At what income level should you pay taxes?

Again this argument is a red herring. what about those poor people who don't have these luxuries eh? Should a poor person starve if he can't afford to eat and pay his taxes? Should a poor person live in the street if he can't afford to pay his rent and pay his taxes?

BTW Poor people make about 30k a year. 9% of that is $2700. So if Cain's plan is enacted they would be required to pay 2700 a year vs getting back via Earned income tax credit like they do now.

 

Under Cain's plan if you make 30k you will pay 2700 in taxes, not 300.

 

HAHAHAHAHA

I make 30k a year and I guarantee you I'm not poor. I have everything you have, with the exception of a smaller apartment and an older car. 30k is not poor.

 

And kids to feed?

 

No, but if I did I'd send the wife out to work for her own 30k and between the two.. 60k of income would be quite sufficient.

it is obvious that our consumerist culture has given Americans an overinflated sense of what their quality of life should be.

We can't all live in a household bringing in 200k a year.

 

And think about those folks trying to survive on minimum wage, do they not count?

 

it's not a red herring, I'm just asking if its fair to mandate by law that people who don't pay income tax can't buy certain luxuries.

 

Some people seem to think food and a roof over your head is a luxury. I wonder how many of these people have actually lived in a poor community.

To someone who makes something as small as even 50k a year that $50 is nothing but to someone who only has 1000 a month, that is a large amount.

Something for conservative christians who disagree to read.

Luke 21:3-4
"'I tell you the truth,' he said, 'this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.'"

 

That's not the topic of the thread. The topic is what income levels should be exempt from paying taxes.

 

Well that's what I'm trying to figure out. I would say if there are no restriction on luxuries no incomes should be exempt. So I'm trying to find out if you think restrictions would be appropriate.

 

How is the question whether or not poor people should starve, instead of how did they get that way? This country offers more opportunity than any other country in the world. Liberals tend to see the poor as victims or some such nonsense, but they never once take the time to really see how it is that these so-called victims ended up that way. Instead they blame someone else, that's simply not feasible in the modern world.

 

if you make 30k how is it you think that you pay no taxes as you stated in your OP.

That is more Dependant on location. How much is an apartment in your area?
I know that some places charge you 1200 and others are more and in some places you can get away with less than 900. Then you have to consider the cost of food and other products in that area. Can you hunt for your food or can you only buy it from the market. Are you capable of repairing your own vehicle or do you have to have someone else do it. Are you relatively healthy or do you have a lot of medical bills bringing you down. etc...

 

Poor people will always be there. Is it fair to enact Cain's tax plan and force them to pay taxes they don't now pay when they can barely afford to live as it is.

BTW not everyone can go to college. I had to work 60 to 100 hours a week in order to pay my bills, 1986. There was no time for college. Especially when they grade you on attendance and not on ability. I flunked Algebra even though I was a straight A student because I took too many days off to work for a living. I tried again a few years later, 1992, but lost my job and was living on student loan money. The money ran out before I could find another job and I ended up homeless. Finally in 2005 I was on my feet again with a job and I got my AA degree with a 3.6 GPA even though I dropped out of college twice before to get there. I owed 32,000 bucks to the student loan agency. And guess what nobody will hire me and pay me more money because I have an AA degree. Now I need two levels of foreign language before I can go on to a BS degree school. I don't have the money so it ain't going to happen. Student grant and loan money won't give me any more money until I'm a 4-year student. And I can't be a 4-year student until after I learn 2 levels of a foreign language. So I'm stuck. Nobody cares that I have an AA degree. I have a job an illegal alien could do for 1/4 of my pay.

Other people have other stories. Not everyone can work they're way through college. Not enough hours in the day.

 

Maybe there should be a 100% inhertince tax so that people do not grow up ignorant of the lifes of the poor and learn what it really means to have to work to get where you are.

 

Exactly, and this brings to the conclusion that education should be free. Because not everybody has enough money or possibilities to pay their own education.

 

You don't know what I've though now about you. A (*)(*)(*)(*), in USA there are less opportunities for the poor people than in every country of Europe. And let's not talk about the most advanced countries in Europe.

You know nothing. I would like to see you poor. If you're poor in this capitalist world is very difficult to change your situation.

But I am happy that you've shown your true face. You don't want freedom neither equality. You want slaves in worse conditions than the real slaves.

 

I'm not a fan of Cain's 9-9-9 plan either but my position is simple. The 9% federal sales tax is un-Constitutional. The only federal taxes authorized by the US Constitution are apportioned taxes (based upon the number of citizens in the state) under Article I Section 8 or income taxes authorized by the 16th Amendment. I'm somewhat amazed that this issue has not been addressed by either the media or during the Republican debates.

