" How do you give tax breaks to those who don't pay taxes in the first place. "

First step: admit there are other taxes besides income taxes.

Also, admit that 6% to 8% of constructive use of upfront money, compounded annually, is worth a lot more than a 2% average 25year-maturity bond, aka Social Security.

" Lots of whining, but no solutions"

How about letting Elons tax cuts expire? How about we make a rule no new tax cuts until we balance the budget?

There's a solution for you!

"Is there a deficit or not?"

More important:

If you're running an annual deficit budget, and you write a tax code continuing tax cuts...

...are 100% of those "cuts" based on new borrowing, or not??? (Narrator: "Yes, they are, kids!")

Bottom line: Republicans want to borrow another $4-$5 Trillion, to give it away in tax breaks. All of this national turmoil...all to give the richest in the world a multi-trillion dollar tax cut.

"What other taxes are going to contribute to reducing the federal deficit?"

Well...all of them. Every one adds a positive number to the income line.

"Other than federal taxes?"

That's MY point: anyone who gets a W-2, changes their tires, or buys a 6-pack pays federal taxes.

You, for some reason, have to pretend they pay NO federal taxes. The fact remains: roughly 70 of workers pay more in PAYROLL taxes over their lifetimes than INCOME taxes. And, as I pointed out, a tax cut gives 6%-8% annual compounded "constructive use of money", compared to SS, which is the equivalent of a 2%, 25yr bond.

Currently, in the equation, my payroll taxes subsidize your upfront tax cuts.

" How about we raise taxes?"

Let's do that.

"Implement a VAT?"

And replace our only progressive tax, with a regressive tax? Hard no. How about addressing the obvious: the middle class is being threatened, while Peter and Mark and Elon don't need another round of tax giveaways.

Quick question, to see if you understand the equation: does more than half of the newly borrowed trillions and trillions of dollars in the proposed tax code go to the worlds wealthiest 1/10 of one percent?

Yes or no?

" What would that do to the federal budget? Maybe reduce the shortfall requirements"

Yes! That's how math works!

And let's be serious: there would be no "shortfall", if trustees had socked the money away instead of blowing it in real time.

Instead, workers get an IOU for a 25 year bond at 2%, and you get upfront tax cuts, giving you "constructive use of the money" on day one.

The latter is much more valuable than the former. Even you know that.

" the average tax rate for the bottom 50% of income earners was 3.1%"

+15.3% for payroll taxes. Those are also federal taxes, and they spend just as well as income taxes.

And, as usual, you're ignoring the portion of spending for things like tires or six packs which include federal taxes.

It's easy to make a philosophical point, when you set an alternate reality to start.

" I just find it odd that you would say "hard no" to a policy that was employed across all of the US's peers."

Those usually come hand-in-hand with some societal benefit, like universal health coverage. Nothing like that is being offered here, other than giving trillions to Peter and Mark and Elon.

" a total average federal income tax bill of $504."

Remember welfare? It's now in the tax code, on the 1040. It's called the Earned Income Credit.

Back when I was a child, if the family up the street paid $1000 a year in income taxes, they were marked as having paid income taxes ... Because, of course, they paid income taxes. If that couple also got $100 a month in welfare, because they had three kids, they would still be marked as having paid income taxes. And why? Because, of course, they'd paid income taxes.

Today, that same scenario would be marked "doesn't pay income taxes", despite the fact they do. And that's because lots of child rearing credits, which used to be paid out separately, are now on the 1040.

Basically, Republicans wrote child rearing credits into the tax code on a Tuesday, so they could go out Wednesday complaining less people "pay income taxes".

Look at the American opportunity credit. The child tax credit. The additional child tax credit. The child care credit. Head of Household status. All new additions to the 1040 in the last few decades. And all put on the 1040, in part for talking points.

"$16,258"

Payroll taxes: $2,487

"How would implementation of a VAT be giving them a dime?"

Writing tax cuts, or renewing expiring cuts while running a deficit budget is ALL NEW BORROWING. You agree, right? I've asked.

Frankly, a VAT would give these a***ipes more cover to borrow EVEN MORE.

#42

Any and every source of revenue "contributes". Why are you pretending an income tax dollar is somehow more valuable than a dollar of payroll taxes or a dollar of excise taxes?