This post is in response to my earlier, erroneous post. I don't have much I want to say, really, but I did want to share another snappy spreadsheet:
This just illustrates that the amount of money you take home always increases as your gross income increases. This pretty picture shows the same thing.
The lines aren't perfect, as we have quite poor resolution with our limited number of data points. Still, the idea is clear. You make more, you take home more. Nobody is being punished. No one has ever been punished for making more money. People are stupid. That's about all there is to say about that.
Note - The following post has been rendered pointless by the commonest of tax knowledge - shared by the very first person to read and comment on the post (thanks again). See this explanation to learn what I just learned.
I'll post a follow-up to this that is not completely wrong at some point. Until then I will just remind the reader that this information has no value, other than scant crumbs of humor, by placing big red notes hither and yon.
"I'm a republican and/or libertarian and think that a progressive tax scheme punishes those who succeed. I want to understand why smart people roll their eyes and stop talking to me when I voice this opinion, but I truly cannot grasp basic mathematics. Can someone help?"
Your wish has been granted, my selfish numerophobe friend! Step right up!
The idea that paying a higher percentage in taxes because you make more money is the same as being "punished" is dumb, and there's no excuse for saying it out loud if you are not dumb. I know we've all worked at a JOB with folks that honestly didn't understand how percentages work, because we've all worked at lots of different JOBS besides the JOB we are currently working at. These folks sometimes see a higher percentage of pay taken out when they work overtime and say things like, "I don't know why I bother, I'm losing money working more." They don't know math, and there is nobody there to translate it out of math language. I totally get that, and most of those people we have worked alongside with are good folks. But anybody that can look at a picture can understand this:
Again: This shit is completely wrong. Read the wiki linked above to see why. Nobody ever makes less money. Ever. Handsome spreadsheet, though. You can see a correct spreadsheet similar to this at the response post.
I do not know any more about taxes than what you have to know to do your own returns if your own returns are very simple. I used no math beyond arithmetic and algebra. I'm sure there are tax rules I don't know about and this is not taking into account deductions of any kind, etc., etc. But here is the upshot: with the exception of the narrow band of income just above the income cutoff from one rate to the next, IF YOU MAKE MORE MONEY, YOU TAKE MORE MONEY HOME. This satisfies the basic need of 'MORE! MORE! MORE!' that seems to be the only important consideration when making decisions of any kind, and therefore cannot, in any sense of the word, be described as punishment.
The paragraph below is all doo-doo. I'm still proud of the judiciously metered anger, though.
So, in this example, if you make within $11,949.23 of the cutoff of $388,350.00, you take home less than or equal to the amount you would have taken home at the lower tax rate, AND THEREFORE YOU ARE BEING PUNISHED!! Some tips for someone making $400,299.23, who feels like they are being PUNISHED for making that extra $11,949.23: 1) Donate exactly that amount to the selfish asshole charity of your choice and take the deduction. 2) Take leave without pay from your JOB for 2.99% of your ~2080 man-hours that year (about 1 1/2 weeks) so you can go volunteer for the campaign of some selfish asshole. But be advised: if you follow either of these PUNISHMENT-avoioding paths, YOU NO LONGER GET TO WHINE AND BITCH ABOUT BEING PUNISHED. Just as you do not get this privilege if you do not make within the RIDICULOUSLY NARROW-ASS BAND OF INCOMES referred to above AT YOUR GOD-DAMNED JOOOOOOOOOB.
See response post.
