Santorum: ‘Higher-income people don’t have to pay taxes’

The marginal tax rate under Eisenhower was 90%, in the Happy Days of the 1950's. The effective rate was around 50%. Reducing taxes on the rich did not create a boom during the 1960's, rather it was the increased spending on the war in Viet Nam that drove the economy and was One of the reasons for the recession during the Carter administration.

Increasing the tax rate on the wealthy did not slow down the boom during Clinton either. Rich people can move their money out of the US, but then they can't use it either. It the rich decide to leave, same with corporations, others, entrepreneurs, will move in to fill that gap.

There are some regulations that are unnecessary, however, if they were so restrictive there would be no new businesses being started. The US averages 500K new business starts a year. The majority of regulations that affect small business have to deal with State governments and the those businesses that cross State boundaries, including licensing and taxes. Regulations by the federal government have little impact on business. Small businesses that employ less than 500 workers have averaged 7,000,000 new hires, while businesses that employ over that have lost 1,000,000 mostly to out sourcing jobs to other countries.

Sanitarium has no idea of what he is talking about, and neither do those people that listen to him.

No Ricky, No Ricky, No Ricky No!
No no, no no, no no no!
Ricky Ricky Ricky, no no no!

What what what what...

...“higher-income people don’t have to pay taxes if they don’t want to.”

Rick Santorum paints a picture of who he represents with that statement, not the average person, only the very selfish of the wealthy elite.

I expect to pay more taxes the more I earn. To avoid paying ones fair share is a very shameful act, highly frowned upon in Australia and most parts of the world. In fact in Australia, if you move your finances into off-shore bank accounts you are promptly sent to prison for lengthy amounts of time, as well as having to repay all taxes you avoided and usually quite a large fine.

For shame! Success relies a great deal on public infrastructure, public institutes and public services. The police and fire departments protect your assets. The roads, rail, ports and airways transport your goods or services as well as your employees. If you don't want security of your property and to use any public infrastructure, don't call the fire department if your business goes up in flames as you don't deserve a service that you think can do without funding from tax revenue. Why should the rest of us pay for your good if you are too greedy to contribute?

While my families business was successful due to very hard work and long hours, we not only paid a lot of tax, we also regularly contributed to all the local charities and volunteer organisations, while making the time ourselves to volunteer in the community. Anything less would be an appalling act of behaviour, resulting in nothing less than a shame so great I could never walk through the streets of my community with any sense of pride or dignity. To suggest that such behaviour is at all acceptable is an outrage!

Rick Santorum deserves nothing but utter contempt from all for suggesting such a thing!

I have read the case that the increase in tax rates resulted in losses in revenue. Unfortunately it is pure garbage. They use absolute tax revenues over time to compare numbers. Ironic that tax rates have been steadily faling since Reagan and revenues have been increasing (inflation, anyone?).

They also like to completely leave out the affects of hiking tax rates under Clinton.

Ah and they also like to point at increased revenues and decreased revenues FROM the top 1% exclusively, failing to take into account the affect of higher taxes on the rich relative to the rest of the -almost everyone- citizenry.

These "studies" and the overall case against raising the marginal rate on high earners is pure, unabashed bullshit, shrouded in the guise of scientific, economic analysis.

Anyone with a scientific, or more specifically, financial (looking at you, Paratus) background should be able to see the problems with the case.

Worry not, good people of the democratic party, the evidence isn't against you.

How's that "supply-side" economics been working out for you? Still not trickling down like they said it would. ...and you still don't care that you're starving the masses. I would love to debate this froth, but fear that he would be unarmed.

This man is one ignorant bastard ...who claims he is so holy and christian but I guess skipped over ...It will be easier for a camel to pass thru the eye of a needle then a rich man to enter the glory of heaven

I remember a prosperous time in the UK when the wealthiest paid between 95% and 110% income tax. Yes, 110%.

It is the super rich that benefit from wars,bailouts,fraudulent derivatives so yes they should pay more taxes to play in the sand box that is America . Gee Rick where is your sense of fairness ?

More pandering to the millionaire wanna-bees. We had 8 straight years of tax cuts for the wealthy, and the economy kept going right down the toilet. Too bad Frothy Ricky isn't pragmatic like ol' Ronnie Raygun, who may have been a racist jaggoff but knew when it was time to raise taxes.

Many of the companies who have moved their corporate locations offshore have done so to avoid the onerous taxes and regulations the U.S. imposes. Santorum is correct in that anyone with enough money can restructure their assets to, at least, minimize the amount of tax they are paying. He is not saying higher income people should not pay or that the tax law does not require that they pay taxes he is saying that they are able to do what is necessary to avoid, not evade, income tax.
What he really needs to say, and no one else here is picking up on it, is that 49% of the income filers in the U.S. don't have to pay income tax because the higher income folk are paying their freight.

Talking about class warfare.

Santorum just isn't worth anyone's time.

I hope they do elect this moron. Even Obama could crush this loser.

What a dick. Lets not tax them so they can buy one more Caddilac, oh thats right, really rich job creators dont drive American cars anyway!

I know the sheep are supporting this sleaze but are they all blind, deaf and so out of touch that they will accept anything he says? I think he is actually dangerous. If his sheep don't jump ship after his outrageous statements, will they ever?

I'm sorry. I just can't listen to, or read, one more word by Saint forsaken P Rick.

‘Higher-income people don’t have to pay taxes’ says Santorum. OK, then who does pay and who would pay all of you high priced pols salaries? Or are you going to start working for free? He wants the 99% to pay the taxes and the rich get a free lunch.

“Once we defeat Barack Obama this economy will start turning around,” the former Pennsylvania senator told a crowd in Miamisburg, Ohio. “Because you’ll know you have someone in there who’s going to unshackle businesses, reduce rates, not increase them. The president’s promised increased taxes if he’s re-elected.”

do you know what the word storm means ?

Santorum: ‘Higher-income people don’t have to pay taxes’

"Man this Guy is a Friggen' IDIOT!!!!"