[Vision2020] Roger: The Rich Don't Pay More Taxes

[nickgier at roadrunner.com]

Hi Roger,

You are spouting myths. High personal taxation simply does not stifle business expansion.  Some European welfare states, with the highest progressive rates in the world, always rank among the top ten competitive economies in the world.

Denmark has the highest tax rates in the world and The Economist has rated it as the most business friendly, as well as the least corrupt, nation in the world. 

Some of the lowest unemployment rates are now found in countries such as Denmark (4.2%), Switzerland (4.1%), Norway (3.1%), Austria (4.8%), and the Netherlands (5.2%) where government money (in Denmark 20 times more per capita than the U.S.) has been poured into job training and creation.

Finally, GDP per capita is much higher than in Europe than in the U.S. These economies are productive even though most of their workers take 5 to 6 week vacations.

Reagan Revolution has simply failed to give American workers the fruits of their labors.  From 1950-1980 economic growth was much higher with high progressive income tax rates and 30 percent union membership (as opposed to 7 percent now).

"No new taxes" has left our infrastructure crumbling, our education and social help institutions horribly underfunded, and our country is now on the edge of inevitable decline.

Just ponder this one shocking fact: the current generation will be less educated than its parents!  Because of penny wise and pound foolish policies (both Democrats and Republicans) we simply will not be able to compete.

Thanks for the dialogue,

Nick


-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com on behalf of lfalen
Sent: Tue 1/12/2010 11:16 AM
To: nickgier at roadrunner.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Roger: The Rich Don't Pay More Taxes
 
NICK
I don't dispute that the middle class gets hit the hardest on a percentage basis. As a percent of their income though the rich pay more unless (as is frequently the case) they have a lot of exemptions. No one should have to pay 75% of their income in taxes. High taxes stifle business expansion.
Roger

-----Original message-----
From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
Date: Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:37:11 -0800
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] Roger: The Rich Don't Pay More Taxes

> Hi Roger,
> 
> I've meaning to respond to a post of yours some time back, so I'm finally doing it.  You may have seen the article in the Daily News, but if you didn't, the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy reported that in Washington State, the lowest earners pay (all taxes) 17.3 percent of their income in taxes while the top one percent pay 2.9 percent.  In my "economics" folder I have a note from The Economist that indicated that for all taxes America's rich pay 31 percent vs. 29 percent for everyone else.
> 
> Nick
---- lfalen <lfalen at turbonet.com> wrote: 
> NICK
> I don't dispute that the middle class gets hit the hardest on a percentage basis. As a percent of their income though the rich pay more unless (as is frequently the case) they have a lot of exemptions. No one should have to pay 75% of their income in taxes. High taxes stifle business expansion.
> Roger
> 
> -----Original message-----
> From: nickgier at roadrunner.com
> Date: Sat, 09 Jan 2010 12:37:11 -0800
> To: vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] Roger: The Rich Don't Pay More Taxes
> 
> > Hi Roger,
> > 
> > I've meaning to respond to a post of yours some time back, so I'm finally doing it.  You may have seen the article in the Daily News, but if you didn't, the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy reported that in Washington State, the lowest earners pay (all taxes) 17.3 percent of their income in taxes while the top one percent pay 2.9 percent.  In my "economics" folder I have a note from The Economist that indicated that for all taxes America's rich pay 31 percent vs. 29 percent for everyone else.
> > 
> > Nick
> > 
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