Americans' tax burden is lightest in developed world

eternitysgarden · Nov 25, 2009

Quote from Maverick74:

I am amazed at how few Americans actually understand our tax system. The revolt on the right has nothing to do the "aggregate amount of taxes paid in the US". It has to do with wealth distribution.

Here is something to chew on, 40% of Americans pay zero federal taxes. That's right...zero. The rich in this country also pay close to nothing in taxes. It's the middle class that gets f*cked. Take from the middle to give to the poor and bailout the rich. That is where the outrage is.

If you live in Norway, Sweden or France, I've got news for you, you are paying taxes. Even if you make 10k a year, you are paying a lot in taxes. In this country, if you make under 35k or so, you will pay nothing in taxes. That is not the case in this northern european countries.

In fact, in this country, not only does the poor not pay taxes, most of them actually get money back that was never theirs to begin with, thanks to the earned income tax credit. That is outright theft. Again, stealing from the middle class and actually giving cash back to the poor.

If we had a fair tax system in this country, the poor would not get money back, in fact, they would have to pay their fair share as well, as well as the middle class and the rich. That is how Europe does it. Here in the US, only the middle class pays taxes.

That is why you are seeing tea parties across the country. That is where the outrage is. Bailout Goldman, bill it to the middle class. Bailout corporate America, bill it to the middle class. Start a war, bill it to the middle class. Waste trillions in useless social programs that never work, bill it to the middle class.

And guess what happened to the middle class folks? It's gone. We killed it. We now call them the lower milddle and guess what...we're still sending them the bill.

Wake up America!!!

http://www.taxfoundation.org/research/show/1410.html
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+ 11111111!

heypa · Nov 25, 2009

To be fair count all the taxes paid. Include the national debt which has to be paid. Count the inflation tax which costs everyone. The poor don't pay taxes- right. How about social security- What a misnomer.
WHO PRODUCED THIS CRAP and what is their agenda ?
Question everything. If lazy at least question what you put out as facts.
I know it's just ET where anything goes, but geezzzz.

TraderZones · Nov 25, 2009

Quote from pspr:

Without more information its hard to say if they are comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges.

What about state taxes, city taxes, capital gains taxes, etc., etc. And what benefits is government providing for those tax dollars? Health benefits, expanded social services, etc., etc.

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Read the article "That figure â which includes local, state and federal taxes, including Social Security..."

It is comparing apples to apples. Each country's totals for these are combined...

Dragons Teeth · Nov 25, 2009

Income and corporate tax in the US is not unreasonable its the local taxes in some states that I find galling. I have family and friends in NY and CA and they are just getting gouged. My cousin registered his US arm in Maryland which seems to have reasonable corporate tax laws.

Bob111 · Nov 25, 2009

Quote from pspr:

Without more information its hard to say if they are comparing apples to apples or apples to oranges.

What about state taxes, city taxes, capital gains taxes, etc., etc. And what benefits is government providing for those tax dollars? Health benefits, expanded social services, etc., etc.

The article as presented tells me nothing. Comparing tax rates in socialist countries to rates in a non-socialist country makes little sense from the standpoint the author is presenting to the reader.

Also, the corporate tax rate in the U.S. is one of the highest in the world. This is tax is a big burden on corporations trying to compete in world markets. Of course, they can move operations to countries that don't have such a high corporate rate to be competitive. Funny, do you think that might be why manufacturing jobs have left the U.S.? Wake up and smell the reality.
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exactly.. add them all and you going to get over 50% for people in 28% fed tax bracket..i'm pretty sure that all of those countries do have "free" health care and education. in US you have pay for everything and pay taxes on those services too. sales tax..8% in Philly

NKNY · Nov 25, 2009

Quote from TraderZones:

Read the article "That figure â which includes local, state and federal taxes, including Social Security..."

It is comparing apples to apples. Each country's totals for these are combined...
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Thats funny, they claim tax revenues in 2008 equaled 26.9% of gross domestic product... Must be a slick way of spinning it... Trying to have one come to the conclusion that americans are only paying 26.9 percent of their income to federal, state and local taxes, that its time we paid more... We know that is not true...

