How much will Obama’s new health plan cost us?
**Mr. Obama’s proposed income-based health-insurance subsidies, tax credits for tiny businesses, and expanded Medicaid eligibility would cost another .63 trillion, according to the TPC. Thus his tax rebates and health insurance subsidies alone would lift the undisclosed bill to future taxpayers by .95 trillion — roughly 5 billion a year by 2012.

The Wall Street Journal did a great article on how much Obama’s plans are going to cost us.

Just wondering if anyone knows how much it truly will cost us all??

How much will his tax plans cost the average American?
**A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money. Altogether, Mr. Obama is promising at least .3 trillion of increased spending and reduced tax revenue from 2009 to 2018 — roughly an extra 0 billion a year by 2012-2013.

How is he going to pay for it?

Raising the tax rates on the salaries, dividends and capital gains of those making more than 0,000-0,000, and phasing out their exemptions and deductions, can raise only a small fraction of the amount. Even if we have a strong economy, Mr. Obama’s proposed tax hikes on the dwindling ranks of high earners would be unlikely to raise much more than billion- billion a year by 2012.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122480790550265061.html

Funny…I am ignorant but how do you all think he will pay for his so called reformed health plan? With his 600 million in campaign funds? I think not!
I see no backup on where you got the numbers on McCain’s health care.

Assume I owned a business:
Ronda’s Crporation,( a calendar year, accrual basis taxpayer) had the following transactions during 2006, its second year of operation.
Taxable Incom-320,000
Federal Income Tax Liability-108,050
Interest Income from tax-exempt payors-4,000
Meals and Entertainment expenses-2,000
Premiums paid on key employee life insurance-2,500
Increase in cash surrender value attributable to life insurance-600
Proceeds from key employee life insurance policy-120,000
Cash surrender value of life insurance-15,000
Excess of capital losses over capital gains-11,000
MACRS deductions-24,000
Straight 179 expense elected during 2005-90,000
Organizational expenses incurred in 2005-12,000
Dividends received from domestic corporations(less than 20% owned)-20,000

I will use the LIFO inventory method and its LIFO recapture amount increased by
9,000 during 2006. I also sold property on installent during 2005.. The property was sold for 30,000 and had as adjusted basis at sale of 22,000. During 2006 , I received a 10,000
Payment on the installment sale. I elected to amoritize its qualified organizational expenses in 2005. Please help me to compute Ronda’s Corporation current Earnings and Profit.

Day in, day out, for eternity, they need to file taxes for me:

Married filing jointly, 2 kids
One of us owns a small business
Income in 2 states (one being New York)
Home office deductions
Meals and travel expenses related to small business
Capital gains realized from stock sales
401k distribution from an old employer who corrected some math

They need to do all of this without the benefit of a tax professional or software to help. Just the IRS and it’s lovely forms and publications.

After spending a weekend doing our taxes – WITH help – I am certain this would be a special version of Hell which would make politicians wonder why they have created this crazy complicated monster.
It was both created and has evolved.

Every little stupid step and extra hoop is someone’s election promise brought to life.

My parents will file for a 1040A this year and one of the questions goes like this:

If your parents have filed or will file a 1040, were they eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ (question 84)?
Select Yes if your parents filed or will file a 1040 but were eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ.

In general, your parents are eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ if they:

Make less than 0,000 per year,
Do not itemize deductions,
Do not receive income from their own business or farm,
Do not receive self-employment income or alimony,
Are not required to file Schedule D for capital gains.

Your parents are not eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ if they:

Make 0,000 or more per year,
Itemize deductions,
Receive income from their own business or farm,
Receive self-employment income or alimony,
Are required to file Schedule D for capital gains.
If your parents filed or will file a 1040 to claim Hope or Lifetime Learning credits, and they would have otherwise been eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ, you should answer "Yes" to this question.

Select No if your parents filed or will file a 1040 and were not eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ.

Select Don’t know if your parents filed or will file a 1040 and do not know if they were eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ.

So if my parents are filing for the 1040A and not the 1040 do I put yes or I don’t know?

— Broaden the 1.45-percent Medicare tax on earned income to “passive income,” which could include money from capital gains, rental properties and businesses that do not require direct participation. This could raise 0 billion.

— Levy a five-percent surtax on individuals who earn more than 0,000 and couples that make million.

— Tax health benefits at a higher level than had been considered. Two scenarios are in play. Taxing plans worth more than ,300 for a family and ,300 for an individual could raise 0 billion. Increasing the cut-off to plans worth more than ,000 would bring billion.

— Capping the tax break on itemized deductions at 28 percent, as President Barack Obama had proposed, or freezing the top deduction rate at 35 percent when the Bush tax cuts expire in 2010. The first scenario would raise 8 billion, while the second would collect billion.

