Warren Buffett wants to tax the Rich but Berkshire Hathaway has unpaid taxes

"But it's the poor that can't avoid taxes, so we get screwed, while they avoid. This is why every time you raise taxes, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. Better still the poor seem to want to remain that way." I am neither poor nor rich (I am stuck just above the poor and well below the rich); and, from where I am sitting, the "poor" aren't paying their fair share of taxes at all. 50% of Americans (POOR, NOT RICH) are either paying no taxes or are actually receiving tax dollars that they never paid. The rich may not be paying as much as some people think they should - but, why should the poor ever try to not be poor when it means they would actually have to pay taxes and not get every penny of that back (or even more than they paid in).

Well... that's both true and false at the exact same time. It depends on what party you are in, and what position you are trying to defend. Social Security is in fact a tax. And it's a large tax on the poor. 15% actually. And then if you earn between $17K to $60K, you get nailed with another 15%. So the poor are easily paying 30% in taxes when they earn as little as $25K. The problem is, depending on what party and argument you are trying to make, you can claim the poor pay no tax. For example, if I pass a tax law the tries to punish the wealthy, such as Obama, you would claim that SS is not a tax "but a retirement investment" and then with deductions, the poor pay no tax. Of course, it's all a game of relative truth in politics. In reality, we should all have equal taxes, and no deductions. Everyone should pay the exact same amount. Say 10%. Everyone should pay exactly 10%. If you make $20K, you should pay $2K in taxes. If you make $200K you should pay $20K in taxes. Everyone should lose the exact same percentage of their income. As for 'why should the poor try to be rich'... The poor that are going to try, are going to try anyway. The question is how hard are we going to make it to be rich? The less taxes we put in front of poor people, the more that are able to move up. And conversely.

speakeasy what is more disturbing is many of those who get more back than is withheld feel THEY ARE PAYING TAXES and should be entitled to a bigger tax cut. I am leaning toward a flat tax that is connected to the Gross National Product and puts limits on spending by Congress and applies to all income including food stamps, general assistance and all the other assistance that government hands out. That would be truly sharing the sacrifice.