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Mensagem |
Excelion
Veterano |
# ago/11
Não, não é um tópico sobre Buffets de aniversário ou comida em geral.
Trata-se disso (quem não sabe inglês joga no tradutor):
OUR leaders have asked for "shared sacrifice." But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as "carried interest," thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they'd been long-term investors.
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It's nice to have friends in high places.
Last year my federal tax bill — the income tax I paid, as well as payroll taxes paid by me and on my behalf — was $6,938,744. That sounds like a lot of money. But what I paid was only 17.4 percent of my taxable income — and that's actually a lower percentage than was paid by any of the other 20 people in our office. Their tax burdens ranged from 33 percent to 41 percent and averaged 36 percent.
If you make money with money, as some of my super-rich friends do, your percentage may be a bit lower than mine. But if you earn money from a job, your percentage will surely exceed mine — most likely by a lot.
To understand why, you need to examine the sources of government revenue. Last year about 80 percent of these revenues came from personal income taxes and payroll taxes. The mega-rich pay income taxes at a rate of 15 percent on most of their earnings but pay practically nothing in payroll taxes. It's a different story for the middle class: typically, they fall into the 15 percent and 25 percent income tax brackets, and then are hit with heavy payroll taxes to boot.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, tax rates for the rich were far higher, and my percentage rate was in the middle of the pack. According to a theory I sometimes hear, I should have thrown a fit and refused to invest because of the elevated tax rates on capital gains and dividends.
I didn't refuse, nor did others. I have worked with investors for 60 years and I have yet to see anyone — not even when capital gains rates were 39.9 percent in 1976-77 — shy away from a sensible investment because of the tax rate on the potential gain. People invest to make money, and potential taxes have never scared them off. And to those who argue that higher rates hurt job creation, I would note that a net of nearly 40 million jobs were added between 1980 and 2000. You know what's happened since then: lower tax rates and far lower job creation.
Since 1992, the I.R.S. has compiled data from the returns of the 400 Americans reporting the largest income. In 1992, the top 400 had aggregate taxable income of $16.9 billion and paid federal taxes of 29.2 percent on that sum. In 2008, the aggregate income of the highest 400 had soared to $90.9 billion — a staggering $227.4 million on average — but the rate paid had fallen to 21.5 percent.
The taxes I refer to here include only federal income tax, but you can be sure that any payroll tax for the 400 was inconsequential compared to income. In fact, 88 of the 400 in 2008 reported no wages at all, though every one of them reported capital gains. Some of my brethren may shun work but they all like to invest. (I can relate to that.)
I know well many of the mega-rich and, by and large, they are very decent people. They love America and appreciate the opportunity this country has given them. Many have joined the Giving Pledge, promising to give most of their wealth to philanthropy. Most wouldn't mind being told to pay more in taxes as well, particularly when so many of their fellow citizens are truly suffering.
Twelve members of Congress will soon take on the crucial job of rearranging our country's finances. They've been instructed to devise a plan that reduces the 10-year deficit by at least $1.5 trillion. It's vital, however, that they achieve far more than that. Americans are rapidly losing faith in the ability of Congress to deal with our country's fiscal problems. Only action that is immediate, real and very substantial will prevent that doubt from morphing into hopelessness. That feeling can create its own reality.
Job one for the 12 is to pare down some future promises that even a rich America can't fulfill. Big money must be saved here. The 12 should then turn to the issue of revenues. I would leave rates for 99.7 percent of taxpayers unchanged and continue the current 2-percentage-point reduction in the employee contribution to the payroll tax. This cut helps the poor and the middle class, who need every break they can get.
But for those making more than $1 million — there were 236,883 such households in 2009 — I would raise rates immediately on taxable income in excess of $1 million, including, of course, dividends and capital gains. And for those who make $10 million or more — there were 8,274 in 2009 — I would suggest an additional increase in rate.
My friends and I have been coddled long enough by a billionaire-friendly Congress. It's time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.
Warren E. Buffett is the chairman and chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway.
A version of this op-ed appeared in print on August 15, 2011, on page A21 of the New York edition with the headline: Stop Coddling the Super-Rich.
Fonte
E aí, o que acham disso?
Quem quiser ler dois argumentos opostos em relação ao assunto, pra entender melhor os dois lados da moeda: contra e a favor.
To trazendo esse assunto em pauta, porque é interessante trazermos ele pro nosso país e reparar o que é feito por aqui no Brasil, onde isso já ocorre.
