taking the flat-tax talk seriously. Until then it's just more of the vacuum effect of the last thirty-odd years still going on, with an endless stream of revenue being sucked out of the pockets of the lower wage earners flowing upwards into the accounts of the wealthy.

True enough. I am not talking about blindly taking a chainsaw to the budget here, I am calling for some accountability from the people who are tasked with spending our tax dollars. The fact that the GSA is all about cost cutting, and they are out partying like a drunken sailor on shore leave for the first time in a year. On the taxpayers dime,I might add. We have the fox gaurding the hen house. Remember when you were young, out on an all night bender? You woke up in strange places with the hangover from hell, and an empty wallet. You had no idea where the money went. Thats a typical day in the life of the U.S. Federal government. They blow our money with nothing to show,and they have their hands out for more.

Its like the kid that went off to college. The parents paid the tuition and bought the books. They paid for the dorm, and the meal plan. They put some money on the card for day to day expenses. Every day the kid is calling home needing more money for something.The electric daisy carnival is in town, springbreak is coming, the burning man festival is happening,etc.etc. I say enough already! Buy your own booze, buy your own weed. Pay for your own room in Panama city. I don't live that well, and I have a job. Accountability.....thats all I'm asking for.

I don't doubt your sincerity in proposing this type of arrangement. I just have massive doubts that the ultra-wealthy are going to sit idly by and allow all the tax deductions/credits/write-offs that made them rich in the first place to be abolished. Toss in banning all executive bonuses, deferred payment schedules, offshore tax-havens, and payment in stock options as part of a comprehensive flat tax/tax reform plan and then I'll start taking the flat-tax talk seriously. Until then it's just more of the vacuum effect of the last thirty-odd years still going on, with an endless stream of revenue being sucked out of the pockets of the lower wage earners flowing upwards into the accounts of the wealthy.


Well this is exactly why flat taxes havent been implemented in the West.

Companies keep feeding politicians who keep writing bad laws
around the things you mentioned and more.

But it gets off on a tangent, my main point was that you can
redo the tax law to 'make the rich pay more', but the
fact is they won't. They will just find different ways around the system.
Flat taxes start to close the system.

Implement Flat Tax, within a few years suddenly you'll see exceptions. Soon the Flat Tax will only be a Maximum Tax and all those with $Lots will be paying far below "Flat".

Taxes, like Money, are synthetic constructs. This idea that Flat Taxes are some noble thing is pure poppy cock. Tax levels need to be sufficient to Pay for the Services Demanded(Supply/Demand), that is first and foremost the primary determinant of Tax Rates. How to spread the burden in an equitable manner is the next important factor. This is where Flat Tax fails and Progressive Tax excels.

A. Progressive taxes are by definition inequitable.

B. Progressive tax fails when they dont get paid.

A. Progressive taxes are by definition inequitable.

B. Progressive tax fails when they dont get paid.

Incorrect. They are more equitable due to their usage of Ability to Pay.