As for college it's not the only avenue for success but it is a good one if the correct major is selected. There are and have been well over 1 million unfilled technical manufacturing jobs that have gone unfilled since prior to 2008. There simply aren't enough qualified people to fill these job openings because our education system has focused on "college degrees" since the 1960's.

As for obtaining a college degree much of this can be blamed on our education systems but times are changing. In Washington, for example, we now have an accredited online competency based college. A person that demonstrates competency in algebra, for example, passes the course. There are no attendence requirements. Only competency matters. I haven't checked to see if there is a course duration time limit (e.g. course must be completed in six months) but there shouldn't be if there is.

Personally I still support a Constitutional amendment to repeal the 16th Amendment and replace it with a national consumption tax with prebates. This means everyone one would pay a federal sales tax on new goods and services starting at dollar one. The prebate makes it progressive by providing the household with money that can be used to pay for the taxes on necessities. It is the only fair tax as every household receives the same prebate and every purchase of a new good or service pays the identical tax rate. Used goods, such as a used car, are generally puchased by lower income individuals and there is no tax. Existing homes, generally purchased by middle income individuals, have no tax (except on the services provided for the purchase).

 

Let us push for a three tier flat tax. 15% for under $100K, 20% for $100K to $1M, and 25% for over $1M. NO DEDUCTIONS. Let's try it, Can't be any worse than what we have. AND it just might work.

 

I think there is more to your story. There are choices you left out, potential changes in priorities, possible marriage, kids sort of things. Changes in priorities and other choices should also bring about changes in expectations.

You might want to check out some online classes to get those language requirements, that sort of pacing could be more fitting to your lifestyle. It doesn't require you to become a full time student, and the right online university might well fit into your schedule better than an actual classroom. Its just advice, so take it as you will.

There are other options as well, use what you have, start networking more, you must have some hobbies and interests that can put you in contact with people that can and will help you out. If you come here you must have some interest in politics, there are campaigns every two years on the national level, jump on one as a volunteer, meet some players, its a simple cost effective way to meet some people that can help you out. I did that a few years back after I crashed and burned and found myself in a factory job, totally dead end, competing with illegal aliens for my pay. I met a few of the right people and got back on track.

People here might well find me arrogant, but without supreme confidence in one's self and the belief that one can climb, they won't. As I see it, I've climbed, and I'm no more special than anyone else, therefore I must believe that everyone else can climb as well. I might never make it to the top 1%, but I'll never stop trying.

 

That would drive sole-proprietorships and limited partnerships out of business and basically mean the end to small business and the 80% of the jobs that originate from start-ups which often begin this way. As a small business owner (as well as a contract engineer) I would never have survived with even a 15% tax on a business that showed a small gross profit but a net loss in the tens of thousands of dollars.

 

BS. I've been poor to the point of being homeless in my life and have become highly successful by simply applying an exceptional work ethic on every job I've ever had. Anyone can have an exceptional work ethic and that's all it really takes.

It is those that believe they can be a low or non-performer at work without applying themselves that remain poor. No one is "owed a paycheck" but instead they need to "earn a paycheck" and anyone that does that will succeed in the long run. There might be set-backs along the road but the work ethic makes all of the difference in the world and always ends in success.

BTY Workforce in Yakima WA is advertising for apple pickers. They can't get enough applicants for the jobs. True, it doesn't pay all that well and it's seasonal but it's a job and for the many complaining about being without a job any job is better than what they have. When I was poor and homeless I went to work for Manpower on day jobs. It didn't pay a lot and was hard work often loading trucks or cleaning up waste at construction sites but it paid money. It was better than sitting around complaining.

 

A very wealthy man that was a friend of my first wife solved this problem. He created a charity that actually benefited the less fortunate and appointed his children to the board of directors with a salary.

Of course after earning a fortune in the United States and paying income taxes on it a wealthy person can simply move their wealth to a different country thereby "cheating the taxman" which is what they would do. Moving the wealth out of American would not be a good idea regardless of what someone might believe. In reality we want foreign money to invest in America and lowering taxation on the wealthy is one means of doing this. For the wealthy picking the country they want to live in is like us selecting the store we want to spend our money in. We don't often select the most expensive store when we can get the samething for less elsewhere.

 

You mean like I have 5 teeth left in my mouth (uppers) and can't smile for an interview anymore because I can't afford dental care. Yeah there is more to my story.

 

A problem I found with Manpower is you have to go to their office, or phone, at 7am and hang around until 11am to find out there is no job for you that particular day. So if you have a part time job your screwed, no work for you.

 

If those greedy unions allowed greedy teachers to instruct for free......education would be free.