How Much Did You Pay In Federal Taxes?

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Greven

Then you missed the original point.
Nobody is working because they don't have to work.
You can't give everybody free room and board and expect them to just work for it.

Again, no.

It does not follow that everyone would quit working if given a universal living wage.

The 'argument' is this:
p (universal minimum wage)
q (everyone would stop working)
Thus, !p (no money for universal minimum wage)

I file single with one kid over 16..I paid 25.7% minus return !5.6%. fed and state

a reply to: Grevenit does when you get a hefty bonus and then your wife decides to work!

originally posted by: Greven

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: Greven

Then you missed the original point.
Nobody is working because they don't have to work.
You can't give everybody free room and board and expect them to just work for it.

Again, no.

It does not follow that everyone would quit working if given a universal living wage.

The 'argument' is this:
p (universal minimum wage)
q (everyone would stop working)
Thus, !p (no money for universal minimum wage)

Human behavior says otherwise. A large number of people would stop working, particularly those who don't make much substantially more than whatever the UBI would be.

Heck, when I was in grad school, I lived like a king. I had basically $20,000 a year to live off of for two years. I had a nice little studio apartment. Could go out to eat. Didn't really have any wants and needs. Looking back on it, it was almost like I was retired except for the studying/going to class. Knowing what I know now and if someone came to me and say here is $20k tax free to live off, I'd probably sit on my ass and do nothing but enjoy life.

When you subsidize something, you are going to get more of it. A UBI would lead to more people not working and it would also lead to inflation as people spend money more freely.

a reply to: Edumakated

Nearly 50% of your taxes goes to support social security/medicare/medicaid.

Is there a reason why you conveniently left out defense spending?

Nearly 50% of your taxes goes to support social security/medicare/medicaid. Of course, I hardly get the benefit of it even though I am paying nearly $50k to support these programs.

If you were of retirement age you would clearly understand how important these three programs are. These programs are more of an immediate benefit to elderly American citizens than the Trillions we spend on the military. A lot of our taxes goes toward military bases around the world, conflicts, and black project spending which is not accountable to congress. Let's also not forget the billions of dollars we spend on foreign aid!

Unless you're a multi-millionaire or if you can afford expensive monthly nursing home insurance, the majority of elderly Americans have found Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to be a financial life savor! Just because you're not eligible to receive them until age 62 & 65 years of age, doesn't mean you'll never benefit from them. We all pay into these programs, don't feel like your carrying all the burden just upon your shoulders.

Americans are always shooting themselves in the foot. We complain about programs that directly help US -American citizens, but we support excessive spending when it doesn't help Americans here at home!

a reply to: Edumakated

You realize that the median wage for women is about $30k and the median wage for men is about $40k today, right?

$20k for just going to college is a lot. I paid for mine while working, for instance.

originally posted by: Edumakated
So today is April 18th which is the tax filing deadline. After my accountant did my taxes all I can do is shake my head and say WTF? Our government spending is completely out of control. We paid damn near $100k FEDERAL taxes this year. I don't mind paying taxes as I realize government needs to function, but when you look at the fact half the population doesn't pay squat and then where the money is going, at some point we have to say enough is enough.

I saw an article in the Wall Street Journal breaking down where each $100 you pay in federal taxes goes to put the expense in perspective that everyone can understand. WSJ usually is subscription, so I've transcribed the graphic but you can find the article here. If you are a tax payer, you can figure out how much of the money you paid went to each of these items. Nearly 50% of your taxes goes to support social security/medicare/medicaid. Of course, I hardly get the benefit of it even though I am paying nearly $50k to support these programs.

How $100 in Federal Taxes is Spent

For each $100 in federal taxes you paid:

Social Security: $23.61
Medicare: : $15.26
Defense : $15.24
Medicaid: : $9.55
Other : $7.85
Interest : $6.25
Veterans : $4.58
Civilian Retire : $2.57
Transportation :$2.39
Refund Credits :$2.21
Education :$2.08
Food Stamps :$1.89
SSI :$1.53
Justice : $1.48
Housing Assist :$1.27
Foreign Aid :$1.14
ACA :$1.09

When are we going to revolt and force these politicians to take their hands out of our pocket?

I paid zero, however I also just landed myself a job right out of college that's going to start me at 6 figures, so I'll probably be paying quite a bit next year.

originally posted by: 38181
60% of my gross salary went to state and federal taxes. I took home less this year then last year because I made more this year! Different tax bracket. Yeah I was pissed and still am, especially when I see the lazy %€+*^! Collect disability and free govt hand outs down from where I live.

I don't believe you. That's not how tax brackets work.

a reply to: Greven

The median is 35k, then....lets just say. Minimum wage is $15080/yr, to give some context. And this is who would likely love to not work for 20k/year instead.

Now think...what would it take to get someone to come in off the bench to work doing any of the nymber of minimum wage jobs today? That price increase in labor is coming out of your pocket. Hopefully you're one of the ones that is pushing up the income average, huh? Otherwise you may never dine out again.

a reply to: bigfatfurrytexan
I am indeed propping it up - right now, anyway. Not that long ago, it was the opposite. In the future, it will return downwards.

As such, I recognize that a lot of luck and people are behind my personal success at this stage of my life, and I really don't care that I pay a third of my income in taxes.

Also, please recognize that $15k is only if you're getting full-time hours - something that is often lacking in those positions. On the other end, salaried folks frequently do not even get overtime pay.

A whole lot of people are exploited in terms of pay as it is - U.S. productivity is the highest it's ever been, yet wages have failed to keep up for the last several decades. Indeed, that money does go somewhere: lining the pockets of others.

