Debunking Myths About Paying Taxes

Not part of the myth of paying taxes, but this thread reminded me of something a co-worker once said about paying taxes. He said, "No one has to pay taxes. There will be repercussions if you don't, but you don't have to pay them."
 
Not part of the myth of paying taxes, but this thread reminded me of something a co-worker once said about paying taxes. He said, "No one has to pay taxes. There will be repercussions if you don't, but you don't have to pay them."
That's impossible, unless you decided to live off the grid. I thought this was an interesting article because it discusses 97 taxes Americans pay each year; http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-25/list-97-taxes-americans-pay-every-year
If you are like most Americans, paying taxes is one of your pet peeves. The deadline to file your federal taxes is coming up, and this year Americans will spend more than 7 billion hours preparing their taxes and will hand over more than four trillion dollars to federal, state and local governments. Americans will fork over nearly 30 percent of what they earn to pay their income taxes, but that is only a small part of the story.

As you will see below, there are dozens of other taxes that Americans pay every year. Of course not everyone pays all of these taxes, but without a doubt we are all being taxed into oblivion. It is like death by a thousand paper cuts. Our politicians have become extremely creative in finding ways to extract money from all of us, and most Americans don't even realize what is being done to them. By the time it is all said and done, a significant portion of the population ends up paying more than half of what they earn to the government. That is fundamentally wrong, but nothing will be done about it until people start demanding change. The following is a list of 97 taxes Americans pay every year...

#1 Air Transportation Taxes (just look at how much you were charged the last time you flew)
#2 Biodiesel Fuel Taxes
#3 Building Permit Taxes
#4 Business Registration Fees
#5 Capital Gains Taxes
#6 Cigarette Taxes
#7 Court Fines (indirect taxes)
#8 Disposal Fees
#9 Dog License Taxes
#10 Drivers License Fees (another form of taxation)
#11 Employer Health Insurance Mandate Tax
#12 Employer Medicare Taxes
#13 Employer Social Security Taxes
#14 Environmental Fees
#15 Estate Taxes
#16 Excise Taxes On Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans
#17 Federal Corporate Taxes
#18 Federal Income Taxes
#19 Federal Unemployment Taxes
#20 Fishing License Taxes
#21 Flush Taxes (yes, this actually exists in some areas)
#22 Food And Beverage License Fees
#23 Franchise Business Taxes
#24 Garbage Taxes
#25 Gasoline Taxes
#26 Gift Taxes
#27 Gun Ownership Permits
#28 Hazardous Material Disposal Fees
#29 Highway Access Fees
#30 Hotel Taxes (these are becoming quite large in some areas)
#31 Hunting License Taxes
#32 Import Taxes
#33 Individual Health Insurance Mandate Taxes
#34 Inheritance Taxes
#35 Insect Control Hazardous Materials Licenses
#36 Inspection Fees
#37 Insurance Premium Taxes
#38 Interstate User Diesel Fuel Taxes
#39 Inventory Taxes
#40 IRA Early Withdrawal Taxes
#41 IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
#42 IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
#43 Library Taxes
#44 License Plate Fees
#45 Liquor Taxes
#46 Local Corporate Taxes
#47 Local Income Taxes
#48 Local School Taxes
#49 Local Unemployment Taxes
#50 Luxury Taxes
#51 Marriage License Taxes
#52 Medicare Taxes
#53 Medicare Tax Surcharge On High Earning Americans Under Obamacare
#54 Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax (if you don't buy "qualifying" health insurance under Obamacare you will have to pay an additional tax
#55
Obamacare Surtax On Investment Income (a new 3.8% surtax on investment income)
#56 Parking Meters
#57 Passport Fees
#58 Professional Licenses And Fees (another form of taxation)
#59 Property Taxes
#60 Real Estate Taxes
#61 Recreational Vehicle Taxes
#62 Registration Fees For New Businesses
#63 Toll Booth Taxes
#64 Sales Taxes
#65 Self-Employment Taxes
#66 Sewer & Water Taxes
#67 School Taxes
#68 Septic Permit Taxes
#69 Service Charge Taxes
#70 Social Security Taxes
#71 Special Assessments For Road Repairs Or Construction
#72 Sports Stadium Taxes
#73 State Corporate Taxes
#74 State Income Taxes
#75 State Park Entrance Fees
#76 State Unemployment Taxes (SUTA)
#77 Tanning Taxes (a new Obamacare tax on tanning services)
#78 Telephone 911 Service Taxes
#79 Telephone Federal Excise Taxes
#80 Telephone Federal Universal Srvice Fee Taxes
#81 Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Taxes
#82 Telephone State And Local Taxes
#83 Telephone Universal Access Taxes
#84 The Alternative Minimum Tax
#85 Tire Recycling Fees
#86 Tire Taxes
#87 Tolls (another form of taxation)
#88 Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
#89 Use Taxes (Out of state purchases, etc.)
#90 Utility Taxes
#91 Vehicle Registration Taxes
#92 Waste Management Taxes
#93 Water Rights Fees
#94 Watercraft Registration & Licensing Fees
#95 Well Permit Fees
#96 Workers Compensation Taxes
#97 Zoning Permit Fees
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That's impossible, unless you decided to live off the grid. I thought this was an interesting article because it discusses 97 taxes Americans pay each year;

