• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

WSJ: Winners and Losers Under the Trump Tax Plan

NexusCell

Member
cfc188430da4443851a5ba9ed53eda22.jpg

Lol. I never realized what was wrong with this until I took a closer look at the income.
 

Hazmat

Member
Man this would be huge for me. Most of the time I get almost nothing back in taxes; if my deduction doubles i'd get a huge refund if i'm reading this right. Weird.

This would apply for taxes on earnings in the future. They aren't going to change the number you'll use when you prepare your 2017 taxes.
 

lenovox1

Member
Man this would be huge for me. Most of the time I get almost nothing back in taxes; if my deduction doubles i'd get a huge refund if i'm reading this right. Weird.

You may not be.

A tax deduction essentially lowers your taxable income. Lower and middle classes shouldn't see huge changes in what they pay currently.

Lol. I never realized what was wrong with this until I took a closer look at the income.

They all look so sad about being upper class and rich.
 
I am ok with this. I have a rental property and student loans so anything to increase returns is ok with me. I pay a professional to do my taxes so I try to write off everything. I honestly doubt it will be much of a change though.
 

Ron Mexico

Member
People don’t seem to be understanding that this means you are largely paying the same or slightly worse all the while fucking the northeast + California.

Pretty much this. To expand just a bit:

Doubling the standard deduction, removing the personal exemption and you're looking at a very modest increase in deductions that's nowhere near double.

Now add in going from 10 to 12% on top of that and you're squeezing the margins even more. And that's just for an individual who had been taking the standard deduction before and would continue to now.

For those with kids, those with houses (especially in the northeast and California as mentioned above) it can get way uglier.

We also have no idea where the cutoffs for those brackets will fall.

Granted, this plan will be chopped and changed in committee (not that I have a hell of a lot of faith in their ability either), but the closer this core plan comes to a reality, the uglier it's going to be.
 

Rival

Gold Member
I do think lowering the corporate tax rate could be a huge economic stimulus with emphasis on “could” but what will really happen is the bottom line will increase and the stock holders of these corporations will be the benefactors.
 
I do think lowering the corporate tax rate could be a huge economic stimulus with emphasis on “could” but what will really happen is the bottom line will increase and the stock holders of these corporations will be the benefactors.
Are you saying the wealth could trickle down?
 
Man this would be huge for me. Most of the time I get almost nothing back in taxes; if my deduction doubles i'd get a huge refund if i'm reading this right. Weird.

If you're not itemizing, you have no kids, and the only thing about your taxes that changes is the standard deduction and elimination of the personal exemption, then your taxable income gets reduced by around $1500. That would be tax savings of no more than $600, and that's only if you top out in the 39.6% bracket of today. If you top out lower, your savings is lower. Someone in today's 10% bracket sees a savings of $150.

That said, those are not the only changes, as marginal rates are also changing (the lowest rate is now higher, at 12%). We don't know -- at least, I haven't read it anywhere -- where the tax brackets are projected to be. Until more info is known, we can't say who saves what and who pays more.
 

Maxim726X

Member
As the owner of a pass-through LLC it would effectively halve my annual tax bill.

This is terrible and I should pay my fair share of taxes to support those who live at or below the poverty line and to ensure a safety net for fellow citizens as well as pay my fare share for the infrastructure that supports me. I guarantee that I wind up taking a ton of "soft" money from the government that I don't even know about that goes to support ports of entry, highways, rail yards and other infrastructure projects that I don't even see, and my taxes need to pay their way to keeping those systems intact. Otherwise I'm benefiting off of public infrastructure and not paying into the system to support it.

I fucking hate the fact that Republicans have started treating people as "makers and takers" and I say that from someone strongly in their "maker" camp. I didn't get here alone and daily benefit from being a citizen of the country and I should pay my fair share into the system that provided me with the opportunity to wind up where I am as well as to make sure that there are programs there for those who need them.

I'm in a similar boat (S-Corp), but I'm a healthcare provider so maybe it wouldn't apply to me? A little confused.
 

Shadybiz

Member
waiting for one of the news sites to make a calculator so i can easily do the math that way

I would like that as well, but right now, there are too few details for something like that. We don't even know what the income cutoffs are going to be yet.
 
I do think lowering the corporate tax rate could be a huge economic stimulus with emphasis on “could” but what will really happen is the bottom line will increase and the stock holders of these corporations will be the benefactors.

The stockholders are hopefully all of us. (Take advantage of your 401ks and other retirement accounts, people.)

That said, a better economic stimulus would just be directly spending into the economy, cut out the nonsense about hoping the rich take their tax savings and do something useful with it.
 