Others like me and (more so) the OP. I see no reason to complain.

I'm not really arguing for or against the UBI - only pointing out the logic is missing in the argument against it. I know simply too many people who would work because they love what they do - this perhaps is not applicable to those who work merely to survive.

We paid in $72600 roughly state local and fed. Fed returned yesterday about $14999 for some reason about 20% more than figured. State you never know but should be $4500. Then local about nothihing back and $1800 to get them done

a reply to: Macenroe82



sounds like an interesting set up....


I had fleeting thoughts of doing work on those Gulf of Mexico, oil rigs... or even doing those 1 year stints in the Arabian Peninsula... but those were just flights-of-fantasy to make big bucks... (I found the horse track readily available and profitable too => I scooped up loser ticket stubs to put up against the winners I had most every week)

I paid a lot .... in Canada . It's about 19% of my total earnings.
Then in July there's the city's property taxes
Then we pay provincial taxes and federal taxes on goods & services. I never receive a GST check like some do.

originally posted by: WeRpeons
a reply to: Edumakated

Nearly 50% of your taxes goes to support social security/medicare/medicaid.

Is there a reason why you conveniently left out defense spending?

Nearly 50% of your taxes goes to support social security/medicare/medicaid. Of course, I hardly get the benefit of it even though I am paying nearly $50k to support these programs.

If you were of retirement age you would clearly understand how important these three programs are. These programs are more of an immediate benefit to elderly American citizens than the Trillions we spend on the military. A lot of our taxes goes toward military bases around the world, conflicts, and black project spending which is not accountable to congress. Let's also not forget the billions of dollars we spend on foreign aid!

Unless you're a multi-millionaire or if you can afford expensive monthly nursing home insurance, the majority of elderly Americans have found Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security to be a financial life savor! Just because you're not eligible to receive them until age 62 & 65 years of age, doesn't mean you'll never benefit from them. We all pay into these programs, don't feel like your carrying all the burden just upon your shoulders.

Americans are always shooting themselves in the foot. We complain about programs that directly help US -American citizens, but we support excessive spending when it doesn't help Americans here at home!

Is there a reason you didnt notice the third line item called DEFENSE in the breakdown of where money is spent?

I have an issue with defense spending too but that is specifically called out in the constitution as role of government. No where in our constitution does it say anythinf about the feds providing healthcare and retirement.

The problem is that folks like me pay way more than what i actually get out of governemt where other geg way more in benefits than they contribute.

Boohoo OP. If you were smart - you'd be filthy rich with that kind of income and be paying less taxes through investing.

a reply to: Edumakated

I have an issue with defense spending too but that is specifically called out in the constitution as role of government. No where in our constitution does it say anything about the feds providing healthcare and retirement.

Our founding fathers could not predict that the Average life expectancy of 35 years during the 1700's would more than double in 200 years. Along with that, the need for nursing care, the high cost of prescriptions, and supplementary income for older Americans. The cost of healthcare was pocket change compared to todays price tag.

They also could not foresee how privacy right issues would be affected by technology. They couldn't in their wildest dreams believe humans could fly, nor could they travel across the country or around the world in just a few hours. They also couldn't foresee the U.S. being involved in foreign issues, conflicts, the possibility of nuclear warfare, and the immense destruction of conventional weapons. The extreme importance of educating the country's populace isn't even written in the constitution.

My point is, the constitution is outdated! To believe our forefathers had a magic ball to see into the future and take into consideration the issues facing the plight of future American's is simply ridiculous. The constitution has already been amended 17 times!

So just because something isn't written in the constitution, doesn't mean it's not needed to prevent the decline of the country, or help increase the protection of its citizen's basic human right to have access to healthcare to preserve their God given life. I doubt our forefathers would expect America to kick their elderly, sick and dying to the curb.

a reply to: Edumakated

The Constitution doesn't specifically mention health care or retirement, but it does allow for them under the idea of providing for the general welfare, which is a broad enough clause that it enables the government to do just about anything it wants, provided it can justify it as being part of the public good.

originally posted by: Aazadan
a reply to: Edumakated

The Constitution doesn't specifically mention health care or retirement, but it does allow for them under the idea of providing for the general welfare, which is a broad enough clause that it enables the government to do just about anything it wants, provided it can justify it as being part of the public good.

The abuse of the general welfare clause is a huge problem. You can spin anything to be part of the "public good." This is why our government has grown to be so bloated and why spending is out of control.

a reply to: Edumakated

It's used a lot, but I don't agree that it's abuse. The Constitution is extremely broad, it's meant so that government can improve the lives of it's citizens, but it has protections that are supposed to limit abuse. Given the original intent of corporate charters, and considering the scope of the Bill of Rights I would make the case that many jobs we've given out to the private sector were intended to be government functions instead.

The real problem is that our Constitution doesn't scale. The way it's written worked when the population was 3 million and there were 13 states. It doesn't work so well with 320 million and 50 states.

a reply to: Edumakated

Around 28% of our income.

Social Security: $23.61
Medicare: : $15.26
Defense : $15.24
Medicaid: : $9.55
Other : $7.85
Interest : $6.25
Veterans : $4.58
Civilian Retire : $2.57
Transportation :$2.39
Refund Credits :$2.21
Education :$2.08
Food Stamps :$1.89
SSI :$1.53
Justice : $1.48
Housing Assist :$1.27
Foreign Aid :$1.14
ACA :$1.09

I don't see anything there that I'd have cut. I don't want to have to pay out of my pocket to maintain a stretch of Texas highways. I do want teachers better paid. I have no trouble helping working families, the disabled, the elderly and those just plain caught on the wrong end of the economy.