#juan said:
I think that this is a big part of it. Canada, per capita, has way more infrastructure than most states. It is a neccessity simply because of the physical size of our country.
Who Pays Taxes In Canada ??
- Thread starter jimmoyer
- Start date
I think that this is a big part of it. Canada, per capita, has way more infrastructure than most states. It is a neccessity simply because of the physical size of our country.
The bottom 50 percent of society in both
Canada and United States pay less than 5 percent
of all income tax collected by the national government.
In fact the bottom 50 percent of Canadian society
pays one percent more than the bottom 50 percent
of American society.
Interesting.
CANADA
Income group % of federal personalincome taxes paid
.........................................1990..........2002
50% with lowest incomes..............6.7%.........4.4%
40% with intermediate incomes.....47.3%........43.0%
10% with highest incomes............46.0%........52.6%
AMERICA
For Tax Year 2003
Percent Ranked by Adusted Gross Income -------column 1
AGI Threshold on Percentiles ---------------------column 2
Percent of all Federal Income Tax recieved------column 3
Top 1% ..........$295,495...............34.27
Top 5%...........$130,080...............54.36
Top 10%..........$94,891................65.84
Top 25%..........$57,343................83.88
Top 50%..........$29,019................96.54
Bottom 50%...... $29,019............... 3.46
Interesting.
Canada and United States pay less than 5 percent
of all income tax collected by the national government.
In fact the bottom 50 percent of Canadian society
pays one percent more than the bottom 50 percent
of American society.
Interesting.
CANADA
Income group % of federal personalincome taxes paid
.........................................1990..........2002
50% with lowest incomes..............6.7%.........4.4%
40% with intermediate incomes.....47.3%........43.0%
10% with highest incomes............46.0%........52.6%
AMERICA
For Tax Year 2003
Percent Ranked by Adusted Gross Income -------column 1
AGI Threshold on Percentiles ---------------------column 2
Percent of all Federal Income Tax recieved------column 3
Top 1% ..........$295,495...............34.27
Top 5%...........$130,080...............54.36
Top 10%..........$94,891................65.84
Top 25%..........$57,343................83.88
Top 50%..........$29,019................96.54
Bottom 50%...... $29,019............... 3.46
Interesting.
I have to ask here, are we only including the people who work real jobs when we're talking about the bottom 50%? Because if we're including housewives, students, and the elderly who may all work part time I think we're getting a distorted view.
I know these stats are tough on the mindset of most
liberals who grew up believing the rich don't pay.
liberals who grew up believing the rich don't pay.
Re: RE: Who Pays Taxes In Canada ??
It's not that at all. I'm just using my own common sense and my experience. I didn't pay much in taxes when I went to school and worked part time making about 12K a year, but would you have expected me to? Then I became a rich nurse ( :wink: ) and started paying a lot more. I live in the US now and about 1/3 of my income goes to taxes, just like when I lived in Canada. It's annoying, but I wouldn't expect someone who is just like I was 10 years ago (working their way through school) to pay more so I could pay less. That's the problem I have with including all income earners in the stats. Part time employees couldn't possibly be expected to pay a bigger share.
jimmoyer said:
It's not that at all. I'm just using my own common sense and my experience. I didn't pay much in taxes when I went to school and worked part time making about 12K a year, but would you have expected me to? Then I became a rich nurse ( :wink: ) and started paying a lot more. I live in the US now and about 1/3 of my income goes to taxes, just like when I lived in Canada. It's annoying, but I wouldn't expect someone who is just like I was 10 years ago (working their way through school) to pay more so I could pay less. That's the problem I have with including all income earners in the stats. Part time employees couldn't possibly be expected to pay a bigger share.
Tracy, good point. This thread is just to get people
to realize what is really happening.
People know, but they don't know.
These stats show, just as in Britain and Australia, so
too with Canada and United States, that the poorer
parts of society contribute less than 5 percent
of all income tax collections.
It shows the US to be little different than the others
contrary to popular perceptions about the wealthy
in America.
It even shows that the more liberal socialistic countries
have the poorer pay a tad more in all income tax
collections.
This is just a picture of the taxes.
It also gets us to realistically debate a question:
The burden is still tougher on that bottom 50 percent.
But here's the rub, if we want the bottom 50 percent
of society to contribute less than 5 percent or maybe
down to zero percent, will their political persepective
of the situation become LESS RESPONSIBLE ???
to realize what is really happening.
People know, but they don't know.
These stats show, just as in Britain and Australia, so
too with Canada and United States, that the poorer
parts of society contribute less than 5 percent
of all income tax collections.
It shows the US to be little different than the others
contrary to popular perceptions about the wealthy
in America.
It even shows that the more liberal socialistic countries
have the poorer pay a tad more in all income tax
collections.
This is just a picture of the taxes.
It also gets us to realistically debate a question:
The burden is still tougher on that bottom 50 percent.
But here's the rub, if we want the bottom 50 percent
of society to contribute less than 5 percent or maybe
down to zero percent, will their political persepective
of the situation become LESS RESPONSIBLE ???