I really need to know what a "high wage earner" would be. I just moved to FL a few months ago so I was going to lose my MD state tax write-off anyway but this hig wage thing combined with losing mortgage write-offs could bury me.
 

Schattenjäger

Gabriel Knight
Dumb question here but why are taxes such an issue?

You'll never make everyone happy

Is the driver here the amount people pay or is it the confusing and messy process we have? Why the need to revamp instead of modifying?
 

RPGCrazied

Member
I just find it appalling he wanting to redo everyone's taxes but has the nerve not to show his. It'll show just how much of a fraud that he is.
 

jon bones

hot hot hanuman-on-man action
Schattenjäger;250235084 said:
Dumb question here but why are taxes such an issue?

You'll never make everyone happy

Is the driver here the amount people pay or is it the confusing and messy process we have? Why the need to revamp instead of modifying?

you’re right, that is dumb

the issue for the gop is that wealth is not moving to the already-wealthy fast enough
 

Damaniel

Banned
I itemize but my itemized deductions are smaller than the proposed married standard deduction. That said, the removal of personal exemptions would make that a wash at best, but more likely a net negative.

Overall, I think my overall tax burden would be pretty much unchanged under what we know about this plan, but the wealthy would sure make out like bandits...

Also, if you have more than one kid, you would be super screwed under this plan. Losing those personal exemptions would be huge.
 

lenovox1

Member
Schattenjäger;250235084 said:
Dumb question here but why are taxes such an issue?

You'll never make everyone happy

Is the driver here the amount people pay or is it the confusing and messy process we have? Why the need to revamp instead of modifying?

Trump's goals since around the middle of his presidential campaign have been to simplify the tax code, reduce the corporate tax burden, and to get rid of the estate tax while remaining effectively revenue neutral. Basically, a benefit to guys like him that have most of their money in stocks and investments.
 

NewFresh

Member
Trump's goals since around the middle of his presidential campaign have been to simplify the tax code, reduce the corporate tax burden, and to get rid of the estate tax while remaining effectively revenue neutral. Basically, a benefit to guys like him that have most of their money in stocks and investments.
And large estates to pass on.
 

Schattenjäger

Gabriel Knight
Trump's goals since around the middle of his presidential campaign have been to simplify the tax code, reduce the corporate tax burden, and to get rid of the estate tax while remaining effectively revenue neutral. Basically, a benefit to guys like him that have most of their money in stocks and investments.
Most republicans believe in latter 2 ..but why does the tax code have to be simplified to achieve that ? Most people use accountants or software to do their taxes.. who cares if it's confusing ..
 

lenovox1

Member
Does the bill mention anything about the corporate tax? Trump and friends kept saying they would slash it significantly.

It would lower the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20% with the intent to tax the actual money-on-hand the corporations have by eliminating some of the loopholes and deductions they get. It would overall be a gigantic positive for corporations, but Trump is now saying that he's open to creating new tax brackets. He hasn't said that before. So essentially, wage earners are going to get hit with the offset.
 
Schattenjäger;250235084 said:
Dumb question here but why are taxes such an issue?

You'll never make everyone happy

Is the driver here the amount people pay or is it the confusing and messy process we have? Why the need to revamp instead of modifying?

The average American doesn’t like money being taken out of their paycheck. Filing taxes is pretty easy for people who are full time employees even if they have deductions and investments.

Small businesses and independent contractors have a more complicated tax situation.

Billionaires like maximizing the amount they make and taxes cut into that. They’re smart enough to play off the rage of the millions of low wage workers who hate having money taken out of their paycheck (even though they likely pay pretty little after refunds) to push getting their taxes lowered. For good measure, they say they would employ more people if they only had a few spare millions.
 
It wouldn't be a Republican plan if it did that.

Yes it would.

Republicans have always been about rewarding the very top. Now that they have squeezed all they possibly can out of the lower and middle class, they will start squeezing the millionaires to pay out the billionaires. This is simply a continuation of a pattern. The only thing that "shocks" me is that it is proposed so soon.
 

lenovox1

Member
Schattenjäger;250236668 said:
Most republicans believe in latter 2 ..but why does the tax code have to be simplified to achieve that ? Most people use accountants or software to do their taxes.. who cares if it's confusing ..

The stated goal by most economists and some Republicans that want to simplify is to remove the "game" part of the tax process. They say they want to make the system clear, easy-to-understand, and difficult to abuse.

