without any political comment......

I pay estimated so my check is minus 0%

I1:)

Mine is artificially high as I build in an annual refund of $6000 for "enforced" savings....if you never see it, you don't miss it, as they say.;)

I used to do the same until I realized that "I" should be making the interest for a year on my money instead of the Government...

My 2 cents + interest:D

I1:)

i don't have htem withhold extra to the same extent, but i do have myself listed as married, but withhold as single for my paycheck so i gte that larger refund!

my gripe with taxes is this stupid city! they want to hike the occupation tax from $10 a year to $160 (in one swoop!!!) and they currently have a 50% parking tax also!!! luckily my parking lot absorbed part of the cost and only increased our rates to $105 a month from $80 earlier this year when the city did this..... (sure our parking overall might be cheap, but the tax rate is outrageous!)

i am SO GLAD that i don't have to work in pittsburgh... :censored:

I used to do the same until I realized that "I" should be making the interest for a year on my money instead of the Government...

At current interest rates, this is costing me about $70 per year to pay for my procrastination...I can live with that. If rates start to go up again, I'll reduce my forced savings and see if I can improve my self-discipline.

Of course, I always seem to "need" a new car or home improvement every April...strange coincidence...:eek:

Although instead of using the "chart" we have a set percentage taken out for federal, we still end up losing about 30% with ALL the taxes. We don't use the gov. as a savings, we just make sure there's enough that normally so there's a bit of a refund, instead of a bill at the end of the year.

Then AFTER the paycheck is in our hands, we lose 8.25% on sales tax! So technically I guess closer to 40% goes on some sort of tax!:(

Originally posted by princess
....Then AFTER the paycheck is in our hands, we lose 8.25% on sales tax! So technically I guess closer to 40% goes on some sort of tax!:(

Not to mention all the other hidden taxes, like gas tax, cigarette tax, etc.

i use the govt as my savings too because i am not self disciplined enough when it comes to saving cash! i have enough for an emergency, but that's about it. it's funny because i am very particualr about not having credit card debt, but i'll use those 0% offers all of the time because i can't seem to set aside $50 a month for the purchase, BUT i will make sure i have more than $50 a month to pay off the 0% financing deal. (i know, i'm weird! :blah: ) same thing happens with taxes for me. if i get $1500 back in a refund, i'm alot more likely to us that money for something i really need. where as if i take that 1500 split out over all of my pays (approx $60 a pay), i'd spend iton frivilous stupid stuff. somehow i never manage to save that "extra" cash! :D

so it's my "savings plan for idiots"!! :blush:

Yeah, I forgot about all THOSE taxes..... we get taxed on taxes.... if you buy alcohol you have the sales tax after the alcohol tax, same with gas, cigarettes.... then if they want to they'll call it a FEE, such as DMV..... there's 3 or 4 "fees" in addition to the tax.

On personal property such as the boat...you get sales tax when you buy it, then an annual tax each year for registration (less than a car), plus an annual county tax since they count it as property. If you don't pay the county tax, instead putting a lien on the boat, they put one on your home, if you have one.

Maybe we should just give them half & get everything for free....;) oh wait, that's socialism, huh? Never mind......:D

i know some states do a state tax and that's it. pennsylvania has the lovely set up of state, county, local, and school. (in addition to the sales taxes, liqour taxes, parking taxes, cigarette taxes, etc,etc,etc.) atleast they don't tax clothes or food here (unless it's "prepared" food) yet.

Man, remind me never to live in Pennsylvania.

The other thing too is that all these hybrid cars have the feds and state officials worried because they won't be making as much income off gas taxes. So, at least in CA, there is a proposal to charge a road use tax in addition to the gas tax. It is proposed that this would be done yearly, such as by indicating the new mileage on your registration renewal and being taxed on the difference between the last years and the present mileages. I have also heard it going as far as putting a transmitter in the vehicle that would register mileage driven on shorter intervals (i.e., monthly).

