Tax Rates now and 2011

[GregA]

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/wm921.cfm

[Gearhead Jim]

Originally Posted by FIRE'd@51

I believe these brackets would still be adjusted for inflation since 1999, so they would all be higher in 2011 dollars, even if the Bush tax cuts were not extended.

Can anyone confirm or refute that statement?

[Martha]

Originally Posted by Gearhead Jim

Can anyone confirm or refute that statement?

I'll confirm. My recollection is that the tax brackets were indexed for inflation going back to the 1980s. These adjustments were not part of the Bush changes to the tax code which are set to expire.

Of course it is all up in the air as to what will happen in the next few years.

[tryan]

IMO, a lottery is a tax on people who do not understand basic mathematics.

It's government's approach to "tap" a different segment of the population. In the case of the Lottery thier tapping the poor and lower middle class by dangling HOPE. What other purpose does a lottery possibly have ... it's certianly not designed to help anyone (not even the winner).

Bridge and road tolls "tap" another segment.

Speeding ticket quotas "tap" yet another segment ... on and on and on we go!

[bosco]

Originally Posted by tryan

It's government's approach to "tap" a different segment of the population. In the case of the Lottery thier tapping the poor and lower middle class by dangling HOPE. What other purpose does a lottery possibly have ... it's certianly not designed to help anyone (not even the winner).

Bridge and road tolls "tap" another segment.

Speeding ticket quotas "tap" yet another segment ... on and on and on we go!

I agree with what you are saying. But if a lottery is the best that we have in the way of hope, we are all in trouble. I maintain that the popularity of lotteries has as much to do with our educational system (or problems with it) than anything else.

Speeding tickets are another interesting phenomonen. For the most part, they are a revenue-raising device, a "speed tax." At least on the highway. In towns, they make some sense. But like the "war on drugs" they have been integrated into the financial fabric of society.

So what is the "free-market" view of speeding tickets? How come people don't get as emotional about them as they do about guns or taxes? In Europe,they'd rather speed than shoot each other. If we were going to be "rational" about this, shouldn't the speed limit depend on what car you drive and the condition of your tires? Shouldn't the speed limit be much higher for motorcycles, since they are less likely to injure or kill others? Shouldn't I be able to purchase a 20 mph "credit" on my highway speed allowance? Shouldn't speeding tickets be indexed to your net worth instead of a "flat fee"?

oohhh....bad...the whiskey is talking

[Martha]

Here's one for you Bosco, in Finland the amount of a speeding fine is based in part on your income. Remember the rich guy who got the $100,000 ticket? http://www.trafficticketsecrets.com/...s-finnish.html