Sorry Eques I'm still not buying into this. By your definition many illegal aliens in NY and CA would be considered 'middle class' by earning $32,000 (the 50th percentile). By the 'political' definition, middle class refers to today's version of the original true 'middle class' which emerged during the renaissance in the form of artists, shopkeepers, tradesmen, academics etc. whose station in life was above the 'workers' but far below that of the 'landed gentry'. By the 'political' definition of middle class, today this refers to people who are basically white collar professionals, people who own decent homes and cars, people who can afford to send their kids to college, people who can afford to spend a little extra money on a nicety or two once in a while.
Therefore by the 'political' definition, a 'middle class' household in NY or NJ or MA or CT or RI or IL or MI or CA or WA (which amounts to more than half of all 'middle class' households) today must earn well over $100,000. By your stats this puts them above the 90th percentile. Between federal, state and local taxes, these 'middle class' people are paying out 33% of their income or more. On the other hand, today's upper class version of the 'landed gentry' like John and Theresa Kerry are able to take advantage of tax exempt/tax favorable investments, multiple residences (which allows for paying low state taxes as a legal PA resident, while actually living in high state tax MA), and other accounting and legal tricks to wind up paying less than 20% of their 'income' in total taxes.
Please explain to me again how this is an example of the 'rich' paying the 'lion's share' of taxes ?
In general, Democratic tax policies tend to favor the 'working class' and the poor via low income tax credits, supplementary/indirect gov't benefits such as subsidized housing and subsidized utility rates etc. In general, Democratic tax policies also favor the rich i.e. 'landed gentry', by establishing and maintaining major tax loopholes like foundations, capital gains, wind farms, tax free muni bonds etc. which allow the John and Theresa Kerryesque rich to avoid paying a significant portion of the 'official' tax rate (in the case of their $5 million dollar 'income' the official federal tax rate is 36%, yet they pay 14%). And in general, Democratic tax policies tend to stick it to the 'middle class', at least the politically defined middle class, by quickly ramping up the official federal tax rate above $60,000 income or so, by phasing out/limiting deductions above $100,000 or so, and via the dreaded AMT the Democrat's formerly best kept secret.
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