Talk about big brother. Anyone else scared? California's scheming government is one of the primary reasons I moved out of the state.

yuck. a road use tax? actually i wouldn't put that past pennsylvania either! :rolleyes: they already tax the toll roads' tolls.... thankfully i don't have ot use the turnpike or anything on a regular basis.

i think the real kicker is the 50% parking tax. commuters only pay 32% (might be 33 or 36??? can't remember the exact figure).

oh, i forgot the sales tax in the county i work in is 1% higher than surrounding counties because of the baseball and football stadiums they've built recently.

the city of pittsburgh is thinking of putting an extra tax on everyone who works in the city but doesn't live in the city. because us suburbinites should have ot pay for the mistakes the city government has made in their budget and for the mistakes the city residents did by electing the current officials. (basically it's a form of taxation without representation!)

geez, i want out of this state!

:mad:

How I understand they way they want to do the road tax is simular to the "toll roads" they have elsewhere. They'd build short cuts & charge you to use them. The one they've discussed has been a way to get from the valley (Stockton area) to the east bay (Tracy/Dublin area). They're also concidering letting people use the diamond (carpool) lanes, if they pay for the priviledge. I'm fine with both proposals. I rarely touch a freeway, they're too slow! My Prince also no longer uses the freeway to commute, saying it's a parking lot!

It'll be years before they do anything....it's sooooo slow to get stuff built here! If there's a mouse, frog, fly or bug that lives there, it'll go through years of "enviromental impact" surveys. Then the usual court battle. Then the protests when they lose in court. By then the costs have tripled. So they fight with the contractors about that a while. A perfect example is the new expansion for the Bay Bridge. It's been in the works for about 25 years! It has been startred, but it's WAY above the budget & behind schedule.

You'd think there'd be less battle for expanding BART.....but no, it's the same there too! We paid an extra quarter percent (ear marked for BART) sales tax for 30+ years before we saw a station out here. Then they put it AFTER the freeway slow down! So you're stuck in stop & barely go traffic until you pass the station, then it moves. It's not because of ridership, that exit isn't used much! The road widens there. Hwy 4 goes from 2 lane, to 4 lane, 6 then 8. It's about 10 miles from the Antioch Bridge to the BART station, nearly all 4 lane.....until about a half mile from BART, then it finally gets 6 & 8. So not many use BART out here, (primarily due to it's location) Closer to the bay they do.

Don't get me wrong, I really love living in CA! I just find some of the red tape funny & frustrating! For a "high-tech" fast paced place, things move really SSSSLLLLOOOOWWWW!:rolleyes:

yep they've built a couple of the toll roads around here in areas where there aren't any nearby highways. funny thing is, people around here tend to avoid those toll roads! it seems like it was a waste of time, money, and space! :rolleyes: people are more content to drive on some small country roads than to pay to drive on the toll road! (we're cheap i guess!)

Here's one to read about taxes if you have not already.....

http://www.fairtax.org/

I1:)

Originally posted by anysia
yep they've built a couple of the toll roads around here in areas where there aren't any nearby highways. funny thing is, people around here tend to avoid those toll roads! it seems like it was a waste of time, money, and space! :rolleyes: people are more content to drive on some small country roads than to pay to drive on the toll road! (we're cheap i guess!)

I won't drive on toll road b/c then I'm paying for the road twice! But of course we are taxed on our money 3-4 times. Our forefathers have rolled over in their graves so many times it's ridiculous.

Originally posted by Inspector1
Here's one to read about taxes if you have not already.....

http://www.fairtax.org/

I1:)

"Everyone pays their fair share of taxes, and with the FairTax rebate, spending up to the poverty level is tax free. The Federal government is fully funded, including Social Security and Medicare, and you don't need an expert to determine your Federal taxes."

I agree with a Federal flat tax for everyone. The key word there is everyone. If you make $1/year, you pay a certain % in taxes. That way everyone is involved in the government. Right now if you don't pay taxes, why would you care how the government spends other people's money. It becomes an endless cycle of voting for the person that will promise you the most at someone else's expense. Do away with the socialism programs we pay for.

My wife tells me it's time to step off the soap box...

Originally posted by benjamming
"Everyone pays their fair share of taxes, and with the FairTax rebate, spending up to the poverty level is tax free. The Federal government is fully funded, including Social Security and Medicare, and you don't need an expert to determine your Federal taxes."

