Voting along typical party lines, a panel in the AZ state senate has voted for a flat income tax plan that soaks the poor and benefits the rich -- all in the name of simplicity, supposedly. Speaking as one of the poorer classes in this backward state, I'm simply looking at my state taxes being doubled is all.
Rep. Steve Court, R-Mesa, who already has shepherded the proposal through the House, said the idea is fairness.
"This changes the way we look at how we tax income," he said. "It also simplifies the process."
This is how they characterize the elimination of all tax deductions, whether it be on home mortgage interest, donations to charities, or members in one's household, or exemptions for children for that matter. When called upon to defend the evident shift in tax burden from the rich to the poor, this was Steve Court's defense.
"It's just getting down to a very low rate, taxing basic income," he said.
No. Not for the poor and middle classes, it's not. The effect on them (including myself) would be a tax hike. Get it? It goes up. Not down. Not 'very low.' It goes up. Up is not down.
"If somebody's childless, should they pay a higher tax to compensate for somebody who has children?" he asked.
This is their 'pure and simple' philosophy. Taxes aren't to be any kind of incentive for behavior. I suppose, as part of the wealthy class' plan to detach themselves from any notion of society or nation-based interest, their disdain for the society around them shows. Let's not offer any incentive or aid to people raising children. Perhaps the next step will be to import them from China...if there's any need for a next generation here at all.
And to think, they distract their base with notions of patriotism. The fools. Tell me what's patriotic about not giving a rat's patoot about the society in which you live.
(For anyone looking to make fun of my Yosemite Sam outburst, the words I am thinking are perhaps more contemporary and vulgar.)
A PDF supplied with the article shows that up to $100k income or so, the net effect is a tax hike. Above $100k, the effect is dramatic - millionaires and up stand to benefit from a 45% tax cut, while in my tax bracket, I'm staring down a 117% tax hike. And for people trying to scrape by on less than $10,000, they go from no tax burden to $200. This was of course characterized as not excessive, demonstrating the ability of Republicans to do basic math.
Rep. Paula Aboud, at least, did not allow this party-line vote to proceed without a fight.
"Two hundred dollars to some people is a decider between food, medicine and a whole lot of things in these hard economic times," she said.
"This feels insulting for the people that are struggling, when they're losing their health care and they've lost their job and they're losing their home," Aboud continued. "There are a lot of people that are suffering, and this bill heaps that onto them."
I'm not poverty-stricken myself, although I wouldn't dare try to raise children on what I make; I doubt I could afford to rescue a dog from the pound. I keep hoping that my old car will survive another year without a serious breakdown. I can only imagine what it's like for a family struggling to get by on half of what I make getting stuck with that.