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The Ultimate Solution For A Fair Income Tax Policy In America

Updated: 04/07/2021 by Financial Samurai 79 Comments

Do you want a fair income tax policy in America? So do I! I wrote this post on July 28, 2010 when I was working crazy hours. My hope was to make big bucks and be free sooner, than later. The potential to pay more taxes was disheartening.

Let’s review what was going on back then. Let’s also discuss how we should proceed w/ President Biden planning to raise taxes on households making over $400,000 a year. Man, I was really frustrated back then. But not any longer!

The Ultimate Solution For A Fair Income Tax Policy

With the Bush tax cuts set to expire next year, there’s going to be a big debate during the mid-term elections this November!  But, should there really even be a tax debate?  It’s obvious that we should NOT raise taxes on small business owners and higher income, hard working Americans in a nascent economic recovery!

Everybody knows roughly 47% of Americans pay no federal income taxes. Hence, the ultimate solution for tax legislation is to strip away tax voting rights for the 47% of Americans who pay no tax! Seems fair no? They still get to enjoy the benefits of other people’s contributions. 

If you’re one of the 100+ million Americans who pay no income tax, isn’t it good enough to enjoy free public schooling, nice roads, friendly firemen and police officers protecting your neighborhood?  Being thankful is a great disposition to have.  Being greedy is not.

An Example Of A Family Making $120,000 Paying No Taxes:

“Say you’re married with salary income of $120,000, 401(k) contributions of $12,000, two under-age-17 kids, and a college student with $4,000 in education expenses. Assume you also bought a home this year that qualifies for the now-defunct $6,500 credit for existing homeowners. Finally, assume you’re eligible for the $1,500 credit for energy-efficient home improvements. Believe it or not, your 2010 federal income tax bill will be zero even if you only claim the standard deduction.

Your tax bill of $11,950 is completely wiped out by $13,300 in credits ($2,000 child credit, $2,500 education credit, $6,500 home buyer credit, $1,500 credit for energy-efficient improvements, and the $800 Making Work Pay credit).

In fact, you’ll get a $1,350 check from the government. Some of your credits are refundable ($13,300 of credits – $11,950 of tax = $1,350 of free money),” writes Bill Bischoff of SmartMoney.

2017 Marginal Federal Income Tax Rates
Assuming Trump doesn’t lower them. This existing tier doesn’t reward work ethic. It punishes!

VOTING TO RAISE TAXES ON OTHERS WHEN YOU PAY NO TAXES IS LIKE……..

If you vote to raise other people’s taxes, please pay more yourself. Otherwise, it’s like:

* Dr. Phil writing a book and telling someone to lose weight.

* Suzie Orman telling you to invest in the stock market when only 2% of her wealth is invested in equities.

* A recent college graduate teaching you how to be rich.

* A hardcore vegetarian who wears leather shoes.

* A priest who preaches acceptance but expects you to burn in hell when Armageddon comes if you don’t convert.

* The United States implementing economic sanctions against emerging countries for polluting.

* A boss who tells you to work hard but goes and plays golf every other day and takes long lunches.

* US Treasury Secretary Geithner saying raising taxes is “the right thing to do” but cheats on his own taxes.

A Fair Income Tax Policy Is All We Ever Want

Some may argue that voting is a fundamental right as decreed by the 15th amendment of the Constitution.  I agree, go ahead and vote on whether the government should implement a flat tax on those who pay nothing. It’s only fair.  Just don’t go around pretending as a non tax payer, you have the right to vote on persecuting others to pay for your own free government benefits.

It’s so obvious to any rational person that if you pay no taxes, you can’t possibly be able to vote for people whose agenda it is to raise taxes on others.  Yet, millions of non tax paying Americans continue to support tax increases for the rich, who may very well be the ones who help keep the millions who don’t pay taxes employed!

Friendly Americans who pay no taxes, please have a heart and enjoy your spoils and stop punishing others further.  For the 53% of Americans who do pay taxes, let us decide what is the right level of income taxation to help support the economy and you guys.  We might vote to raise our own taxes and dis-incentivize ourselves to work hard.  So be it.  At least we get to vote on our own destiny!  Thanks!

