April 15-Talkin' About Taxes

Those of us in the States are well aware of what today's date represents.

It's the deadline day for paying our taxes to Uncle Sam or filing that extension for extra time to do so.

You have until midnight to get that envelope to your nearest post office, get it postmarked and mailed to the IRS processing center nearest you.

The TransGriot was owed money this year, so I've already filed and I'm eagerly awaiting my refund.

The Tea Klux Klan and their Faux News controllers will be having more 'Hate on President Obama rallies' all over the country disguised as 'tax protests'.

The vanilla flavored conservasheeple keep falling for the same tired meme that's been pimped since Saint Ronald of Reagan days about Americans allegedly being 'taxed to death'.

Yeah, right.

Those 'taxed to death' arguments don't hold water for me when billionaire Warren Buffett, the third wealthiest man in the US, criticizes our tax system by saying he doesn't pay enough. He said during a 2007 New York speech that he paid a 17.7% rate on $46 million dollars of earnings without attempting to avoid paying higher taxes. His secretary, who made $60K, paid a 30% rate on her income.

How fracked up is that?

According to the most recent data compiled in 2005 by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. based on a family with one wage-earner and two children, only Iceland and Ireland have a lower income tax burden than the United States.

The OECD collects data on 30 member countries and annually calculates what it calls the tax "wedge" for each -- the combined effects of personal income tax, employee and employer social security contributions, payroll taxes and cash benefits.


Tax burdens around the world
Country Single, no kids/ Married, 2 kids

Australia 28.3% 16.0%
Austria 47.4% 35.5%
Belgium 55.4% 40.3%
Canada 31.6% 21.5%
Czech Republic 43.8% 27.1%
Denmark 41.4% 29.6%
Finland 44.6% 38.4%
France 50.1% 41.7%
Germany 51.8% 35.7%
Greece 38.8% 39.2%
Hungary 50.5% 39.9%
Iceland 29.0% 11.0%
Ireland 25.7% 8.1%
Italy 45.4% 35.2%
Japan 27.7% 24.9%
Korea 17.3% 16.2%
Luxembourg 35.3% 12.2%
Mexico 18.2% 18.2%
Netherlands 38.6% 29.1%
New Zealand 20.5% 14.5%
Norway 37.3% 29.6%
Poland 43.6% 42.1%
Portugal 36.2% 26.6%
Slovak Republic 38.3% 23.2%
Spain 39.0% 33.4%
Sweden 47.9% 42.4%
Switzerland 29.5% 18.6%
Turkey 42.7% 42.7%
United Kingdom 33.5% 27.1%
United States 29.1% 11.9%


Sweden, Turkey, France and Poland top the list of countries that impose the highest tax burdens on families.

The countries that topped the list in terms of imposing the highest tax rates on individuals were Belgium, Germany and Hungary. The United States ranked 24th.

However, most of those countries see a larger return on their tax payouts in the form of getting added social services for families such as secure pensions and universal health care.

So shut the hell up Tea Party Fools. As usual y'all don't know what in Hades you're squawking about. I like my interstate highways without potholes and my other government service running smoothly, thank you very much.

And I along with other 'reality based Real Americans' are mature and 'ejumacated' enough to know that it takes consistent monetary investments and personnel to make that happen.

As a matter of fact, if we do eventually get universal single payer health care system in the States (AKA Medicare For All), I wouldn't mind paying the additional taxes to help set up and keep a high quality system going.

As long as Paris Hilton and her friends are paying their fair share as well.

As President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once stated during an October 12, 1936 speech in Worcester, MA.

Taxes, after all, are the dues we pay for the privilege of membership in an organized society.

So yes, while it hurts to write that check to Uncle Sam, remember that your taxes do help ensure that the Feds have the money to pay for the services that we take for granted at times.