#1 Air Transportation Taxes (just look at how much you were charged the last time you flew)
#2 Biodiesel Fuel Taxes
#3 Building Permit Taxes
#4 Business Registration Fees
#5 Capital Gains Taxes
#6 Cigarette Taxes
#7 Court Fines (indirect taxes)
#8 Disposal Fees
#9 Dog License Taxes
#10 Drivers License Fees (another form of taxation)
#11 Employer Health Insurance Mandate Tax
#12 Employer Medicare Taxes
#13 Employer Social Security Taxes
#14 Environmental Fees
#15 Estate Taxes
#16 Excise Taxes On Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans
#17 Federal Corporate Taxes
#18 Federal Income Taxes
#19 Federal Unemployment Taxes
#20 Fishing License Taxes
#21 Flush Taxes (yes, this actually exists in some areas)
#22 Food And Beverage License Fees
#23 Franchise Business Taxes
#24 Garbage Taxes
#25 Gasoline Taxes
#26 Gift Taxes
#27 Gun Ownership Permits
#28 Hazardous Material Disposal Fees
#29 Highway Access Fees
#30 Hotel Taxes (these are becoming quite large in some areas)
#31 Hunting License Taxes
#32 Import Taxes
#33 Individual Health Insurance Mandate Taxes
#34 Inheritance Taxes
#35 Insect Control Hazardous Materials Licenses
#36 Inspection Fees
#37 Insurance Premium Taxes
#38 Interstate User Diesel Fuel Taxes
#39 Inventory Taxes
#40 IRA Early Withdrawal Taxes
#41 IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
#42 IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
#43 Library Taxes
#44 License Plate Fees
#45 Liquor Taxes
#46 Local Corporate Taxes
#47 Local Income Taxes
#48 Local School Taxes
#49 Local Unemployment Taxes
#50 Luxury Taxes
#51 Marriage License Taxes
#52 Medicare Taxes
#53 Medicare Tax Surcharge On High Earning Americans Under Obamacare
#54 Obamacare Individual Mandate Excise Tax (if you don't buy "qualifying" health insurance under Obamacare you will have to pay an additional tax
#55 Obamacare Surtax On Investment Income (a new 3.8% surtax on investment income)
#56 Parking Meters
#57 Passport Fees
#58 Professional Licenses And Fees (another form of taxation)
#59 Property Taxes
#60 Real Estate Taxes
#61 Recreational Vehicle Taxes
#62 Registration Fees For New Businesses
#63 Toll Booth Taxes
#64 Sales Taxes
#65 Self-Employment Taxes
#66 Sewer & Water Taxes
#67 School Taxes
#68 Septic Permit Taxes
#69 Service Charge Taxes
#70 Social Security Taxes
#71 Special Assessments For Road Repairs Or Construction
#72 Sports Stadium Taxes
#73 State Corporate Taxes
#74 State Income Taxes
#75 State Park Entrance Fees
#76 State Unemployment Taxes (SUTA)
#77 Tanning Taxes (a new Obamacare tax on tanning services)
#78 Telephone 911 Service Taxes
#79 Telephone Federal Excise Taxes
#80 Telephone Federal Universal Srvice Fee Taxes
#81 Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Taxes
#82 Telephone State And Local Taxes
#83 Telephone Universal Access Taxes
#84 The Alternative Minimum Tax
#85 Tire Recycling Fees
#86 Tire Taxes
#87 Tolls (another form of taxation)
#88 Traffic Fines (indirect taxation)
#89 Use Taxes (Out of state purchases, etc.)
#90 Utility Taxes
#91 Vehicle Registration Taxes
#92 Waste Management Taxes
#93 Water Rights Fees
#94 Watercraft Registration & Licensing Fees
#95 Well Permit Fees
#96 Workers Compensation Taxes
#97 Zoning Permit Fees
[/EX]
It's a pretty absurd list: if anything, user fees like entrance to state parks reduce the tax burden for people
(most Americans) who sit home and watch TV. Tolls? Seriously...there's enough real taxes
to deal with, that making stuff up doesn't help. I expected better from a site called
"The Economic Collapse: Are You Prepared For The Coming Economic Collapse And The Next Great Depression?"
;) (okay, not really...and if we're really "...literally being taxed into oblivion" why do we all have new iPhones?)
 
