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Evidence isn't necessary for one who is already convinced. However, there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: ht

Evidence isn't necessary for one who is already convinced. However, there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: https://www.publishedreporter.com/2021/04/05/op-ed-top-1-income-earners-pay-majority-of-taxes-benefits-other-99-of-americans/ https://www.publishedreporter.com/2021/04/05/op-ed-top-1-inc... https://howmuch.net/articles/high-income-americans-pay-majority-of-federal-taxes https://howmuch.net/articles/high-income-americans-pay-major... https://taxfoundation.org/top-1-percent-pays-more-taxes-bottom-90-percent https://taxfoundation.org/top-1-percent-pays-more-taxes-bott...

Analemma_ 5y ago
"The top earners pay the majority of tax already!" is a smoke and mirrors argument to try and distract you, especially when they've been collecting all the income gains. Consider that if there are income gains which go exclusively to the wealthy but the tax code stays the same, by definition they will end up paying an increasing percentage of total tax revenue, even though this situation does not mean their taxes need to be decreased - precisely the opposite.
jdlshore 5y ago
The next article in the series states that the mass of citizens with equivalent wealth pay about 100x the tax. The billionaires may pay more tax individually, but they don’t pay a fair share, if that’s true. Given what we know about Trump’s taxes and what Buffett has been saying, I found it entirely believable.
mtberatwork 5y ago
> Evidence isn't necessary for one who is already convinced. I suppose that cuts both ways then: https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics/ https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics...
- bpt3 5y ago
  That article fails to address a key point: the vast majority of those "regressive" taxes are really forced savings for retirement, where you get a return based on your contributions. FICA taxes are capped because the benefits are as well.
bpt3 5y ago
> However, there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: Yes, that's an argument against people who want Europe-style social programs while simultaneously making the US tax code even more progressive than it already is (it's generally considered the the most progressive in the world). It's true that the top 1% to pay most of the taxes, and it's also true that the top 0.1% or so pay a significantly lower tax rate than those in the income ranges just below that level.
HWR_14 5y ago
> , there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: What a strange argument. I will personally pay 95% of all taxes in the US if I somehow make me make 99% of all income. Which seems fairly equivalent to your point, except both of my numbers are slightly exaggerated.
- bpt3 5y ago
  Right now, the top 20% pay a significantly higher share of the federal income tax collected than their share of income.
  - HWR_14 5y ago
    Now you're shifting the goalpost. You're revising it now to income taxes. It's most certainly not true of all taxes, and I don't even believe of all federal taxes.
    - bpt3 5y ago
      I'm not shifting the goalposts, this conversation is about federal income taxes and every reference in the post you originally replied to is discussing federal income taxes. On top of that, the top 20% of income earners do pay a larger share of taxes overall than their share of revenue, even according to organizations advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy: https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics/ https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics...

Analemma_ 5y ago

"The top earners pay the majority of tax already!" is a smoke and mirrors argument to try and distract you, especially when they've been collecting all the income gains. Consider that if there are income gains which go exclusively to the wealthy but the tax code stays the same, by definition they will end up paying an increasing percentage of total tax revenue, even though this situation does not mean their taxes need to be decreased - precisely the opposite.

jdlshore 5y ago

The next article in the series states that the mass of citizens with equivalent wealth pay about 100x the tax. The billionaires may pay more tax individually, but they don’t pay a fair share, if that’s true. Given what we know about Trump’s taxes and what Buffett has been saying, I found it entirely believable.

mtberatwork 5y ago

> Evidence isn't necessary for one who is already convinced. I suppose that cuts both ways then: https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics/ https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics...

bpt3 5y ago
That article fails to address a key point: the vast majority of those "regressive" taxes are really forced savings for retirement, where you get a return based on your contributions. FICA taxes are capped because the benefits are as well.

bpt3 5y ago

> However, there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: Yes, that's an argument against people who want Europe-style social programs while simultaneously making the US tax code even more progressive than it already is (it's generally considered the the most progressive in the world). It's true that the top 1% to pay most of the taxes, and it's also true that the top 0.1% or so pay a significantly lower tax rate than those in the income ranges just below that level.

HWR_14 5y ago

> , there is a lot that says that the 1% actually pay the vast majority of taxes collected: What a strange argument. I will personally pay 95% of all taxes in the US if I somehow make me make 99% of all income. Which seems fairly equivalent to your point, except both of my numbers are slightly exaggerated.

bpt3 5y ago
Right now, the top 20% pay a significantly higher share of the federal income tax collected than their share of income.
- HWR_14 5y ago
  Now you're shifting the goalpost. You're revising it now to income taxes. It's most certainly not true of all taxes, and I don't even believe of all federal taxes.
  - bpt3 5y ago
    I'm not shifting the goalposts, this conversation is about federal income taxes and every reference in the post you originally replied to is discussing federal income taxes. On top of that, the top 20% of income earners do pay a larger share of taxes overall than their share of revenue, even according to organizations advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy: https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics/ https://theintercept.com/2019/04/13/tax-day-taxes-statistics...