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akuma587 on 28 April 2009
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TheRealMafoo said:
akuma587 said:

Percentages are all well and good, but percentages =/ actual and real revenue. You can be collecting a higher percentage of revenue from the rich BUT STILL be collecting less money from them than you would otherwise.  A higher percentage does not mean more revenue.  And that is where your logic is ultimately flawed.

Let's say you are taking 50% of 100 - that is 50.  Now let's say you are taking 60% of 70 - that is 42.  The percentage was higher, but the actual number was lower.  A higher percentage does not mean a higher number of revenue overall.  That's basic algebra.

 

 

LOL you are arguing his point. That raising the tax rate does not collect more money. Based on this comment, you think lowering the tax rate will generate more real dollars (and I happen to agree with that).

I personally don’t care if the rich get richer. I just care the number of dollars government brings in. If lowering taxes brings in more dollars, and the rich get richer, that’s a win-win.

Taxes are not meant to be a punishment. It’s just a mechanism to pay the bills.

You need to go back and take your math classes too.  You are comparing two different things.  All I was illustrating was that a higher percentage of less money (total tax revenue) is not relevant.

When amounts are equal, collecting a higher percentage DOES allow you to take in more income.  If a person is making $500,000 and I tax 50% of their income, I collect $250,000.  If a person is making $500,000 and I tax 40% of their income, I collect $200,000.

Now I do agree that closing tax loopholes is very important too to avoid tax avoidance, but his assertion that we collected more revenue under Reagan is just plain false and there is no evidence to support it.

 



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