I'm well over 60 % ... I have a tremendous realestate tax burden, sales tax over 8%, ... Once you add in all the little taxes we dont calculate like cable bill tax, cell phone tax, gas tax, landline phone taxes, utilities tax, who knows where you'd end up. HMMM wonder what happened to the fat tax on soft drinks...lol

I have a friend in the union working at ground zero who is taking home 1300 on a 3000 check. 26.9 percent is laughable... what about his real estate taxes, sales taxes etc...Maybe if everyone would pay their fair share it would be that low but its not.

The real question is, how much are the taxpayers who are paying taxes paying as a percent on thier income not what the rate of revenue is relative to the GDP... seems they are spinning and getting us ready for increases.... prob a VAT tax lol

I'd say time for a fair tax system but that will never happen with a government that wants people to depend on it.

fkbsuhites · Nov 25, 2009

canada provides free healthcare charging only 5% more?

wtf is palin smoking when she tells them to ditch their system.

Quote from TraderZones:

Not exactly what ET folks want to hear...

Americans' tax burden is lightest in developed world
By David J. Lynch, USA TODAY

COMPARING TAX BURDENS

How the USA and some other nations compare in total tax revenue as a percentage of GDP:

2007 2008*

Denmark 48.7% 48.3%

Sweden 48.3% 47.1%

Belgium 43.9% 44.3%

France 43.5% 43.1%

Italy 43.5% 43.2%

Finland 43.0% 42.8%

Austria 42.3% 42.9%

Germany 36.2% 36.4%

United Kingdom 36.1% 35.7%

Canada 33.3% 32.2%

United States 28.3% 26.9%

* = provisional Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

You'd never know it from all the cable news chatter, but Americans bear the lightest tax burden in the developed world.
Total U.S. tax revenues in 2008 equaled 26.9% of gross domestic product, according to provisional figures released Tuesday by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That figure â which includes local, state and federal taxes, including Social Security â was lower than the 1990 ratio and far below levels across Europe. In Denmark, the total tax take exceeds 48% of the economy. In France, it tops 43%; Germany, 36%.

To those on the right, who see Uncle Sam's comparatively light touch as a key to economic growth, the new numbers show what's at stake as the Obama White House battles the recession with generous doses of public funds. To others, the tax data from the 30-nation organization suggest the U.S. has room to raise taxes to pay for its unprecedented crisis-related borrowing.

"We're not an overtaxed country," says economist Dean Baker of the left-of-center Center for Economic and Policy Research.

Among all OECD members, the lowest 2008 ratios were recorded by South Korea (26.6%) and Turkey (23.5%).

In 2007, the last year for which complete data are available, the U.S. and Japan shared top billing as the least taxed developed countries.

The OECD data provide a sharp contrast to charges by conservatives such as Fox News' Glenn Beck, who says that the Obama administration is taking the country down "the road to socialism."

But Chris Edwards of the libertarian Cato Institute worries that the United States' comparatively low-tax profile â and its prospects for economic growth â are at risk. If government programs, including Social Security and Medicare, aren't trimmed, future tax increases could chill investment, he says. "I worry for the future of this country," Edwards adds.

The global recession has meant lower revenues from taxes on income, property sales and stock gains in most countries. Plus, many OECD countries cut taxes in the past year in hopes of jump-starting growth. Of 26 countries that reported provisional 2008 data to the OECD, 17 saw their tax-to-GDP ratios fall. And further recession-induced declines are expected when data for this year become available.

With trillion-dollar budget deficits forecast for several years and rising entitlement costs as Baby Boomers retire, many analysts say the U.S. tax take will rise.

"It's going to be politically painful. ... But our competitors are, for the most part, taxing themselves at higher rates," says Andrew Reschovsky, a professor of applied economics at the University of Wisconsin.
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mail2smitty · Nov 25, 2009

Low tax burden, freedom and liberty - still the best in the world.

Enemies are working both internally and externally to change this, it is very hard to compete with...

nickdes · Nov 25, 2009

Go live in another country if you like or think we should be taxed higher.

nickdes · Nov 25, 2009

Quote from Dragons Teeth:

Income and corporate tax in the US is not unreasonable its the local taxes in some states that I find galling. I have family and friends in NY and CA and they are just getting gouged. My cousin registered his US arm in Maryland which seems to have reasonable corporate tax laws.
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What planet are you from? All forms of taxes are too high...It is wealth reallocation at its best. Obama a socialist among other things needs to be shipped back to his Muslim country.