Tax code

[E_]

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten
comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes. it would
go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do.

The ten men drank beer in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the
arrangement, until one day, the bar owner threw them a curve. "Since you
are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your
daily beer by $20." Drinks for the ten now just cost $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what
about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the
$20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share'?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But, if they subtracted
that from everbody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each
end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it
would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he
proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $50 instead of $59 (15% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And, the first four continued
to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare
their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20," declared the sixth man. He pointed to
the tenth man, "but he got $9!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got nine times more than I!"

"That's true!!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $9 back when I
got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute." yelled the first four men in unison. "We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down
and had beers without him. But, when it came time to pay the bill, they
discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all
of them for even half of the bill!"

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax
system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit
from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and
they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking
overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics
University of Georgia

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

[Nervous Wreck]

Speaking of Tax Code

Do any of you agree with 'The Fair Tax"?

I have read up on it, and I think it is the greatest idea since peanut butter. (maybe 'E' can link the website)

[Lock5]

The fair tax is the only way to truely reform the tax code. The way taxes are figured and payed now are laughable. The Tax codes contain over 9000 pages, if you have the smartest CPA or Lawyer, you pay the least in taxes. A consumption based fair tax is the only way to go, that way everyone pays based on true ability(cash on hand). Now the better question is will it happen, I say no, due to the fact that politicians are courted every day by lobbiest for different companies, groups, and organizations. They are the real power in Washington DC and you would eliminate about 60% of them if the tax code could be written on a napkin.

[Dolphin]

The fair tax is the only way to truely reform the tax code. The way taxes are figured and payed now are laughable. The Tax codes contain over 9000 pages, if you have the smartest CPA or Lawyer, you pay the least in taxes. A consumption based fair tax is the only way to go, that way everyone pays based on true ability(cash on hand). Now the better question is will it happen, I say no, due to the fact that politicians are courted every day by lobbiest for different companies, groups, and organizations. They are the real power in Washington DC and you would eliminate about 60% of them if the tax code could be written on a napkin.

Lawyers and CPA's would be out of work ! Remember, attorneys wrote the 9000 pages of tax codes and they will see that it continues to grow

[Lock5]

The fair tax is the only way to truely reform the tax code. The way taxes are figured and payed now are laughable. The Tax codes contain over 9000 pages, if you have the smartest CPA or Lawyer, you pay the least in taxes. A consumption based fair tax is the only way to go, that way everyone pays based on true ability(cash on hand). Now the better question is will it happen, I say no, due to the fact that politicians are courted every day by lobbiest for different companies, groups, and organizations. They are the real power in Washington DC and you would eliminate about 60% of them if the tax code could be written on a napkin.

Lawyers and CPA's would be out of work ! Remember, attorneys wrote the 9000 pages of tax codes and they will see that it continues to grow

You missed my point, the Fair tax can be written on a napkin, 23% or whatever they come up with. No loopholes to find, or pay an attorney to find.

[E_]

E is still groggy ... lol