Comments

2

You can always write a check payable to the United States Treasury if you feel insufficiently taxed.

3

@2 Dimwitted conflation of individual action with general systems is a hallmark of the lower quality reactionary rhetoric.

Al Gore is against global warming, but then he rides a jet plane! derp.

4

Oh raindrop.
Same here in Australia. Capitalism is a bust.

5

@3, I thought raindrop’s comment funny. And don’t abuse people.
Yes, great if those who have it good stand up for what’s right. In taxes. And their actions meet their words.

6

@2 @4 @5, The IRS has nothing to do with State Taxes. You're meant for each other.

9

God, I hate pathetic, navel gazing dribble like this and Nick Hanauer's op-ed in the Times https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/please-tax-my-capital-gains-profits-washingtons-crises-demand-it/). None of these proposals will do a thing to revise the supposedly upside down WA tax code. Not a single sentence in any of those bills speaks to reducing either the sales tax or property tax. It's all new revenue piled on top of the regressive taxes they are currently collecting. Beyond that I have yet to see one data point that says instituting an income tax (and yes a capitol gains tax is absolutely an income tax) will do anything to make WA state a more equitable place to live. How is it working out for CA, IL, NJ, NY? All of these places have high income, property and sales taxes and shocker its far for a panacea for people living there. Give me a break with these moral arguments to revise the tax code along with vague claims of fairness. If you want to revise the tax code and truly make it less regressive than come up with a proposal that lowers sales and property tax to be revenue neutral and has strict limits on the legislatures ability to expand it beyond its proposed scope.

Can I also point out the capital gains proposal has an "emergency clause" so it is not subject to referendum. What does that tell you right there? The legislature knows they can't win a vote on this. Complete bullshit.

12

So woke he can't sleep.

13

Telling people they can pay more taxes themselves if they want, in response to a plea to raise taxes, is truly idiotic.

It's like telling soldiers in war, if you want, you can charge the enemy, but you can just stay behind if you'd prefer.

It has to be everyone or it doesn't work. That that has to be explained speaks to the intelligence, or lack thereof, of the original commenter.

14

@9 agreed. Why doesn't he simply choose one of his neighbor's kids that is interested in software engineering, pay for extra tutoring (or do it himself) then pay for their tuition for their SWE program? Or - donate to any of the many organizations that already exist to help? Why the fuck do they think $ must be channeled through layers of bureaucracy to do any good? FFS.

No one hawking this ever mentions the states that already have layers upon layers of taxes - with the same damn problems!

16

Kevin's preaching to the choir. Of course it all makes sense. Instead, the state legislature will find a different way to fuck over the less wealthy. Unfortunately, his piece is also troll catnip, as is shown by most of the comments.

@5 LavaGirl, Raindrop is a shit-for-brains troll, and a shitty human being.

17

@16: This is no time to be impertinent.

18

@15 your stellar debate skills have changed my mind: instead of doing something that would bring about a tangible difference in a person's life now, with the ability to control/direct the endeavor for maximum benefit, it is much better to flail around with empty words suggesting solutions already in place that don't seem to be working well either. Why try to get the best outcome for the money when you can funnel money to government inefficiently piss away?

Also - in the case of capital gains, isn't is common practice to sell an asset at a gain, then another at a loss to offset the taxes paid? Don't you think people will use this work around, thus lowering their tax burden?

19

@13 So is telling other people they should pay more taxes simply because you can personally afford it.

22

@19,

Everyone who can afford it should pay more. Not "since I can afford it, everyone else should pay more."

24

@22 Why?

25

@24,

Because vulnerable people are struggling, suffering and in desperate need of assistance. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with a sociopath's lack of empathy, though we certainly do envy you in this regard.

28

@25 and what makes you think giving a bunch more money to the state will do anything to alleviate any of that? Do you remember when property taxes were raised upwards of 40% under the guise of improving education? Well the WEA sucked up all that money and I have a hard time seeing much improvement in what my kids are receiving. As noted this revenue is designated to provide to provide childcare and does nothing to reduce regressive taxes. Questioning the effectiveness of our current government does not make one a sociopath but there is a saying about a fool and his money that would seemingly apply to you.

29

To run a modern state you pretty much need all three (sales, property, income taxes). We might not like it but that is kind of how it is. Te capital gains tax they're looking at now is a good approach as it would not hit middle-class or lower people much, if at all, and it would bring investment income into what is taxed. That's probably the most progressive approach available. I'd REALLY like to see a small tax on stock transactions that would hit day traders and the like. But that seems unlikely here.

33

Hey Kevin, it's nice that you are doing so well and hats off to you for caring about your community. However, I always get confused when wealth tax advocates start throwing around numbers like overall tax rates of 18% (low income) and 3% (for the wealthy). Pardon me, your wrote, "up to 18%." Well what does "up to" mean? Well, you made me curious so I got out my little Casio fx-300ES and crunched some numbers.

