From: niepornt@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Marc Nieporent)
Subject: Re: "No New Taxes!"                 (*)For the rich
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 18:42:55 GMT

In article <1992Sep15.152438.18336@oakhill.sps.mot.com> pjm@anegada.sps.mot.com (Patrick J. McGuinness) writes:
>In article <9209142025.AA03627@poly.math.cornell.edu> harelb@math.cornell.edu (misc.activism.progressive co-moderator) writes:

>>                --------------------------------------
>>                Study: 90% Pay More due to Tax Changes
>>                --------------------------------------

>>    "WASHINGTON-- 90% of American families pay more in federal taxes
>>    now than they would if the tax laws existing in 1977 had been left
>					^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

>why did they pick 1977? ....

>>    in place, Citizens for Tax Justice reported Thursday.

>.... Another Ralph Nader spinoff group.

>>    But the very rich, as a result of tax-law changes over the last 13
>>    years, are paying up to 36 percent less than they would have, the
>>    group said.

>Blatantly false. The rich are paying a larger percentage of income
>taxes then in the 1970's. They assume (incorrectly) that increases in
>rates correspond one-for-one with increases in revenues. This is
>provably false, and is refuted by the result of the very tax changes
>this press release is attempting to criticize. 

This is irrelevant.  If a rich person has a million dollars, and pays
1% ($10k) , and I have a hundred dollars, and pay 100% ($100), the rich person 
is paying a larger percentage of the taxes than I am, but is paying a
smaller percentage of his own income.

>>    Several congressional Democrats cited the report as additional
>>    proof of their contention that the Reagan and Bush administrations
>>    pushed changes in the tax law that reward the rich and penalize
>>    everyone else."

>THEN WHY PICK 1977? Why not, instead pick 1981 as the baseline?
>Do you want to know why?

>Becuase it was the changes in the Social Security tax laws,
>passed by the Democrats in Congress and President Carter, IN 1977,
>that raised the Social Security taxes for working Americans and
>forced them to pay more in taxes. 

>THAT is why many Americans pay more in total Federal taxes then before.

>In 1981, Reagan increased the personal exemption, providing a tax cuts for
>every taxpayer.

And in 1983, he increased taxes by the then largest amount in history (now
second to the Bush tax increase.)

>>[From: Chicago Tribune, 3/9/90 p.12. While our Free Press reports
>>"Read My Lips" etc as front-page material, this little fact, affecting
>>only 90% of their readers, was reported by the Tribune in the tiny
>>note I've just reproduced, near the bottom of page 12.]

>Yeah. Too bad this baised press release didn't mention the Democrat
>Congress' and Carter's involvement in this.

While our "liberal press" reports that Bush has decided to subsidize
more grain and create a jobs program to stimulate the economy, they fail
to report that our 'do-nothing Congress' appropriated the money for
those programs MONTHS ago.

-- 
David M. Nieporent   | Orioles 1992 World Series Champions
niepornt@phoenix.    | Mike Mussina 1992 AL Cy Young Winner
   princeton.edu     | Brady Anderson 1992 AL MVP
Vote Clinton/Gore '92.   Four more months!