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Bigodinho
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
postei sem querer
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mateussch
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
No english, no english.
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Excelion
Veterano |
# ago/11 · Editado por: Excelion
· votar
mateussch
Desculpa, próxima vez posto em esperanto -a verdadeira língua global e principal arma contra o domínio anglicano do mundo- que aí todo mundo entende e de quebra já aprende a comprar bala na esquina.
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wild.man
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Não gosto de ricos e não gosto de textos em inglês.
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Simonhead
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Excelion
Bom, gostei de ler os 02 argumentos que você acrescentou quase ao final do seu post. O Warren Buffett deve ter as razões dele para acreditar que é pouco taxado - afinal, o cara se mostra como um mega milionário que curte ser o que é ao lado dos outros amiguinhos que possuem fortuna igual ou superior.
Eu me posicionaria, num 1º momento, contrário ao aumento de taxação. Mas esses caras ai são e sempre serão ricos, ao que tudo indica. E, via de regra, quanto mais se têm, mais se quer. Digo isso porque a carga tributária aqui no Brasil penaliza grande parte de uma classe que é considerada média que, se entrevistada, irá negar essa qualificação. Dizem que sou classe média e tals. Mas eu sou um fudido que tem um pouco mais que outros fudidos. A verdade é que estou no mesmo barco que uma boa galera ai - endividado, preocupado com os rumos da economia (inicialmente, da local - depois eu penso nos outros mercados), sem tempo extra disponível para ter outro emprego e que quer zerar dívidas o quanto antes.
Me parece que o Warren quer pagar mais tributo. Se assim o for, que ele proponha uma forma de ser sobretaxado a mais nos ganhos financeiros que ele obtém. Não sei como funciona ou o quão ágil é o Congresso dos caras de lá para alterar leis. Por aqui, eu julgo que nossa legislação deve ser cumprida. E se for para sobretaxar alguém, que esse ônus recaia sobre grandes fortunas. De verdade!
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fgr
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Antes de ler já digo:
SE É IDEIA DO BUFFET, VAI SEM MEDO
Vou ler do que se trata...
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Kaíque
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Warren Buffett
O QUE?
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fgr
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Puta que p#$@ Buffet é fogo.. muito fã desse coroa.
Já ví algumas entrevistas dele em que ele sempretoca nesse assunto e sempre aponta essa "falha"...
Simonhead
A questão não é que ele acha que é menos taxado.. o fato é que os super ricos são realmente menos taxado por uma manobra que eles fazem... basicamente eles transformam operações financeiras em descontos no imposto!! Quer dizer, enquanto normalmente trabalham pra ganhar dinheiro e pagar impostos... os super ricos ganham mais dinheiro pra pagar menos impostos..
No Brasil tem muita manobra desse tipo mas nada se comenta pq por enquanto, tá tudo indo "bem"... Já nos EUA a bomba estourou..
A Globo com o Criança Esperança e o SBT com o Teleton são bons exemplos de manobras pra se ter descontos no imposto.. Enquanto achamos que tudo é só bondade!! rs
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fgr
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Excelion
Tão avacalhando seu tópico porque tá em Ingles ou porque o assunto não é do agrado deles???
Faz um teste, posta uma materia do TMZ em inglês, se gostarem é pq realmente o que bomba aqui são os tópicos de alto-ajuda!
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TWT ICE
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
posta o resumo
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Simonhead
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
fgr
É como eu falei - mudar a legislação OU aplicá-la da forma como deveria ser e não como querem que seja.
E você tem razão - o coroa é MUITO bom e sabe dos mecanismos que utiliza para poder falar a esse respeito. Kudos para o cara por ser bem verdadeiro.
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fgr
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
Simonhead
é, mudar a legislação seria a melhor opção na minha opinião.
Mas acho difícil pq caras como o Bill Gates e Warren Buffett chegaram a uma posição cobiçada pelos outros "não tão ricos assim" e esses fazem de tudo pra ganhar mais... e esses tem um certo domínio interno nos EUA.
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wild.man
Veterano |
# ago/11 · Editado por: wild.man
· votar
alto-ajuda!
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fgr
Veterano |
# ago/11
· votar
wild.man
Bem nessa vibe aí!!
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Konrad
Veterano |
# jan/12
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Atom Heart Mother
Veterano |
# jan/12
· votar
Prefiro waffer com Nutella.
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