Re: RE: Who Pays Taxes In Canada ??
This is just insulting. To suggest such a blatant generalization is just showing ignorance.
jimmoyer said:
This is just insulting. To suggest such a blatant generalization is just showing ignorance.
LittleRunningGag, my apologies to you.
But rare is the headline about tax cuts a balanced
report as these stats indicate. And rare is it liberals
who acknowlege how much the rich do indeed pay.
We all agree they should.
But how noble of us, eh ?
These stats are a double edge sword.
Not only do they show how much the rich pay and
how little the bottom 50 percent contributes...
BUT...
it also shows a great disparity between the rich and poor
and is indicative of the bell curve of human achievement
and different starting advantages.
We all know:
The burden is still tougher on that bottom 50 percent.
But here's the rub, if we want the bottom 50 percent
of society to contribute less than 5 percent or maybe
down to zero percent, will their political persepective
of the situation become LESS RESPONSIBLE ???
But rare is the headline about tax cuts a balanced
report as these stats indicate. And rare is it liberals
who acknowlege how much the rich do indeed pay.
We all agree they should.
But how noble of us, eh ?
These stats are a double edge sword.
Not only do they show how much the rich pay and
how little the bottom 50 percent contributes...
BUT...
it also shows a great disparity between the rich and poor
and is indicative of the bell curve of human achievement
and different starting advantages.
We all know:
The burden is still tougher on that bottom 50 percent.
But here's the rub, if we want the bottom 50 percent
of society to contribute less than 5 percent or maybe
down to zero percent, will their political persepective
of the situation become LESS RESPONSIBLE ???
These statistical comparisons are silly. I suspect half of the income of the top 10% doesn't appear in the official income stats because they use various tax strategies to eliminate taxable income. The company expenses out the BMW, and the income used to pay for it is not first paid or reported to the individual. The working stiff has to pay for his Chevy Cavalier out of the proceeds you see in his taxable income statistics.
After all the loopholes are said and done, the top
10 percent STILL pays a lion's share.
Amazing, eh ?
10 percent STILL pays a lion's share.
Amazing, eh ?
Most taxation is based on percentages. The reason the upper half pays more is because they have more. Percentage wise, they are pretty close, but gross dollars is higher. You pointed this out earlier.
What this shows is that the wealthy pay slightly higher taxation levels. But what you fail to consider is the effect of sales taxation. Taxation based on non-neccessity spending is always going to lean harder on the wealthy because they have more disposable income. Whereas, lower income Canadians spend a far greater percentage of their income on neccessities and thus pay less in taxes.
In fact, I was always under the impression that the top tier wealth earners in fact paid more (percentage wise) in income tax than lower income earners. What you've shown me here is that I was wrong in the opposite direction. That the wealthy in fact pay very little more (as a percentage of their income, which is the important part of the equation) than what the lower income earners pay.
Also, as Kreskin pointed out, there are plenty of corporate tax strategies that allow high income earners to back out of paying almost all of their taxes. Because of the way tax law is, it is entirely possible for people making way above the national average to collect a GST rebate cheque. As such, it is difficult to take these stats at face value, and they must be taken with a grain of salt.
What this shows is that the wealthy pay slightly higher taxation levels. But what you fail to consider is the effect of sales taxation. Taxation based on non-neccessity spending is always going to lean harder on the wealthy because they have more disposable income. Whereas, lower income Canadians spend a far greater percentage of their income on neccessities and thus pay less in taxes.
In fact, I was always under the impression that the top tier wealth earners in fact paid more (percentage wise) in income tax than lower income earners. What you've shown me here is that I was wrong in the opposite direction. That the wealthy in fact pay very little more (as a percentage of their income, which is the important part of the equation) than what the lower income earners pay.
Also, as Kreskin pointed out, there are plenty of corporate tax strategies that allow high income earners to back out of paying almost all of their taxes. Because of the way tax law is, it is entirely possible for people making way above the national average to collect a GST rebate cheque. As such, it is difficult to take these stats at face value, and they must be taken with a grain of salt.
There is a lot in what you say Tracy. Both my wife and I are retired and the way our pensions are set up, we only pay taxes on what we use. If in a given year, we just have normal living expenses, we pay little income tax. If we buy a car, or take a vacation, all of a sudden our income goes up by the price of that car, or the cost of that vacation. (last car was roughly $30,000.00) We do a few things to spread it out and generally we can live well on a modest income.
You can't talk out of both sides of your mouth, saying
half the top 10 percent wealthy escape taxes and then
say, well of course they pay more taxes ???
Okay. I guess you can say both things.
Both are true, just as statistics prove a great many
of all classes fudge on their taxes, because the intricacies
of the tax code in both nations is an abomination
and encourages such abuses.
half the top 10 percent wealthy escape taxes and then
say, well of course they pay more taxes ???
Okay. I guess you can say both things.
Both are true, just as statistics prove a great many
of all classes fudge on their taxes, because the intricacies
of the tax code in both nations is an abomination
and encourages such abuses.