February 2nd, 2010 by Dave
A note about the ads on this site
It seems that some of the Google ads generated on this site are purchased at a high price by progressive liberal groups in hopes of placing ads on conservative sites to decrease the income of conservative bloggers. I have no proof, but the ads seem to target conservative viewpoints. The funny thing is that if people do view the ads, the site probably generates higher income…
Drudge reports that Reuters published this story on the so-called backdoor tax. As of this writing, it still appeared on Yahoo. I don’t know why Reuters pulled the story but the remnants are all over the web by now. Were the Tea Party protests of the summer more accurate than anyone knew? The noise is getting louder- higher taxes are hitting us all one way or another. The redistribution spread-the-wealth and spend-our-way-out ideology predetermines the results.
From the site:
Backdoor taxes to hit middle class
By Terri Cullen –MonFeb1, 4:09pmET
NEW YORK (Reuters.com) –The Obama administration’s plan to cut more than $1 trillion from the deficit over the next decade relies heavily on so-called backdoor tax increases that will result in a bigger tax bill for middle-class families. In the 2010 budget tabled byPresident Barack Obamaon Monday, the White House wants to let billions of dollars in tax breaks expire by the end of the year — effectively a tax hike by stealth. While the administration is focusing its proposal on eliminating tax breaks for individuals who earn $250,000 a year or more, middle-class families will face a slew of these backdoor increases. The targeted tax provisions were enacted under the Bush administration’sEconomic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. Among other things, the law loweredindividual tax rates, slashed taxes oncapital gainsand dividends, and steadily scaled back the estate tax to zero in 2010. If the provisions are allowed to expire on December 31, the top-tierpersonal income tax ratewill rise to 39.6 percent from 35 percent. But lower-income families will pay more as well: the 25 percenttax bracketwill revert back to 28 percent; the 28 percent bracket will increase to 31 percent; and the 33 percent bracket will increase to 36 percent. The special 10 percent bracket is eliminated. Investors will pay more on their earnings next year as well, with the tax on dividends jumping to 39.6 percent from 15 percent and the capital-gains tax increasing to 20 percent from 15 percent.
The estate tax is eliminated this year, but it will return in 2011 — though there has been talk about reinstating thedeath taxsooner. Millions of middle-class households already may be facing higher taxes in 2010 because Congress has failed to extend tax breaks that expired on January 1, most notably a “patch” that limited the impact of the alternative minimum tax. The AMT, initially designed to prevent the very rich from avoidingincome taxes, was never indexed for inflation. Now the tax is affecting millions of middle-income households, but lawmakers have been reluctant to repeal it because it has become a key source of revenue. Without annual legislation to renew the patch this year, the AMT could affect an estimated 25 million taxpayers with incomes as low as $33,750 (or $45,000 for joint filers). Even if the patch is extended to last year’s levels, the tax will hit American families that can hardly be considered wealthy — the AMT exemption for 2009 was $46,700 for singles and $70,950 for married couples filing jointly. Middle-class families also will find fewer tax breaks available to them in 2010 if other popular tax provisions are allowed to expire. Among them: * Taxpayers who itemize will lose the option to deduct state sales-tax payments instead of state and local income taxes; * The $250 teachertax creditfor classroom supplies; * The tax deduction for up to $4,000 ofcollege tuitionand expenses; * Individuals who don’t itemize will no longer be able to increase their standard deduction by up to $1,000 forproperty taxespaid; * The first $2,400 ofunemployment benefitsare taxable, in 2009 that amount was tax-free.
Clarification: This is an added comment, not part of the original: Trickle-down-taxation
LOW TAX/HIGH TAX? Just because you buy a fridge with no payments for one year doesn’t mean you’re not paying too much for it. Any money acquired by the government(s) is provided by those who earn it. We pay by: direct tax, fees, property tax, consumption tax, built in price increases to cover cost of tax, decreased benefits, inflation disproportionate to income, etc. We’re paying the cost of everything the government spends. Everything. Or, we’re passing the cost to our kids. When our spending hits 100% or more of GDP we’ll look like something between Japan and Greece.
