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Non-Tech : Who Really Pays Taxes? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: briskit who wrote (425)	8/18/2000 9:39:05 AM
From: PMS Witch	Respond to of 666

January, February, March, and April. When I ran my business, I spent most of my time during the first four months of the year on tax stuff. One out of every three years, I'd send more money to my accountants to prepare my tax returns than I'd be required to pay in taxes. My decision to retire was in no small measure influenced by the requirement of meeting obligations laid down in a tax code that was well beyond human understanding. At my expense, my accountants were required to tutor tax officials on the intricate dungeons of their own regulations, interpretations, and mis-interpretations. I'm forever filled with gratitude that I didn't need to finance the retirement nest-eggs of a few partners in a tax-law practice too. I had no idea how wonderful it would be to celebrate Christmas and New Years without that sinking feeling of the tangle of red tape I'd be facing in the coming weeks and months. So -- I now have no income, but more importantly, I now have no tax worries either. April is now just another month: A month where flowers bloom, the snow disappears, and I can shop for new clothes. I don't think many people have voluntarilly given up their businesses because of bureaucratic nightmares, but I'm sure a number have felt they had no choice. If life's menu includes only health and wealth, and you're only allowed to pick one ... Cheers, PW.

To: briskit who wrote (425)	8/18/2000 9:46:48 AM
From: PMS Witch	Respond to of 666

...I could have suffered lesser penalties for many criminal offences... In the next township, a guy shot a fellow and threw his body into the ditch. The victim was discovered, and miraculously, lived. The shooter received a fine of $1,500 and no jail. When investigating the crime, the township was alerted to the need of some improvements in the way this ditch handled water runoff. The engineers were brought in and the work commenced. The residents along that strip of road were required to pay a 'property improvement levy' of $3,500 each. This struck me as odd. The shooting costs the criminal $1,500, but also costs the unlucky property owners $3,500. Cheers, PW.

To: briskit who wrote (425)	8/18/2000 12:12:44 PM
From: Lizzie Tudor	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 666

It seems clear to me that lower income people are not paying too much in the way of taxes, unless they deserve a free ride. Are the 25-year olds that work for me getting a free ride if they have to pay 12K/year into fica and I (who am much wealthier) do not? Given the fact that they are in their 20s, how much do you think they will get out of fica at age 65 for the 12K/year? How much did you put into fica when you were 25?