please help me re: tax questions to counter right wing friends claims

[blondie58]

I have some friends who are Righties and they occasionally will throw it out there that the Democrats will raise taxes.

Is that true? Do Democrats usually raise taxes? All that I have found so far is that we are raising them- on the highest wage earners.

One of my friends claimed that we are doing away with the deduction for married couples.

Another lady, who is a Republican city councilwoman, told me that she was afraid for the Democrats to win, as she "couldn't afford any more taxes."

Please help me- I need to facts to deal with them. I suspect that they both listen to the Right Wing radio shows, which we know, are full of lies.

Thank you in advance.

[salin]

1. They have already supported inevitable future tax hikes

as the bushco and GOP congress has been spending future dollars (Huge deficits) which will have to be paid by future taxes - unless the country defaults on paying off those debts in the future which would crash the economy. Ask them how they expect the 500 Billion deficits that bush has been racking up? Had our taxes stayed at the rate of the clinton years - even with the increased bush spending - our deficits would have been minimal. Why would your friends prefer to push much higher taxes onto their children and their grandchildren rather than begin to pay our own bills?

[NewJeffCT]

2. well, somebody has to pay for Republican borrow & spend policies

and, it should be the richest...

[maine_raptor]

3. Taxes are a shell game.

If the federal taxes decrease, then less money is available at the State level (Fed Revenue sharing, aid to education, etc.), so therefore State taxes go up. If the State tax rates go down (linked to Fed Income Tax rates), then local taxes (property taxes) have to go up.

As long as there is inflation (no matter how small), and as long as public needs have to be met, the money MUST come from somewhere.

Oh and remind your Repuke friends that during the 50's corporate tax rates were the main source of Federal income and personal income taxes the minority. Now the percentage is reversed.

[meegbear]

4. Make them prove it ...

They made the statements. Why should you have to prove it's false? Make them prove it's true.

[blondie58]

5. true

True- but they won't prove it. They will just keep believing the hyperbole that they hear. All conservatives seem to think that the Democrats are the ones that raise taxes.

[meegbear]

6. And that's what you say to them ...

if it's so true and obvious, then give examples. Put up or shut up. And ...

:party: WELCOME TO DU!! :party:

[LiberalFighter]

7. Do they know that as of 2004 Colorado receives 79 cents per dollar of federal tax collected?

vs. $1.06 in 1992? And Republicans controlled Congress from 1994 to 2006?

Congressional Delegation in the House
109th 3 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (2005-2007)
108th 2 Democrats and 5 Republicans in the House (2003-2005)
107th 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (2001-2003)
106th 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (1999-2001)
105th 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (1997-1999)
104th 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (1995-1997)
103rd 2 Democrats and 4 Republicans in the House (1993-1995)
102nd 3 Democrats and 3 Republicans in the House (1991-1993)

From the 102nd to the 103rd Congress (1991-1995) Colorado has been split
From the 104th to the 108th Congress (1995-2005) Colorado has had 2 Republican Senators.
Colorado's Senators has been split since the 109th (2005)

That would suggest that the Republicans in the House and Senate from Colorado were not working in the best interests of their constituents.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. IT's Not A Universal Truth. But, Right Now THEY SHOULD RAISE THEM!

Unfortunately, one of the big lies in politics is that Repubs are fiscal conservatives. They are not. Fiscal conservatism is NOT about low taxes. It's about matching spending to revenues. A fiscal conservative is not opposed to higher taxes (up to some limit) if they're necessary to balance the budget. (See Bill Clinton.)

Right now, the budget is so out of whack, the only thing that will help is a modest increase. And your friend who says she "can't afford" it, is just a buffoon. If she is really in one of the bottom strata, the taxes won't be raised. If she is in the high middle to upper income strata, then she can afford it. She is simply lying.

So, if your friends are convinced that the Dems will raise taxes then they are acknowledging the the Dems are the true fiscal conservatives. That will spin their heads a bit.
The Professor

[LiberalFighter]

9. What services were provided by the government that are now privatized?

Do they claim that taxes were reduced when they privatized services?
Do they claim that taxes were reduced when they reduce property taxes but increase them somewhere else?

Here in Indiana under Republican controlled Legislature giving local governments the right to instituting county income taxes with the proviso of reducing property taxes. The county and city were also controlled by Republicans when the councils passed the ordinance.

[Javaman]

10. Ask them this simple question:

How would they fix the outrageous deficit then?

[sinkingfeeling]

11. Ask them how they like making up for the taxes that corporations used to provide? Then tell them

it's been the goal of the GOP and Repub presidents to drastically reduce the tax burden of corporations. I think if you do some research you will find that the greatest tax hike in history came from the GOP.