Originally Posted by Mutt

because you have deductions that drop you down into a lower tax bracket?

it sounds like you would be perfectly fine if those deductions were taken away and you had to pay the full personal tax rate. if that's the case and you feel strongly that the successful aren't taxed enough why don't you donate the money you're 'saving' to the government?

i know how to pay off the US debt - even with the crazy military spending if it continues.
it's the medical industry, it's the tail that is wagging the dog and it's just going to get worse as the Baby Boom moves en masse into old age. And as somebody else posted in this thread - a national sales tax. The US i think is the only Western country without one. There are other existing taxes in the US that could and should be raised. I was listening to David Frum being interviewed and he mentioned the liquor tax in the US - that tax hasn't been raised in 50 years or longer. Nobody's going to stop drinking if that tax gets raised so raise it. I'm not sure what the federal tax is on cigarettes is but i'm sure it's a lot lower than the Canadian tax on cigarettes where a pack of cigarettes is 10 dollars.Sin taxes are great, increase them. As a side benefit maybe some of the poor will stop smoking and drinking. There are also huge loopholes in the tax code that allow Fortune 500 companies to shelter billions in offshore subsidiaries which really are nothing but shells.