"[Simplification] does not necessarily mean that taxes are a simple mathematical function of income," said Matthew Weinzierl, a Harvard University assistant professor, who studies what optimal tax systems look like. "After all, with TurboTax it's easy to have a computer do a complex calculation for you. Instead, what economists typically have in mind is that a tax system should be easy to understand, transparent and hard to game."

The reality for most Republicans is:

Cutting taxes as a whole tends to be the real goal behind rate-cutting, said Ed Kleinbard, professor of law and business at the University of Southern California. After all, no one ever tries to simplify tax brackets upward.

http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallp...mplify-the-tax-code-heres-what-they-get-wrong

And I would go as far as saying cutting tax rates for the upper class specifically is the true ideal.

But, again, Trump has wanted this reform to not have an effect on revenue. Two things will have to happen in his current plan for that to work. Wages have to go up and there will either have to be more tax brackets, broader tax brackets, and/or an increased burden on all or some tax brackets.
 
The stated goal by most economists and some Republicans that want to simplify is to remove the "game" part of the tax process. They say they want to make the system clear, easy-to-understand, and difficult to abuse.

Although in reality, the tax code is complicated specifically because Republicans fought to keep it that way, as it was a more effective propaganda tool against "big government" than a simplified tax system would have been.
 

Cyan

Banned
It sounds great but I'd like more details. Anything that lowers my taxes is good.

Don't screw this up, Reps.

Here's my proposal:
-seize the assets of anyone with a net worth of over $1M
-nationalize every industry except for the NFL
-use these new riches to cut our taxes.

You in?
 
T

thepotatoman

Unconfirmed Member
Long term a lower corporate rate and eliminating the mortgage interest deduction are actually good things. They need to be paired with other changes to work though.

Same with Alternate Minimum Tax. Obama wanted to get rid of it too, because it is stupidly complicated, and isn't tied to inflation so it's getting less and less progressive as time goes by.

Difference is Obama's bill had a replacement in the form of the Buffett Rule, which is just if you make more than 1 million (tied to inflation) on your adjusted gross income, you pay 30% of your adjusted gross income minus charitable donations. No longer complicated, and still fulfils the spirit of AMT.

I think uncomplicating the tax code is a great idea, but republicans don't care, and just use it as codeword of completely getting rid of the taxes targeted at rich people that they don't like paying. The wall street journal shouldn't leave out the fact that repealing the AMT without replacement would make trump's 2005 tax returns even lower still.
 

Schattenjäger

Gabriel Knight
The average American doesn’t like money being taken out of their paycheck. Filing taxes is pretty easy for people who are full time employees even if they have deductions and investments.

Small businesses and independent contractors have a more complicated tax situation.

Billionaires like maximizing the amount they make and taxes cut into that. They’re smart enough to play off the rage of the millions of low wage workers who hate having money taken out of their paycheck (even though they likely pay pretty little after refunds) to push getting their taxes lowered. For good measure, they say they would employ more people if they only had a few spare millions.
Gotcha now makes a little more sense
 

Plinko

Wildcard berths that can't beat teams without a winning record should have homefield advantage
Josh Barro‏Verified account @jbarro

One thing about "replacing" the dependent exemption with a higher child credit: You can only claim Child Credit on a child up to 16.
Thought this was also an important key to how bad this screws over Americans.
 

Nipo

Member
Honestly this sounds great for me. My only deduction is the interest on my massive pile of student loans which I can't take full advantage of since I earn above a threshold.

Selfish I know, but doubling the standard deduction will put a lot of cash in my pocket that I could use to get out of the student debt.

There is the republican plan in action. Gain support for the proposal by promising you pennies giving the wealthy pounds. The amount you'll save is infinitesimal to the amount saved by those with incomes over 50 million a year.
 

NervousXtian

Thought Emoji Movie was good. Take that as you will.
I'm failing to see how this plan is simpler, reduces the need for the IRS, or puts extra money in most peoples pockets.

It seems catered to helping high-income investors and business-owners.. not small business, not the middle class, and not the poor.
 
I'm so tired of this shit post in every irrelevant WSJ article. But any article starts with WSJ: some idiot is bound to make this shit post.

Probably harder to shitpost when WSJ articles are actually good.

"here's some vague winners/losers stuff that glosses over the real effects of cratered government spending and an increase of 'LITERALLY OUR GDP OVER TWENTY YEARS' while also cleverly avoiding the whole 'mortgage deduction and child deductions will mean middle class and lower people will pay much more in taxes...also, let's fuck over the economic powerhouses of the US"

Basically, the WSJ article IS a shitpost. They're just piling more shit on top of it.
 
Top Bottom