Do the math
So, it's tax time again, and again I am furious. Apparently, the federal and California governments believe that we make too much money. Unfortunately, 'too much money' is not enough to buy a house in Los Angeles, so we get royally screwed every April 15th. We are a family of three; my husband claims 1 on his W4, and I claim 0 AND have extra money taken out! I would love to go Galt, but I really do like my job. (I get to fight the looters!). I am seriously wondering if I should asking company to reduce my pay. Does anyone know the math formula? Is there some 'magic number' that will keep us from feeding the looters, but not so much that I become one?
Previous comments...
Max out your 401k before you take a reduction. Same thing, but you keep it, not your employer, you can go up to something around $18k a year plus whatever matching (in my case), the amount varies to a high range of average for your employment group...
Part of progressive taxation is based on that idea: that the wealthy must cover enough of the cost of security for the rest of the population to keep chaos at bay. A flat tax makes the expense of security pretty much the same per capita. The wealthy pay their share the same as everyone else, without the image of privilege.
By the same token, I don't believe in exemptions for charity. Real compassion isn't bought, but given.
I also don't support estate taxes. What I choose to do with my property should be my decision, and those who benefit pay their share at the same flat tax rate as any other form of income.
In the bygone days, I would have suggested sending in the troops to occupy those other communities. Now I'm not so sure how that would work. Because what you get is Ferguson, Missouri. Sooner or later some local "tough" gets himself killed, and the people sympathize with the local "tough." Why? Because they see the police as an army of occupation, not an enforcer of the laws under which they wish to live.
But that example shows you can't expect people to think and act rationally.
Do you deny that South Africa is turning lawless, hence chaotic?
The problem that I see is the federal government; congress will just starting boosting the tax level to 20% then 22% etc., etc. They'll rob you of ever dime they can get so they can buy the votes to keep them in office. In my opinion that's why Obama refuses to close the border and provide sufficient border guards to watch for illegals crossing. It's also why he's working to get the amnesty for millions. That's votes for the Democrats in the bank. Anyone that thinks he's doing it for concern of the Mexicans needs to review his history In office.
The problem with the tax system now is that so many taxes are hidden that people have no idea how much the government is stealing from them. One seriously obscene tax is the Social Security/Medicare system, which is blatantly regressive, with the low income people paying much more of their gross pay than the wealthy. A truly flat tax makes hiding taxes a real challenge.
You sort of went off track with bringing up the immigration thing, which I consider a crime of both liberals and conservatives. The liberals have the delusion that poor immigrants will become part of the voting population that will bring about their fantasy society where "social justice" reigns supreme; the conservatives just want cheap labor. Both sides are a pattern for disaster.
I could go along with a flat tax, but what I'd want to do is fix not only the rate but all the details in the constitution, so this rent-seeking can no longer occur. Have an emergency method to raise the rate but make it hard enough to use (say, 2/3 of both houses + president's signature) that it won't happen without a real emergency.
And don't let the politicians exempt themselves from it.