I thought this was an interesting article because it discusses 97 taxes Americans pay each year

#1 only applies when you buy an airline ticket.
#6 only if you smoke.

#s 2-5? Well...really I could go on, but this list of "97" certainly does not apply to 'ALL' Americans 'each' year.
 
#1 only applies when you buy an airline ticket.
#6 only if you smoke.

#s 2-5? Well...really I could go on, but this list of "97" certainly does not apply to 'ALL' Americans 'each' year.
It wasn't meant in a way, as to say EVERY American pays these taxes individually each year. It was more of a list, of what taxes Americans pay each year as a whole.
 
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It's a pretty absurd list: if anything, user fees like entrance to state parks reduce the tax burden for people
(most Americans) who sit home and watch TV. Tolls? Seriously...there's enough real taxes
to deal with, that making stuff up doesn't help. I expected better from a site called
"The Economic Collapse: Are You Prepared For The Coming Economic Collapse And The Next Great Depression?"
;) (okay, not really...and if we're really "...literally being taxed into oblivion" why do we all have new iPhones?)
I totally agree, and honestly I think most people only think about sales taxes, property taxes, and pay roll taxes. Thats why I added the above list to show how much the government (state and federal) actually intersects our lives with regards to taxes.
 
I totally agree, and honestly I think most people only think about sales taxes, property taxes, and pay roll taxes. Thats why I added the above list to show how much the government (state and federal) actually intersects our lives with regards to taxes.
Well, yeah...how much the government (state and federal) COULD actually intersect our life with regards to taxes
if we were a gun-totin, cigarette-smokin' well ownin', septic tank enjoyin', huntin', fishin'
estate (over $5 mil) gettin', fake tanning, biodiesal user... :confused:
 
It wasn't meant in a way, as to say EVERY American pays these taxes individually each year. It was more of a list, of what taxes Americans pay each year as a whole.

OK....gotcha!

But on the "grand scale" internationally? The typical American is getting off relatively "easy": (**)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_rates

(**) Editing on an after-thought...compared to many other industrialized nations, around the Globe.
 
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OK....gotcha!

But on the "grand scale" internationally? The typical American is getting off relatively "easy": (**)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_tax_rates

(**) Editing on an after-thought...compared to many other industrialized nations, around the Globe.
Not to get OT, but when you take into consideration health care cost I think we are right up there with the rest. So our tax break down might be a bit misleading when comparing us to Europe, Canada, and Australia. And technically this could also be classified as a myth, just ask Corporations what they think about our tax codes as opposed to taxes abroad..
 
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