[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'239301\' date=\'Apr 12 2010, 10:16 AM\']It's income. Income is taxed in this country. If you have a problem with that, there are other countries you could move to.[/quote]Or we could go to a consumption tax. You're taxed on what you buy (above a subsistence level of food purchases which would be rebated to all participants) and not on what you earn. Personally, I would rather be taxed on what I can control, rather than be taxed on my earnings, when squelches innovation, investment and entrepreneurship.
What we have is a labyrinthine tax code that is nearly incomprehensible, and different kinds of income are taxed at different levels (to wit, capital gains on stock sales are taxed differently than is regular money.)
[quote name=\'Joe Mello\' post=\'239304\' date=\'Apr 12 2010, 11:10 AM\']One thing too many people fail to realize is that the government runs on taxes, so any cuts to taxes deprives the government of funding for stuff both good (unemployment) and bad (pork). This is not to say that all taxes are good (looking at you, Dan Onorato), but all taxes are not bad.
Of course, if you disagree with me, there are several political "parties" that you join that share in your beliefs. This country is still free, as far as I know.[/quote]Whenever I would blog about political waste, I would invariably get a couple of thicko morons who would say "But you have to have taxes to run things! If you don't have taxes, you have anarchy!" which is not what I want. I would be much happier to pay taxes if I knew that our government was lean, mean and streamlined. It is not. My idea of government necessity is different from probably everyone here, so I'll leave it with that. If you want to know more about the FairTax or what I think could be cut from the FedBudget, drop me a line.
[quote name=\'Loogaroo\' post=\'239310\' date=\'Apr 12 2010, 12:09 PM\']The government may consider passing a law rendering contest winnings non-taxable (I remember Stosh making a crusade of it years back), but game show winners isn't exactly an underprivileged group that either party can pander to.[/quote]Professor Malfeasance also "crusaded" for the surnames of contestants being told on-air, going so far as to come up with bogus "fake surnames" as he saw fit, and to have "Big Brother" moved back to 10p on the nights it aired.
So far, he's oh-fer-life on that account.
The government is not going to say "Hm, we'll take a pass on moar income!" unless it benefits them somehow. I don't think The Buzzer-Whanger Party is big enough to get a seat at the table.