Otter's Journal: Who volunteers for higher taxes?

One of the insanities of the Massachusetts tax form is the option to pay the old 5.85% rate instead of the 5.3% rate. At the point I hit that decision, after fighting through the obscenely complicated handling of long-term gains and losses that makes US Schedule D look like first grade math, I'm usually thinking about moving to New Hampshire, not giving the state even more money? (Exactly what do they do with it? Not fill potholes, that I know.)

Anyway, I'd often wondered how many people actually volunteer to pay more. Does Ted Kennedy? Robert Reich? Noam Chomsky? It turns out that this year, 624 returns opted for 5.85%, out of 2,104,326. John Kerry not being one of them.

To me, this is more about having some fun with Kerry (as Howard Dean liked to put it), rather than any substantive point. (Be sure to read about all the Kerry-Heinz mansions!) But I do wonder how many of those 624 families genuinely intended to volunteer to pay extra and how many were simply confused. Honestly, I had expected more 5.85% returns, purely out of confusion.

Re:

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:Well, Kerry doesn't make as much as his wife

[Otter]

She's not releasing her tax records. Not yet, anyway.

State Income Tax?

[sean1121]

Is this a state income tax thing? Thank god Texas doesn't have a state income tax.

Re:State Income Tax?

[Cyberdyne]

Is this a state income tax thing? Thank god Texas doesn't have a state income tax.

Yes. (To both sentences, IMHO at least.)

Re:State Income Tax?

[sean1121]

I live in Texas so I can confirm the no state income tax. It would drive me crazy to have to pay 2 income taxes, as if we're not taxed enough as is!

Re:State Income Tax?

[Cyberdyne]

I live in Texas so I can confirm the no state income tax.

I've spent quite a few months there myself over the last few years (my brother lived there until recently). Right at the top of places I'd want to live, given the choice...

It would drive me crazy to have to pay 2 income taxes, as if we're not taxed enough as is!

Could be worse - much worse - I'm in Britain at the moment. It starts with the 17.5% sales tax, then gets more painful from there...

Re:State Income Tax?

[sean1121]

Alls I can say is DAMN! Am I wrong in thinking that there are to many taxes? The thing that gets me is they tax our money when we get it, and then again when we spend it.

Re:State Income Tax?

[Cyberdyne]

Alls I can say is DAMN! Am I wrong in thinking that there are to many taxes? The thing that gets me is they tax our money when we get it, and then again when we spend it.

You missed before we get it - payroll taxes. Then they also tax the interest if we save it, or the payments if we borrow it. Or the dividends and gains if we invest it. Or the property we buy, if we spend it that way, or the car... *sigh*

Re:State Income Tax?

[sean1121]

All to true...

One of the big questions is where does all this money go and what do we have to show for it?

Re:State Income Tax?

[bersl2]

Mmm... how 'bout them VATs?

Re:State Income Tax?

[Lumpish Scholar]

It would drive me crazy to have to pay 2 income taxes....

Here's a four letter word that takes eleven letters (and two words) to spell: "commuter tax." You live in state A. You work in state B. Who do you pay income taxes to? Both! You don't pay twice the tax, but you sure fill out twice as many state forms, and you pay more than you would have in a sane world.

Eh

[LPetrazickis]

Honour System Taxation seems like a Libertarian idea I wouldn't necessarily object to overmuch.:P