13 January 2013. Sergei Yolkin’s World. Depardieumania

Depardieumania

Sergei Yolkin

2013

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Gérard Depardieu decided to move after new French President François Hollande introduced tax reforms that imposed a marginal tax rate of 75 percent on income over a million Euros (40.57 million Roubles. 1.34 million USD. 830,000 UK Pounds) a year. On 3 January 2013, Depardieu became a Russian citizen.

10 January 2013

Sergei Yolkin

RIA-Novosti

http://ria.ru/caricature/20130110/917564884.html

 

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13 October 2011. Where DOES the True Weight of Taxation Fall? Why, On YOU, Of Course… You’re NOT Productive… the Republican Party Sez So

Read this and this. Note this, 61 percent of American households that “didn’t pay Federal Income Tax” made 20,000 USD (625,000 Roubles. 14,560 Euros. 12,720 UK Pounds) or less per year. That is, they were below the HHS standard for poverty (22,050 USD (689,250 Roubles. 16,060 Euros. 14,020 UK Pounds) for a family of four). Earth to Republicans… the original peacetime income tax statue only taxed those with an income above 4,000 dollars (equivalent to 140,000 2011 baloney dollars (4.38 million Roubles. 102,000 Euros. 89,000 UK Pounds))… less than 10 percent paid it. That is, the income tax’s “original intent” was to tax only the most affluent sector of society. Hmm… is that what the Republicans fear? They’re in dread of a fairer tax system that’ll target their fatcat backers!

Certain taxes are regressive… the FICA tax, sales taxes, and user fees. Yet, that’s what rightwing slimers like Herman Cain are advocating. They want to cut income taxes on the most affluent by imposing a 9 percent national sales tax that would fall hardest on the modest-of-means. What great people (special note to Orthodox people: Paffhausen, Potapov, Whiteford, and Dreher all droolingly approve of the rightwing’s shibboleths on this matter)… let’s cut taxes for gazillionaires whilst we RAISE taxes on welfare recipients and Social Security sorts. Yep… welfare recipients pay taxes… and plenty of ‘em! They pay sales taxes, property taxes (landlords pass on their property taxes to their tenants), hidden excise taxes in the cost of goods, and user fees (e.g., road tolls and fees for government services). Cain (and the rest of the Radical Right) wants to bludgeon the weakest Americans, and, when they’re down, kick them full-force in the face, so that the most affluent can piss on you and laugh.

Don’t forget… the government taxes capital gains at a far lesser rate than earned income is taxed… 15 percent top rate as compared to 35 percent. Why don’t we just equalise the two rates? If we raised the capital gains rate to 35 percent, it wouldn’t embeggar the affluent. They’d merely have to cut back on their conspicuous consumption. It wouldn’t put them in the poorhouse (although their soulless media shills like Rush Limbaugh would make it sound so)… but it would put the state on a sound fiscal basis. It’s time to stop the raid on the Treasury by the Feckless Five Percent. We can have a sound social safety net and sound finances, too.

Do beware another thing. To distract you from their shenanigans, the oligarchs dream up cockamamie and nonexistent threats from foreign parts. They love blaming Iran, China, and Russia. Look at this example. I doubt that Iran would target Saudi diplomats in the USA. After all, consider the source… the KSA is the sworn enemy of Iran. The majority of its population’s Shi’ite… they’re oppressed by a kleptocratic Sunni minority. Ergo, the Saudis see Iranians under every rug and in every cupboard. Iran has no intention of attacking the USA or of attacking Israel either. Anyone who believes that one needs to get a life… such stuff is like the Tooth Fairy and the Zapruder Film. Oh… if there WAS a war, who’d get the profits (mucho bucks in their wallets)? Who’d pay the price (sons coming home in coffins)? Answer that one…

Barbara-Marie Drezhlo

Thursday 13 October

Albany NY