Mailing List lml@lancaironline.net Message #9483
From: Hamid A. Wasti <hamid@regandesigns.com>
Subject: Re: Taxes
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 23:05:54 -0700
To: <lancair.list@olsusa.com>
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Sorry for going off topic here.

Marc Verdi wrote:

> Sorry about your luck, that's what you get in a Socialist Society that
> redistributes wealth. We just want to keep it from happening in the US, so
> we complain and vote.

It is already happened here in the US while we were all quietly asleep at the
polling booth.  The top marginal income tax rate is 39%.  Then there is state
income tax, which in many states (like California) is about 10%.  And don't
forget the social security and medicare taxes, which run at about 15% (half of
it paid by your employer, all of it paid by you if you are self-employed).
Then you have the pleasure of paying another 1% to 2% in taxes on the value of
any property you own.  And don't forget sales taxes which in many areas are
running in the 8%-10% range.  While on the subject of sales taxes, there are
targeted federal and local taxes in lots of things including gasoline,
cigarettes, alcohol, just to name a few.  Some of these are fairly substantial
When you add it all up, you may find that many of us are not far behind our
Finish friends.  Some may even be paying more.  But wait, there is more...

Then there is the issue of what do you get for the taxes you pay.  In Finland I
am assuming that there are actual schools for children not mere holding pens
claiming to be schools like we have in the US.  Are universities publicly
funded there?  What about medical?  Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
for a typical family of 4 can cost $500/month in the US.  If Finland provides
reasonable government based long term disability support, then we must consider
the cost of comparable long term disability insurance in the US.  When you add
up the cost of all the additional things that you have to pay for that are not
covered by your taxes, you may find that the effective tax rate in the US is
higher than in many European countries with "exorbitant tax rates".

> Cheers,
> Marc

Sorry, but I am not in a cheerful mood when I talk about taxes.

Hamid

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