$447 bil

[fatbuckRTO]

Originally Posted by RACER X

so whats more important, % of tax to income or $ amount?

What's important is that the government can't build and maintain roads and bridges or provide for the common defense without tax money. If everyone got the tax breaks that some get then we'd have a real hole of a country.

That said, if someone makes more money than me, then I don't think it's fair that they pay less than I do towards providing funds for the country we both live in and benefit from. That doesn't mean I think they should necessarily pay more, but personally I don't have a problem paying more in taxes than someone who makes less than I do. Within reason.

I do think that people should not be coming away from tax season with a net gain, the way some lower income (and probably higher income) people do. Credits like the EIC often make that a reality. I don't have a problem with letting a lower income person slide on taxes, but they shouldn't be taking money straight out of the pot they aren't contributing to.

Problem is I have no idea how to frame those thoughts in legalese, and by association I have no idea how to prevent people with six or seven (etc.) figure salaries from hiding their income the way some do.