“If top marginal income tax rates are set too high, they discourage productive economic activity. In the limit, a top marginal income tax rate of 100 percent would mean that taxpayers would gain nothing from working harder or investing more. In contrast, a higher top marginal rate on consumption would actually encourage savings and investment. A top marginal consumption tax rate of 100 percent would simply mean that if a wealthy family spent an extra dollar, it would also owe an additional dollar of tax.” IfsMeanEconomicHigherActivityLimitsTaxesPercentGainsHarderDollarsInvestmentRateInvestingIncomeSavingExtrasProductiveWealthyContrastConsumptionTaxpayersSavingsDiscouragingIncome TaxSavings And Investment Author:Robert H. Frank
“From 2008 to 2016 all the growth in the American economy, all the growth in national income, was earned just by the wealthiest 5% of the population. So they got all the growth. 95% of the population didn't grow. If you can get a flat tax or other lower tax, as Trump is suggesting, then this richest 5% will be able to keep even more money. That means that the 95% will be even poorer than they were before, relative to the very top.” IfsMeanAbleGrowsGrowthEconomyTrumpTaxesPopulationIncomeFlatsRelativeMore MoneySuggestingAmerican EconomyFlat Tax Author:Michael Hudson
“The Democrats have so corrupted our understanding of economics and productivity that lowering tax rates is now considered to be some kind of sop to the rich. I mean, it's just profound to me, the damage inflicted on this country by the Democrats in their pursuit of perpetual power.” KindMeanCountryUnderstandingRichTaxesProfoundDemocratRateProductivity Author:Rush Limbaugh
“The federal government, state governments will not do without that tax revenue from tobacco no matter what. I've always thought it was one of the most contradictory setups that we have, because everything said publicly about the product is intended to besmirch it, impugn it, and do the same thing to the people that use it. And yet here's the government scoring, I mean, you want to talk about obscene profits, the government doesn't do a damn thing but stick its hand in. The government taxes tobacco at every stage. It taxes tobacco when the farmer's thinking about planting it.” PeopleThinkingMeanTaxesContradictoryTobaccoObscene Author:Rush Limbaugh
“Donald Trump was tainted every kind of way you could imagine. I mean, no way in the world that Donald Trump is a champion of working people. He has hurt workers in Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Florida, multiple bankruptcies, never showed his taxes. I don't know any good thing this guy's ever done. And yet, because he was able to throw hate and poison on Hillary Clinton, he was able to somehow prevail at least until the Electoral College. I think he was skilled at just sort of, like, keeping the attention on anyone but himself. He is the most outrageous person ever to win a presidential election.” PeopleThinkingWorldKindMeanDoneHateWinningHurtAttentionImagineCollegeTaxesElectionGood ThingsClintonPresidentialChampionMultipleBankruptcyPresidential Election Author:Keith Ellison
“What I'm angry about, and I've gone on record saying this, is I think that financiers get away with murder. They realize they can get something for nothing and they won't settle for anything else. There's something called a Schedule F. If I work for a Schedule F contract that basically means I'm doing the movie for free because by the time I pay all my commissions and taxes there's barely anything left for me to live on. This whole notion that you do work that you love for very little money and then you go out and do something you hate to make money.” ThinkingMeanHateRealizingTaxesMurderMaking MoneySettlingGet Away Author:Michael Shannon
“I don't think "Reganomics" will ever fully end. I mean, Reaganomics, to put it simply, was trying to get low taxes for wealthy people. And wealthy people are still there pushing for low taxes.” PeopleThinkingTryingMeanTaxesWealthy Author:Dean Baker
“I do think that Republicans are flirting with their tax cut, which has always been the narcotic of Republicans, that they in fact have to at some point, with any remote pretense of candor, abandon any pretense of a balanced budget.I mean, they talk about - because they are going to finance the tax cut by tax cuts. That's how they're going to do it. And I do think that the will is there right now in the Congress to act. I think they will be as close to unity as you will see on Capitol Hill this year.” ThinkingMeanCuttingRepublicanTaxesUnityFinanceHillsAbandonFlirtingPretense Author:Mark Shields
