How does someone making $24,000 a year pay federal taxes?

[_just me]

Last year I paid ZERO out in Fed income taxes. They took nothing from my checks.

[_beastie]

The thief is the state itself, who plunders the citizenry by taking from them by force what belongs to them, and transferring it to those to whom it does not belong, at exorbitant levels of taxation.

Oh, I see. The thief is the state, which, of course, has nothing to do with the citizenry. And the citizenry that benefits from this theft aren't thieves themselves, they just benefit from theft.

Since 1984, and counting out about 6.5 years when I was taking care of my wife here at home and going to school using my inheritance, that roughly 20 years of work - hundreds of thousands of dollars made and federal (payroll, FICA etc.) taxes paid on it.

I'm afraid I don't see any "hypocrisy" here. But then, the MO around here has always been character assassination, not serious, critical discussion, so how can I start complaining now?

If you pay any federal taxes, which I suppose is possible if you have zero deductions of any sort, which I doubt, you paid a very small amount. Enough to add up to paying back way more than you ever received during the years of receiving various forms of government assistance?

by the way, you can't factor FICA into this. That isn't being used to fund the type of government assistance programs you received.

[_beastie]

Last year I paid ZERO out in Fed income taxes. They took nothing from my checks.

My son also had nothing taken out of his paycheck. If you claim dependents and have a low income, they will take nothing out.

[_Quasimodo]

Last year I paid ZERO out in Fed income taxes. They took nothing from my checks.

What's the closest federal penitentiary in your area? I'll come visit you.

[_just me]

Last year I paid ZERO out in Fed income taxes. They took nothing from my checks.

What's the closest federal penitentiary in your area? I'll come visit you.

Guess what....they've only taken $1 so far this year.

[_Bond James Bond]

This whole thread: Ah Ah Ah Ah Ah

[_beastie]

droopy clarified here:

Payroll taxes are federal taxes, Ilsa. I never claimed to have paid "income" taxes, and if I did manage to say that somewhere, it was an oversight on my part.

viewtopic.php?p=661814#p661814

That makes more sense. However, social security withholdings do not factor into this discussion.

I will say I understand now more of Droopy's anger. I just think it's misplaced, and I think he is demonizing people whose circumstances are very similar to his own.

[_Bond James Bond]

droopy clarified here:

Payroll taxes are federal taxes, Ilsa. I never claimed to have paid "income" taxes, and if I did manage to say that somewhere, it was an oversight on my part.

viewtopic.php?p=661814#p661814

That makes more sense. However, social security withholdings do not factor into this discussion.

As to Social Security I have a strong suspicion Droopy will start suckling at that teat as soon as he can and will get far more out of it than he paid into it.

I will say I understand now more of Droopy's anger. I just think it's misplaced, and I think he is demonizing people whose circumstances are very similar to his own.

He's totally different.

[_Jason Bourne]

Well let's rough it out under current law and see what it looks like.

Assume Married filing Joint, no dependents, standard deduction.

Wages 24,000

Exemptions 2*$3800 (7,600)

Standard Deduction (11,600)

Taxable Income 4800

Rate is 10% so tax is $480

Now throw in one child and taxable income is down to $800 and the child credit of $1000 wipes that out. Also at this level the if there is child the earned income credit would provide a refund over and beyond the tax liability as it is a refundable credit.

What the tax might have been in the years the $24k was earned I do not know. But under current law $24k could generate a small amount of tax.

[_EAllusion]

I view all taxes as a form of property seizure. I view it as a necessary evil at times, but often I am concerned about people who don't think through the idea that what the government does with that wealth has to justify the evil of seizing it. The idea that the property was the public's to take in the first place, as some liberal arguments go, is appalling to me. But, since we reasonably think of theft as improper taking of property, I don't regard all taxes as theft since I do think some of that is proper. Since Droopy isn't an anarcho-capitalist and advocates for things like a 2 trillion or so dollar military, he clearly is fine with the government engaging in "theft" even if he calls it that.

I also think it's hard to charge someone with hypocrisy for taking advantage of government services that they politically oppose. The government's intrusion into the matter naturally limits their choices and puts them at a competitive disadvantage otherwise. So when someone who opposes government owned and operated roads is told to drive on their own roads then, it misses the idea that the government's seizing of that economic sector largely crowds out that option. Plus, the government's taking your property and giving you that option. If you say "No Thanks" to that service, you don't get your property back. It's Ok to work inside of a system you oppose. So I don't fault someone for accepting welfare even if they oppose the program anymore than I fault myself for listening to NPR even though I oppose government funded public media.

The fact that Droopy is a relatively poor person constantly ragging on the "taker" class that he clearly is a part of with sweeping, mean-spirited generalizations, is a basis for ample ragging on him, though. Ironically, Droopy is an archtypical example of the stereotype of the older, working-class, white male fed on a steady diet of conservative propaganda funded by wealthy interests that cause him to adopt attitudes that are hateful to the very group he is a part of. Droopy, you moocher, you.