I agree with a Federal flat tax for everyone. The key word there is everyone. If you make $1/year, you pay a certain % in taxes. That way everyone is involved in the government. Right now if you don't pay taxes, why would you care how the government spends other people's money. It becomes an endless cycle of voting for the person that will promise you the most at someone else's expense. Do away with the socialism programs we pay for.

My wife tells me it's time to step off the soap box...


Well said!!!
I1 :)

they've probably gotten dizzy from all the turning...lol :lmao:

The only problem with a "flat tax" is that if only 2-5% of the population is "rich" then it wouldn't be enough to offset the national debt.

Another problem is that it's the "rich" that keep the money cycling in the economy. They invest more, own the companies & don't just sit & save.

I do agree that when people don't pay anything or very little they will have a tendency to not care as long as they see something out of whoever gets in!

The system IS broken, but I'm not sure what would fix it either.

We have some really dizzy forefathers!! Maybe the next one visiting DC should leave some dramamine on the tombs!!;) (or barf bags??)

I believe in the KISS principal, keep it simple stupid.

The flat tax concept for all federal spending is the way to go.

Refer back to The Constitution for what the federal government is responsible for and only fund those items. The states can do the rest in a way the local population thinks best.

Those people that think the rich should pay the taxes don't see the big picture. Those that run businesses pass on all the costs to the consumer/customer, including the taxes.

Those with good intentions who think we are better off as a nation with entitlements like Medicare and Social Security have enabled millions to be dependent on the government just as a child depends on their parents. Of course this is an intentional political strategy to buy votes.

When things are given away, there are way too many irresponsible people with their hand out saying where's mine.

Well said!

I agree that now the gov has way too many give away programs! The intentions were good when they started, but we have created multi-generations of people sitting & collecting checks. Then when a person's circumstances suddenly get dire, they can't get squat!

As a family, we have helped other members in times of need. When our oldest daughter made some bad choices that led to becoming a mom in her senior year, the gov. wanted her to sit & collect checks. Instead she graduated, then got her first apartment 2 months later. I provided the childcare while she worked & continued her education. Her income was 600 & her rent was 400. She did it! We didn't need to pay a single bill for her. We did keep her stocked on food & diapers. We also found her a little car to drive.....a bucket that ran well for 350. She was proud of herself & others were proud of her too!

If some of the programs disappeared we'd all manage. Painfully, but it could be done!

I'm anti-welfare. It has done more harm than good.

My mom & her husband have a 1200 monthly income. They've never had medicare. They pay their own insurance. Although they qualify for help, pride won't allow it. If I know of a need, I'll find a way to take care of it for them......with lots of arguing. Isn't that what family is for??

The tax situation is sad.....if the gov didn't allow themselves to over charged for things, if they had the states deal with their own issues, if they inforced the laws already written... something like a flat tax could work.

I would be for a flat tax. Being based off a percentage, the rich in this country would still pay the majority of taxes as they do now. If the gov't doesn't have enough income, then downsize. Everyone else does it, so they can too. You get a demotion, you are forced to spend less. Right now, I think the government spends about 26% of the GNP. A 26% flat tax wouldn't be that bad, and the government wouldn't have to downsize. But there would have to be a limit to how much the flat tax could grow.

My uncle works for the IRS and I tell him think of all the money the country would save if we had a flat tax and everyone could file their income tax on a postcard. We could almost totally ELIMINATE the portion of the IRS that deals with our personal incomes! He doesn't like that too much.

The way the tax system is set up now, it just punishes people (at least the taxpayers) for their lifestyle. For example, the government rewards people with tax incentives for owning a home. I don't think that owning a home is bad, and indeed it is expensive, but aren't renting and living in an RV just as acceptable lifestyles? I think the flat tax would eliminate tax breaks and the resentment people feel toward them.

I agree with benjamming. We do not need socialism. I forget where I read it, but I think the following quote is very true:
"Democracy will only last as long as people cannot be bought with their own money." I'll get off the soap box too...

My wife is the "taxman" and takes 100% of my check... :bawling: