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Politics : Just the Facts, Ma'am: A Compendium of Liberal Fiction -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Oeconomicus who wrote (56559)	3/27/2007 12:03:14 PM
From: Sully-	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 90947

Who Really Pays? By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY Posted Monday, March 26, 2007 Fiscal Policy: It's a matter of faith for some that tax cuts and government spending help the rich, while leaving crumbs for the poor. But as with most conventional wisdom, nothing could be further from the truth. Typical is this quote from the online journal Democracy: 'Call it phony universalism, Robin Hood in reverse, or socialism for the rich — whatever the name, the U.S. government is effectively targeting tax subsidies and legal protections at the more advantaged members of American society.' Now here's the reality: The rich are being taxed at ever-higher levels, while more workers at the bottom of the income ladder are paying no taxes at all. As for spending, resources flowing to those at the bottom far outstrip those flowing to those at the top. Far from 'favoring the rich,' as many believe, our tax code is massively redistributionist, sending literally trillions of dollars into low-income homes and far less into wealthy homes. This may be good or bad, depending on your point of view, but the fact is it's happening. And those who argue that recent tax cuts 'benefit the rich' ignore the reality. A new study by the Tax Foundation shows the extent of the redistribution. The lowest-earning one-fifth of households, it says, get about $8.21 in total government spending for each dollar of taxes paid. Households deemed 'middle income' get $1.30 in return for every dollar sent to Washington. The rich get back 40 cents. Looking at both taxes and spending in a representative year — 2004 — the study found an estimated $1.03 trillion to $1.53 trillion was 'redistributed downward' from the two highest-earning income quintiles. That's a lot of redistribution. Today, some 44 million Americans pay no taxes at all. Meanwhile, the upper 5% of all income earners in 2004 paid 57.13% of all taxes, up from 35.01% in 1980. In other words, the U.S. tax code is becoming more progressive, not less. No one minds helping the truly needy. But as with welfare in the pre-1996 reform era, reliance on government can become a habit — imposing huge costs on our national economy. Worse, a 'what's in it for me?' attitude seems increasingly the norm. Once a nation of stoic, self-reliant individualists, America now seems full of people who think other taxpayers owe them something. They see the 'system' as a giant cow to be milked — and damn the cow. This is backed up by polling data. In a 1994 Pew poll, 57% agreed with the statement 'Government should care for those who can't care for themselves.' Today, it's 69%. It's sad enough when a nation punishes its most productive citizens and rewards the least productive. But the real shame is that there are so many myths about taxes and poverty we can't even have an honest discussion about it. ibdeditorials.com