Journal eglamkowski's Journal: taxes 2

What percent of your income went to federal income taxes this year?
How about state income taxes?

Social Security?
Medicare?
FUTA?
SUTA?
Sales taxes?
Property taxes?
Other ad valorem taxes?

Communications tax? (3% on phone service, for example)
Air transportation tax? (7.5% + 3.20 per take off and per landing plus more for internatinal travellers)
Air freight tax? (6.25%)
Fuel taxes? (Gasoline, including aviation gasoline and gasoline blendstocks @ 18.4 cents/gallon; Diesel fuel 24.4 cents/gallon; Kerosene 24.4 cents/gallon; Aviation-grade kerosene 21.9 cents/gallon; Special motor fuels (including LPG) from 13.6 to 19.4 cents per gallon; Compressed natural gas 48.54 cents per 1000 cubic feet; Fuels used in commercial transportation on inland waterways)
Ship Passanger Tax? ($3 per person)
Sports Fishing Equipment Excise Tax? (10%)
Bows, Quivers, Broadheads, and Points? (11%)
Arrow Shafts? (39 cents per shaft!!)
Highway tires? (9.45 cents per 1000 pounds of the maximum rated load capacity over 3,500 pounds)
Gas guzzler tax? (from $1,000 to $7,700 per year)
Vaccines? (75 cents per dose)
Heavy Trucks, Trailers, and Tractors? (12%)

STATE Excise Taxes (for Georgia)
still, fortified, and sparkling wines? (15 - 100 percent)
spirits? (50 - 100 percent)
beer? (15 percent)
tobacco products? (100 percent)
jewelry? (35 percent)
passenger vehicles and vehicle tires? (15 percent)
petrol? (15 - 50 percent)
motor fuel? (7.5 cents per gallon)

Do you have ANY idea at all, even remotely, just how much of each dollar you earn goes to taxes?

And Europeans think THEY have the highest tax rates in the world?

By the time you add in ALL the taxes that US residents have to pay, the number is appallingly high. Talk about yer "exploitation of the workers!" And yet, despite this gross exploitation, the "leftists" are not only silent, but seem to actively encourage it. Of course, that assumes "leftists" actually gave a damn about "workers" or "freedom" or "liberty" or any such.

http://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/countries.cfm
The most economically free country in the world is...
Hong Kong!

Followed by...
Singapore!

Then Ireland, Luxembourg, U.K., Iceland, Estonia, Denmark, and THEN the U.S.A.

We're #9.

Kind of sad when some of the most politically and socially oppressive countries in the world have more economic freedom than the most politically and socially free countries in the world.

You may hear some people (e.g. Boortz) talk about how economic and political freedom are intrically linked, and yet if we accept the results of this analysis then clearly this is NOT true.

While I'm on the topic of taxes, let me remind you all that when the government imposes income tax, they are basically saying that they have first claim to 100% of your earnings, and that they do NOT take ALL it is merely because of the sheer magnamity of our benevelot Big Brother government.

In 1944 and 1945, the highest marginal tax rate was 94%. From 1951 to 1963 it was no less than 91%.

If the government didn't lay claim to every penny you earned, these tax brackets would have been literally impossible. The mere fact that the government did impose those kinds of tax brackets merely proves the point.

So send your congress critters some nice, fawning letters thanking them for being allowed by them to actually retain some small portion of your income. How generous they are, they don't actually take everything, even though they have conveniently entitled themselves to all of it!

Actually, it IS possible for the government to end up seizing more than 100% of your income, but only if you violate the tax laws. Penalties on some types of tax violations can be as high as 200%.

Sucks to be us, eh?

Singapore more economically free than the USA... We ought to be ashamed of ourselves!