Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The Debate Last Night

Did I miss something in the debate last night? Why didn't President Obama call out Governor Romney on one of his comments? Did I not hear what I thought I heard?

Gov. Romney said, or I thought he said, that he would eliminate the tax on dividends, interest, and capital gains.

My question is, Who has this kind of income? Most of the working poor and the middle class have little, if any, stocks, bonds, or even savings. If we have any at all, it is most likely to be inside our retirement funds, and thus not normally taxable until it is taken out. Even then, we are usually taxed on what is taken out of the retirement account (unless we have a Roth IRA, which has been taxed before being put into the Roth), regardless of how it came to be in the retirement account. Doesn't matter if it was put in as principal, or earned as interest, dividends, or capital gains. We will, most commonly, pay tax on the whole distribution at our normal tax rate, whatever that might be.

The wealthy are the only people who have enough savings, stocks and bonds, etc. to really have a lot of dividends, capital gains, or interest that would make a difference in their yearly taxable income. You and I might have some savings that would generate a few hundred dollars a year in interest, if we are lucky and have been thrifty. But only the top 5% or 10% would have enough to increase their tax bill.

Convince me that this is not a tax cut for the wealthy. I think Gov. Romney is trying to fool a lot of people, including the middle class.

1 comment:

  1. I have heard it said that this is a race between those that want to be morally correct and those that want to be intellectually correct...you can substitute righteous for correct if you choose.

    Since the 1980s, rich households in the United States have earned a larger and larger share of overall income. The 1 percent earns about one-sixth of all income and the top 10 percent about half. A new study by the left-of-center Economic Policy Institute, a research group in Washington, has found that the top 1 percent of households now hold a larger share of overall wealth than the bottom 90 percent does.

    In sharp contrast the middle class has not received an increase in real wages since 1970. During the recent recession they have lost 40% of their net worth and 20% of their income while the top 1% is doing fabulous.

    The GOP ruse that by decreasing the tax bill of the 1% you will turn the economy around is just that...a ruse. If it worked the 1% would have broken all job creation records during the Bush administration...as we all know during 8 years it created a paltry 1million jobs and threw us into one of the deapest recessions in history.

    Romnies plan is worse than Bush. But allas he will try to convince the American people by utilizing as LITTLE FACTS as possible but give them the feeling of moral good.

    I thought President Obama did call him out on that issue by saying that his 5 point program was a one point program to reduce the taxes on the wewalthy.

    THIS TRIKLE DOWN TAX STUFF HAS NEVER WORKED. DO YOU WANT TO TRY IT AGAIN?

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