Taxes: Income
The income tax has been the primary means of funding the federal government since 1913 when the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was adopted. It is a progressive tax on individual and corporate income, based on income levels. 43 states impose an income tax on individuals, while 47 states impose a tax on the income of corporations. Many municipalities and counties also levy income taxes on their residents.
Commentary
Cry Wolf Quotes
[We have] High unemployment because small businesses, people who make $250,000 a year, are not spending and investing and it will get worse if we don’t extend those tax cuts.
The simple fact is the Clinton plan will not lower interest rates. It will not lower inflation. It will not create jobs. And it will not lower the deficit. The Clinton tax plan will spur inflation, lose jobs, increase the deficit, and hurt our economic growth. As most economists now agree, the Clinton plan must go.
When a man has accumulated a sum of money within the law, that is to say, in the legally correct way, the people no longer have any right to share in the earnings resulting from the accumulation.
As a result, even though the Clinton proposal contains a very steep increase in the nation's tax burden, the actual amount of money the government collects may fall if enough workers lose their jobs and the taxable incomes of individuals and businesses decline.
Related Laws and Rules
Evidence
-
Millionaire Migration and State Taxation of Top Incomes: Evidence From A Natural Experiment
The rich did not flee New Jersey wen the state raised tax rates on top earners by 2.6 percentage points.
-
Maryland Millionaires Vanish in the Face of Recession, Not Higher Taxes
Maryland's tax increases on the rich did not induce millionaire flight.
-
Conservative Commentator Examines the History of Right-Wing Tax Cut Hypocrisy
Hard right-wingers fear-monger in the face of tax increases of both Republican and Democratic administations.
-
Tax Cuts on the Rich Don't Spur Economic Growth
The Center for American Progress takes apart supply side myths.
-
The Number of High-Income Taxpayers Increased Significantly During a Period With 10 Percent and 11 Percent Tax Rates on High-Income Earners
After California raised taxes on the rich, the number of residents in the affected tax brackets rose as well.
Backgrounders & Briefs
Taxes Not Seen as Making the Rich Flee New York
Almost everyone agrees that raising taxes on the rich does not induce mass upper-class migration.
Resources
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a think tank focused on tax and fiscal policy. They provide in-depth analysis of state issues.
Citizens for Tax Justice is an organization that represents low and middle income citizens in the tax debates on Capitol Hill.
