RE: [Marxism] John Kerry and the political economy of taxation:stalling for time

["Jose G. Perez" <elgusanorojo@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Juriaan:  "It's clear then, that corporate taxes represent less than a
tenth of the total federal levy; in reality, the bulk of federal levies
take the form of income taxes on wages and salaries, plus social
insurance schemes."

You were right the just with the first half. The overwhelming, crushing
majority --$1.56 trillion of the $1.85 trillion receipts-- are taxes on
incomes, divided into three parts: a hidden 7% tax on the first $88,000
or income (so called employer's share of social security), an open 7%
tax on that same sum, and then the "official" income tax which, while
affecting all income, without limit, and at supposedly higher rates,
somehow manages to only capture 20% more than those other two taxes.

I think it is wrong and we should avoid perpetuating the illusion that
there is some "social insurance scheme" sponsored by the government.
There is a completely inadequate disability payment and a miserly
pension which the capitalist class has the government dole out so they
as capitalists are not held accountable for it. 

There is no "social security" or "medicare" trust fund; just like there
is no "CIA" or "Pentagon" trust fund. These are purely paper entities
with no reality. What it is meant to do is convince people that even
though percapita GDP and income have gone UP tremendously, the social
security benefits have to go DOWN because the "trust fund" will run out
of money in 2072 or something.

As for Kerry's new "program," guess what, strip away all the BS and what
it comes down to is more tax cuts for the rich, wrapped up in the
promise of 2-1/2 million new jobs a year. It is the same as Bush,
EXACTLY the same, even the lying promise is the same. 

José


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