Fema Employment

Is there anyone out there (besides Jerry) who thinks the USA federal tax system is fair?

I mean if you have a job you pay taxes. What is left is supposed to be yours. if you take that money and build a house you are taxed on that even though you already paid taxes on it. iF you put the taxed money in the bank you pay taxes on that too so it seems your money just keeps getting taxed on and on also: if after paying your taxes you underpaid you owe the IRS interest but if you overpaid you are lucky to get your overpaid money back at all

Public Comments

1. If you take the annual budget for running the US and divide it by the population, each person here would pay $8,000 or so each. That would be the ONLY truly "fair" way to do it, but we don't do it that way! When you go out to dinner with friends, you either each pay your own way, or you split the bill equally; no-one expects Susan to pay more simply because she earns more! Gary doesn't get a lower car payment on a new Ford Escort because he has a lower wage! Look at the taxes people in other countries pay, and then quit whining! If you look at the US tax structure, it is designed to "encourage you" to engage is certain activities (investing, starting businesses) that are beneficial to everyone. If you feel like you are paying too much, it's because you aren't paying attention to what the government is encouraging you to do, plain & simple!
2. Compared to what taxpayers in most other modern industrialized nations pay, our taxes are more than fair. Take Europe for example: Income taxes: 10% to 50% higher than the US. Fuel taxes: $3.00 to $5.00 per gallon in TAX alone. Pump prices are lingering around $10.50 - $12.00 per gallon in most of Europe. Sales taxes (as VAT): 15% to 23%. Property taxes: Generally lower than the US as a percentage of value but with property values running 2 to 3 times higher than in the US it's still expensive. TV Tax: $200 to $400 per year. (Even if you only connect your X-Box to your TV.) Penalty for not paying: Up to $1,000. Road Tax (annual licensing fee to keep a car on the road): $200 to $2,000 per year. Tobacco taxes: $.50 (Greece) to $7.00 (UK) per pack. Alcohol taxes: 3 to 5 times higher than in the US. FYI, if the IRS is late in paying you what they owe -- generally 60 or more days from the due date of the return or 60 days from when you filed -- they DO pay interest. I've received interest payments form the IRS on several occasions. (That's taxable by the way; no escaping that!)