“We have landowners, small growers. We have people who are holding onto land that was acquired by their families after slavery. They need to produce some of the food we eat, so they can pay the taxes and hold onto the property. Taxes keep going up. We, and by we I mean black people, are rapidly becoming a landless people. Our ancestors, coming out of slavery, acquired more than 15 million acres of land. Today, we're probably down to less than 2 million acres.” PeopleMeanTodayBlackTaxesSlaveryPropertyKeep GoingBlack PeopleAncestorHolding On Author:Shirley Sherrod
“When you think of policies that are going to address inequality of wealth, you have to be very thoughtful about what economists call "incidence of taxes." If most of the savings is being done by capitalists, and you tax the return on capital, then they will have less to invest. That would mean, over the long run, that the rate of interest would go up. That would therefore undo some of the intent to lower the income of capitalists.” ThinkingMeanLongDoneRunningInterestWealthPolicyTaxesRateInequalityThoughtfulCapitalistEconomist Author:Joseph Stiglitz
“Now it is unambiguously clear that trickle-down economics does not work. But what does that mean? That means we have to structure our economic policies to make sure that we have shared prosperity. And you don't do that by giving a tax cut to the big winners and raising taxes on those who have not done very well. Your economic policy has to respond to the way our economic system has been working.” GivingMeanDoneCuttingEconomicPolicyTaxesProsperityWinner Author:Joseph Stiglitz
“You know, the elites always want to shame the poor - right? - and everyone else. I mean, the fact is, this economy is based on 70 percent of the people driving consumer demand. If people do not purchase goods and services, this economy will grind to recession. And that is why, if you are going to do a tax cut, it ought to really be aimed at low-income and middle-income people.” PeopleMeanPoorEconomyCuttingTaxesShameDrivingGrind Author:Keith Ellison
“Donald Trump is the least unpopular thing about today's Republican Party. I mean, the idea that a Mitch McConnell or a Paul Ryan could say, "Let's toss Trump overboard and return to our program of plutocratic politics, health care removal, massive income tax cuts for the affluent, deregulation of finance" - if they cut loose from Donald Trump, it's like, you know, storm in channel, continent cut off. If they cut loose from him, they are much likelier to sink.” MeanCarePartyCuttingLike YouRepublicanTaxesProgramStormFinanceHealth CareRepublican PartyIncome TaxRemovalOverboard Author:David Frum
“But let me perfectly clear, because I know you'll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime.” PeopleIfsKnowsYearsMeanFamilyBreakClearTaxesLet MeClaimsIncreaseRepeatsMassiveRollingDimesTax BreaksTax Increases Author:Barack Obama
“If we choose to keep those tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, if we choose to keep a tax break for corporate jet owners, if we choose to keep tax breaks for oil and gas companies that are making hundreds of billions of dollars, then that means we've got to cut some kids off from getting a college scholarship.” IfsMeanKidsCompanyBreakCuttingCollegeTaxesDollarsOilBillionsCorporateGasOwnersMillionaireScholarshipJetBillionaireTax BreaksOil And Gas Author:Barack Obama
“Deficits mean future tax increases, pure and simple. Deficit spending should be viewed as a tax on future generations, and politicians who create deficits should be exposed as tax hikers.” ShouldMeanSimpleGenerationsPoliticianPureTaxesIncreaseSpendingExposedDeficitFuture GenerationHikerTax IncreasesDeficit Spending Author:Ron Paul
“I think you need to have a tax system that basically is flat, fair and simple. And - that you can put on a post card. I mean, even Timothy Geithner could do this one and get it on time.” ThinkingNeedsMeanSimpleTaxesFairsCardsPostsFlatsTax System Author:Rick Perry
“And fifth, we will champion small businesses, America's engine of job growth. That means reducing taxes on business, not raising them. It means simplifying and modernizing the regulations that hurt small business the most. And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of healthcare by repealing and replacing Obamacare.” MeanJobsAmericaGrowthHurtCostTaxesChampionEnginesHealthcareRegulationSmall BusinessFifthReducingObamacareReinsJob GrowthRepealing Author:Mitt Romney