What Do You Mean I Can't!

[Atrocities]

Well said both of you.

I agree 100%

I don't recall the web page I read that had those figures. I should have posted a link. I will do so in the future.

[ April 25, 2004, 23:03: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Gandalf_greypilgrim]

Originally posted by Loser:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kamog:
I've never prepared my own tax return because I find the process incomprehensible.

I don't know how many times I've stopped a roommate from going to some tax place.

"Hold on, what have you got there. W2s and... nothing else. Ookaay, sit down. We've got you a 1040EZ and the direction. No, we're going to do these. It's not going to be that hard, it won't take as long as driving to the mall, and next year you can do them yourself."

Of course, this is my first year as a homeowner and landlord, so I'll be having a professional look into it. Next time it'll jsut be me, of course.

But really, if all you've got to deal with is a W2 and a 1040EZ (assuming you're in the U.S., which Kamog might not be, I don't recall), then there's little reason not to tackle it yourself.

---

Just be greatful you don't live in Quebec! I filed my taxes a month ago, and in this crappy province you have to pay income taxes to the federal and provincial, and thus, I have to file twice, once to the provincial and once to the federal, it's a nightmare!

[dogscoff]

Eat the rich.

[ April 26, 2004, 11:31: Message edited by: dogscoff ]

[primitive]

Lucky me who live in a civilized country that have discovered the magic of computers.

Did my taxes yesterday, and it took me a whopping 2 minutes. For the Last 3-4 years the government have sent out prefilled declarations. Check the numbers, log on to the net, make amendments (which is unnecessary for 90 % of the population), confirm. Life is good

[Fyron]

Just curious, AT, where did you get your figures from (the $25k/30%, $250k/2.5%)?

Most likely his butt. That, or some political pundit pulled them out of his butt and AT is just reiterating them. Those earning $250k pay a LOT more than 30% of their income in taxes. It is just those that earn in the millions that can hire those really high priced accountants that can scam their taxes to avoid paying most of them... but there are very few such people, so it is not really that big of a loss...

[ April 26, 2004, 20:56: Message edited by: Imperator Fyron ]

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Gee, nothing like being nice and polite, eh Fyron?

[Cyrien]

Intersting you should mention those wealthy few that can exlude themselves Fyron.

As of 1995, Federal Reserve research found that the wealth of the top one percent of Americans is greater than that of the bottom 95 percent. Three years earlier, the Fed's Survey of Consumer Finance found that the top one percent had wealth greater than the bottom 90 percent.

Imagine if those top 1% actually paid their taxes instead of having access to all the nice tax shelters that they can artificially construct.

Why it might even be...

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reported in 1998 that the world's 225 richest people now have a combined wealth of $1 trillion. That's equal to the combined annual income of the world's 2.5 billion poorests people.

UNDP calculates that an annual 4 percent levy on the world's 225 most well-to-do people (average 1998 wealth: $4.5 billion) would suffice to provide the following essentials for all those in developing countries: adequate food, safe water and sanitation, basic education, basic health care and reproductive health care. At present, 160 of those individuals live in OECD countries; 60 reside in the United States.

The wealth of the three most well-to-do individuals now exceeds the combined GDP of the 48 least developed countries.


Just some food for thought. And remember just because it is a few people that can exlude themselves doesn't mean it is just a little money you are talking about.

[ April 27, 2004, 03:39: Message edited by: Cyrien ]