— Issue tax credit bonds to pay for the proposed Medicaid expansion, raising billion.

— Charge fees to pharmaceutical manufacturers, bringing in as much as billion, and insurance providers, raising billion.

– Raise taxes on sodas and sugary drinks. A 3-cent hike could pick up billion, and a 10-cent hike could make 0 billion. This one already appears out of favor: Many senators have specifically ruled out the sugar tax, and a Senate Democratic source said it was the one option that was clearly not gaining traction with committee members.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24752.html

— Broaden the 1.45-percent Medicare tax on earned income to “passive income,” which could include money from capital gains, rental properties and businesses that do not require direct participation. This could raise 0 billion.

— Levy a five-percent surtax on individuals who earn more than 0,000 and couples that make million.

— Tax health benefits at a higher level than had been considered. Two scenarios are in play. Taxing plans worth more than ,300 for a family and ,300 for an individual could raise 0 billion. Increasing the cut-off to plans worth more than ,000 would bring billion.

— Capping the tax break on itemized deductions at 28 percent, as President Barack Obama had proposed, or freezing the top deduction rate at 35 percent when the Bush tax cuts expire in 2010. The first scenario would raise 8 billion, while the second would collect billion.

— Issue tax credit bonds to pay for the proposed Medicaid expansion, raising billion.

— Charge fees to pharmaceutical manufacturers, bringing in as much as billion, and insurance providers, raising billion.

– Raise taxes on sodas and sugary drinks. A 3-cent hike could pick up billion, and a 10-cent hike could make 0 billion. This one already appears out of favor: Many senators have specifically ruled out the sugar tax, and a Senate Democratic source said it was the one option that was clearly not gaining traction with committee members.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24752.html

Or are they no longer a reputable source?

From Investor’s Business Daily:

Obama has proposed effective tax increases of 20% or more in the two top income-tax rates, phasing out the personal exemptions and all itemized deductions for top earners, as well as raising their tax rates.

He wants a 33% increase in the tax rates on capital gains and dividends, an increase of 16% to 32% in the top payroll tax rate, reinstatement of the death tax with a 45% top rate, and a new payroll tax on employers estimated at 7% to help finance his health insurance plan. He’s also contending for higher tariffs under his protectionist policies.

Finally, he would increase corporate taxes by 25%, though American businesses already face the second-highest marginal tax rates in the industrialized world, thus directly harming manufacturing and job creation while weakening demand for the dollar.

things like marriage status, you can deduct hobby expenses but not medical expenses (unless its over 2% of your income)
business can deduct their legal expenses even if they’re are at fault, but an individual can’t deduct theirs even if they are aquitted. You have to make a choice between taking the standard deduction which is less than half the poverty level or itemizing your deduction. The tax is progressive until you get to about a million dollars then suddenly its a flat tax. If your spouce dies you suddenly have to pay higher taxes. I could go on. I’d like to hear some horror stories of other countrys tax code.
another one i just had to add. Earned inocome is taxed but unearned isn’t
I have read the last years tax code and the year before it doesnt say anything about income from a hobby just expenses. If I’m wrong about unearned income then George Bush and Al Gore must be wrong for all there talk about raising the taxable minimum from 1 million to 2 million.
if you are refering to gambling winnings, well you still have to place a bet so its not really unearned but you can deduct your losses but only in the year you lost them.
the problem is the stupid tax code makers even list capital gains and interest income as unearned income.

And I mean flat across the board. Everybody pays 5%, for example. But to make sure everybody pays that 5%, no exemptions for yourself or dependents. Not deductions for work, charitable donations, etc. No deductions for business losses. Capital gains are considered income and taxed at the same rate. So you bought your house for K, sold it for 0K, you made k that year, it gets taxed like any other income. You inherited cash property or anything else, it’s income and gets taxed 5%. And all income gets taxed the exact same 5%. No hiding money for the future in 401(k) plans or IRA plans–no need to anyway, since the flat tax defeats the purpose. All income of any kind, a flat tax. No exceptions, including churches, which are currently tax exempt.

Anybody for that?
Let me clarify some things about my question. One, I am not sure whether I am for a flat tax or not. But I have thought that richer people have more opportunities to get out of paying taxes than poorer people do. So I wondered if richer people would still be for a flat tax if the the playing field were completely level–ie, no tax-sheltered retirement accounts, no itemized deductions for charitable contributions, no loopholes of any kind, as well as calling and income at all as taxable income, including the sale of private property, and also doing away the the tax-excempt status churches and not-for-profit organizations enjoy. Totally fair. Would they still go for it?