I recently filed my taxes so obviously I know my numbers. I happen to have an adult niece, who for whatever reason, routinely refuses to file her taxes, although she always gets money back. (That is another story for another time.) Consequently, every year, I call her up and offer to help her with her return. (I actually just do it. I know, I'm enabling her. One of my many faults.) In 2020, her adjusted gross income was about 23,000. Her tax bill was about 1,050. Wait a minute, that's about 4 to 5%. Okay, there are other taxes she is subjected to. Well she doesn't pay state tax or any capital gains tax, that leaves what, sales tax? Okay, but that doesn't get her anywhere near 18%. Conversely, my federal tax bill was over 26,000. That works out to about 14% of my income. I pay more sales tax and gas tax than my niece does. Am I not paying my fair share? Okay, I'll admit there is probably a little more to it. My point is, that when you look at the numbers instead of hiding behind percentages, it becomes a little more clear. I pay a great deal more in taxes than my low-income niece does. I am one small person in this world, just like her, but society benefits far more from my labors. Okay, the proposed law targets people with income that by far exceeds mine. But Kevin, your statement, "that's a great start," is what concerns me. Because sooner or later, Progressives will be knocking at my door demanding that I pay my fair share. But wait a minute, I pay my fair share. Furthermore, why do you get to say what my fair share is? Okay, I've rambled on enough. If you want to make the argument that the very rich should pay more, whatever. But play fair. Kevin, you have no idea how many wealthy Washingtonians are really at the 3% level, or how many low income citizens pay 18%. It's just a fun set of numbers to throw out there. If you want to make the argument that our community is in need and we all have to tighten our belts, make it. But don't use numbers that you can't possibly back up.
(Did I say all that out loud?)

34

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35

But how will young Amazon PR people afford to buy bottle service for every lunch and dinner outing if they have to actually pay taxes on their stock sales?

36

Boo F'ing Hoo. Want to pay more taxes? Consult a tax attorney. They can figure out legal ways for you to pay more taxes.

Here are a few suggested methods you can run by them. I am not a professional finance person, or licensed legal professional, but know enough to be dangerous. And am fed up reading these stories here, in the NYTimes, and in the Guardian.

(i) Pay Use Taxes - pick a jurisdiction that has state and local tax components. You don't actually have to buy anything, just say you did and pay the extra tax. Downside - during an audit, if you can't show you actually purchased anything requiring a Use Tax payment, you might get your money back. Talk to the tax attorney to see how this would play out. Or call the state Dept of Revenue directly. They are very helpful folks. Link to find your applicable rate. Feel free to forum shop.
https://webgis.dor.wa.gov/taxratelookup/SalesTax.aspx

(ii) Setup a Washington State Social Purpose Business Organization.
I believe they can be either a Corporations or an LLC - again, check with your tax attorney. Confirm if you can setup an SPC whose sole purpose is to pay extra taxes. Confirm what tax liabilities it may have to assume and pay as federal taxes may come into play here. Some reporting requirements too. Use those docs for further self-aggrandizement.
https://www.501commons.org/resources/tools-and-best-practices/starting-a-nonprofit/social-purpose-corporation

(iii) Contact the local, big foundations to see if any of them make contributions to the city / state etc. Ask if you can make restricted donations to that organization that they will be obligated to pass on to the city / state.

(iv) Get a City of Seattle business license and pay city b&o taxes. Again, consult with tax attorney regarding other potential obligations this may create. May have audit issues as mentioned above in Use Tax.

(v) Consult with an estate and trust attorney. Ask if a trust can be setup just to make donations to the city. I can't believe no one in the history of the city hasn't done exactly that before.

(vi) Lobby the city to setup a tip jar / patreon account. Seriously, why has no one in the city done this?

(vii) Write the actual legislation you want enacted and submit it to your representatives. This last one is specifically aimed at those folks who have more commas in their bank balances than most folks have zeros printed on their statements (both to the left and the right of the decimal). Your reps are not going to do it. So you are going to have to do it for them. PERIOD!

(viii) Write the occasional big check to the Seattle Union Gospel Mission.

(ix) Have the taxable value of your home increased. You will then pay more property taxes. Consult a real estate attorney on how to do this. Most folks go the opposite way, but hey, you wanna pay more taxes.....your neighbors will HATE you.

This is just scratching the surface. Money is a tool. Use it to accomplish your ends.

Just to repeat:

YOU HAVE THE FUNDS TO PAY EXPERTS THAT CAN HELP YOU LEGALLY PAY MORE TAXES. DO IT THEN! STOP WRITING ABOUT IT!

Where's the f'ing follow thru? Lazy wealthy people.....

Failing the above, if you don't know what to do with your money, I will gladly assume the excrutiating burden of having more cash than I would know what to do with.

Best to you.

37

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes, tax the wealthy. As income decreases down toward the middle and lower income strata, so should the tax rate, especially in corndoggy, mossy Washington State, with our regressive sales tax that hits the less wealthy in the bread basket and at the cash register. Pollysexual admires these hairy tech bros who are willing to take one for the team. Trump is such a big, hairy, smelly orange howler-monkey and could have written everyone in America a COVID check with his excessive wealth, much of it stolen from the U.S. Treasury through tax evasion. Instead, he stuffed everything up and the Democrats headed by Madame Pelosi and Mister Schumer came to the rescue for COVID ravaged American taxpayers.

38

A tiny group has at least half the wealth in the country which they stole from us. Period.

Take it back. No more billionaires. Its stolen monies from the community and workers.
Human rights rulings: Decent shelter, food, water, medical care offered for every human being.

No more bloated police budget and abolish the prison system.

40

@38: Abolish the prison system?

You have no intellectual honesty whatsoever.

42

Give the government whatever money you like. I shall keep as much of mine as possible.

43

The government has enough of our money, they need to use the money they do have more efficiently. Life isn't fair, get over it.


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