Curtis Pride wrote: Am I just not supposed to question how high the taxes are?
seeing that you pay a smaller portion of your income to taxes than any major country in the world (except japan, sometimes), your question should not be how high your taxes are, but instead, how your taxes are being used.
Exactly. Taxes are necessary and despite what people say, the taxes we pay in the US are not ridiculous. The whole tax conversation needs to change from "How much am I paying" to "What is this money being used for". Unfortunately, we're so obsessed with money that we lose sight of how our taxes improve our everyday lives and how a little foresight can make our lives even better. Just think if our politicians in the 50's and 60's invested in transportion systems. Just one example on how proper use of tax money and leaders with vision could have really made an impact on future generations. But, the main thing is that this obsession with money needs to end. By having a house and a car you are in the top 10% of the world's richest people. I barely have anything, I rent and have hand me down vehicles and that's far more than a majority of other people living in the world. It would be nice to live a little better, but I'm living comfortably. Americans (not just Americans) need to start realizing what they have and stop thinking about what they can get.
I don't mind being "gouged" for $0.70 per gallon in taxes. I enjoy roads.
First, you don't actually think that the government earmarks taxes aligned based on their source, do you? Hell, even road toll revenue isn't earmarked for maintenance on the road.
In my state, gas taxes (state taxes at least, federal is only about $0.18 per gallon), absolutely are earmarked for specific uses. The vast majority goes to roads, with small amounts going to a variety of programs, including public transportation, bicycle paths, and, if I remember correctly, some river and stream restoration and state parks.
Curtis Pride wrote:And $0.70 cents is the exact amount that is necessary for roads? Not 50 cents or 5 cents or 2 dollars per gallon? That's the optimum amount of taxes per gallon just because some bureaucrat said so? Am I just not supposed to question how high the taxes are?
I didn't say any of this. Just that I don't feel gouged paying $0.70 per gallon in gas tax. At that rate, and with my average gas usage (even using a very liberal figure that I certainly don't reach, and underestimating my gas mileage) I pay less than $500 a year in gas tax. That seems like a reasonable amount to me, especially considering some of the other things I mentioned above (bike paths, public transportation, etc.) that I use as well. If you don't feel like you're getting your money's worth for your gas tax dollars, that's fine. I'm not trying to convince you otherwise, just saying that I don't mind.
Curtis Pride wrote:My point is people bemoan a company for making profit because they deem it to be excessive, but the money that the government is taking of the transaction dwarves any revenues generated by the company actually creating the value.
But, at least in my case, I feel like I'm getting a good return on investment, so to speak, for the money the government is "taking." That said, this is an old thread, and I don't remember everything I've said in it over the last few years, but I'm not one of those bemoaning these profits.
jfg wrote:Exactly. Taxes are necessary and despite what people say, the taxes we pay in the US are not ridiculous. The whole tax conversation needs to change from "How much am I paying" to "What is this money being used for". Unfortunately, we're so obsessed with money that we lose sight of how our taxes improve our everyday lives and how a little foresight can make our lives even better. Just think if our politicians in the 50's and 60's invested in transportion systems. Just one example on how proper use of tax money and leaders with vision could have really made an impact on future generations. But, the main thing is that this obsession with money needs to end. By having a house and a car you are in the top 10% of the world's richest people. I barely have anything, I rent and have hand me down vehicles and that's far more than a majority of other people living in the world. It would be nice to live a little better, but I'm living comfortably. Americans (not just Americans) need to start realizing what they have and stop thinking about what they can get.
Americans in general don't pay shall I say, generous taxes relative to the rest of the world. However, the US government spends relatively less on social services compared to other nations. Taxes are higher in say, Europe, but residents generally get what they pay for (i.e. relatively manageable healthcare costs, improving infrastructure). Probably a topic for another thread though.
I don't mind being "gouged" for $0.70 per gallon in taxes. I enjoy roads.
First, you don't actually think that the government earmarks taxes aligned based on their source, do you? Hell, even road toll revenue isn't earmarked for maintenance on the road.
And $0.70 cents is the exact amount that is necessary for roads? Not 50 cents or 5 cents or 2 dollars per gallon? That's the optimum amount of taxes per gallon just because some bureaucrat said so? Am I just not supposed to question how high the taxes are?
My point is people bemoan a company for making profit because they deem it to be excessive, but the money that the government is taking of the transaction dwarves any revenues generated by the company actually creating the value.
dwarfs
These are dwarves
The money the government takes dwarfs what Bernie Madoff stole as well, does that mean we can't complain about him? What does one have to do with the other? Taxes are taxes but record profits by a company charging $1.32 a litre for its product is stomach-churning.
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by jfg » Wed Jun 01, 2011 5:16 pm 