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Tax Savings Recommendation

Start A Business. We might never get a fair income tax policy. As a result, starting a business is one of the best ways to shield your income from more taxes. You can either incorporate as an LLC, S-Corp, or simply be a Sole Proprietor (no incorporating necessary, just be a consultant and file a schedule C).

Every business person can start a Self-Employed 401k where you can contribute up to $54,000 ($18,000 from you and ~20% of operating profits). All your business-related expenses are tax deductible as well. Simply launch your own website like this one in under 30 minutes to legitimize your business. Here’s my step-by-step guide to starting your own website.

Start a simple business to pay less taxes and contribute more to pre-tax retirement accounts
Start a simple business to pay less taxes and contribute more to pre-tax retirement accounts. Instead of paying taxes on $100,000 in income, you’re only paying taxes on $12,000 for maybe a $2,000 tax bill, or 2% effective tax rate.

Related: How To Pay Little Or No Income Taxes For The Rest Of Your Life

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Filed Under: Big Government, Taxes Tagged With: controversy, humor, irrational, Reality

Author Bio: I started Financial Samurai in 2009 to help people achieve financial freedom sooner. Financial Samurai is now one of the largest independently run personal finance sites with about one million visitors a month.

I spent 13 years working at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse (RIP). In 1999, I earned my BA from William & Mary and in 2006, I received my MBA from UC Berkeley.

In 2012, I left banking after negotiating a severance package worth over five years of living expenses. Today, I enjoy being a stay-at-home dad to two young children, playing tennis, and writing.

Current Recommendations:

1) Check out Fundrise, my favorite real estate investing platform. I’ve personally invested $810,000 in private real estate to take advantage of lower valuations and higher rental yields in the Sunbelt. Roughly $160,000 of my annual passive income comes from real estate. And passive income is the key to being free. With mortgage rates down dramatically post the regional bank runs, real estate is now much more attractive.

2) If you have debt and/or children, life insurance is a must. PolicyGenius is the easiest way to find affordable life insurance in minutes. My wife was able to double her life insurance coverage for less with PolicyGenius. I also just got a new affordable 20-year term policy with them.

Financial Samurai has a partnership with Fundrise and PolicyGenius and is also a client of both. Financial Samurai earns a commission for each sign up at no cost to you. 

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Comments

  1. mike corona says

    January 7, 2014 at 12:44 pm

    I bealive that if you payed no taxes its ok coase you pay them any way this is how when you buy a car or home you pay taxes on the sale a car can be maid for only example $2000 then sale the car or truck for $20,000plus and in that amount they pay employees salary witch people have jobs and taxes on there pay check plus the taxes that already payed for on the sale so the federal and state in fact are the biggest scam ever so I you buy something you payed you’re taxes and if you to clam exempt its okay and if you get money back all you’re getting is what you already payed form you’re purchase that way smart people go exempt I go both ways just to get the most out of my return next time when you something at the store look at the sales tax and ask you self way if you pay taxes on working .

    Reply
    • Financial Samurai says

      January 7, 2014 at 1:25 pm

      So no income taxes for everyone yes? If so, who pays for everything? Every man for himself?

      Reply
  2. Terry Pratt says

    May 5, 2011 at 11:28 pm

    Okay, I’d like to flip this question and would like a sincere answer (no sarcasm, please) from Sam:

    For a decade I lived in a rental house which was subject to a “nonhomestead” property tax. Because I regarded this as an unfair tax – it was levied on the house in whic I lived but was not levied on the owner-occupied house next door – I voted against it whenever it was on the ballot. (Like other millages, it required periodic renewal by voters.)

    Since owner-occupied homes are exempt from the tax, homeowners regarded the tax as free money and voted for it by huge margins.

    Sam, should homeowners have the right to vote for higher taxes (nonhomestead tax) on others if they do not own any nonhomestead property subject to the tax?

    Reply
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