Westernskies
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- May 5, 2008
- Messages
- 3,864
Well for starters, let's take the OP on this thread, who "doesn't feel rich" even though he's in the top 1/1000 of one percent incomes worldwide. And to that I would add fantasm who later in the thread described himself as " sad/angry/depressed/annoyed" by his tax bill of $195K, though he must be earning, at a guess, at least three times as much as the OP (because his tax bill is ~3x the OP's), and maybe more. By "complainers" I was referring to individuals of like attitudes, not to people in specific professions. I don't know what either the OP or fantasm do for a living, and I wouldn't expect everyone in those professions to have the same attitude about taxes in any case, any more than all the people in my line of work do. The professions I listed have in common that they require higher education and don't pay incomes in the range that result in five-digit tax bills. But I don't suppose all teachers, social workers, librarians and clergy have the same attitude toward taxes either. Some of them probably complain that their taxes are too high, and others of them think "even after taxes I have all the money I need, in fact enough for more than just the necessities—all in all, I've nothing to complain about". My remark about preferential treatment did not refer to you either, or to high earners in general, but to fantasm's suggestion in #20 that he (and other high earners?) should get "preferential treatment or better benefits than someone who makes less". Nor do I see you as asking for sympathy, but OP and fantasm certainly struck me as wanting some.
I pay a higher percentage of my income in taxes than a low wage earner, or (I'm pretty certain) than a household with children at the same annual income, and IMO that's how it should be—the low earner or the household with kids needs a bigger proportion of what they make for necessities than I (a childless single) do. I've got earnings over and above what I need to live (and to save for retirement) on, and to an even greater extent so do fantasm and the OP—and possibly you too. I think earnings that are "over and above" should be taxed before eating into what a low-income household needs for the bare necessities. If that's a targeted tax rate, you're right, we never will agree.
Good post! You are right, we'll never agree on what "over and above" means, (maybe we only need two tax rates- one for "just enough" and another for "too much") but I appreciate your considered reply.