The top 1% owe 70% of unpaid taxes. Collecting less than a third of those taxes can fund all of this

[Uncle Joe]

Link to tweet

[JoeOtterbein]

1. More proof that we cannot afford...

...Billionaires!

[dchill]

27. Exactly right.

[ancianita]

2. They must be hiding in extra-judicial zones, because the rest of us would be in jail.

[Maraya1969]

3. Why can't the government collect these taxes? eom

[redqueen]

6. Really rich people have REALLY good lawyers. nt

[Bettie]

7. And they usually own at least a congressman or two

to help them avoid issues.

[redqueen]

14. Indeed. nt

[LiberalArkie]

19. A friend of mine who used to work for the IRS told me that it cost the IRS

way too much money to collect from the wealthy as they had expensive lawyers that would tie it up in courts for years. He said it was more cost effective to go after the ones who can not get the lawyers.

[Hav]

36. If it costs the IRS, then common sense would dictate that the tax evaders should have similar costs

So this seems short-sighted by the IRS. Simply for the purpose of making a point so that it doesn't become a common practice to not pay your taxes.

[LiberalArkie]

37. Probably their budget only allows X number of dollars (per congress) for collection

Thus a wealthy person could eat up the entire budget and still not get anything.

[Newest Reality]

4. It appears...

This culture, due to the flavor of manipulated capitalism it adheres to, favors the wealthy and caters to their class in every way, shape and form, like royalty.

Conversely, the destitute, poor and homeless are no longer a concern, (though the numbers are increasing) and are even loathed and despised or considered unworthy of anything, (anecdotally, that is my experience as well).

That systemic coddling and favoritism provided to a ravenous elite is now beginning to reveal an extremely dangerous end-game to our democracy and our general wellbeing if things continue as usual. If we put aside the moralizing of the issue, (greed) we are collectively enabling addicts here. Generally speaking if enough is never enough and the product of most of our labor goes to their profit, then we are just laying out lines and encouraging them to snort them and that's not a healthy way to have a culture as history has shown. It is bad for everybody and how can we expect addicts to voluntarily go into recovery when the red carpet to more is laid out, proverbially, all the time for them? This amount of excessive privileged and holdings is killing us.

I have nothing against being well off or even wealthy and I wish prosperity to all. It is the excess of addiction that really stands out and needs to be addressed for the sake of the commons and our collective best interests and the future of our progeny. The surplus of our productivity and labor is their profit. Profit and acquisition is starting to glow blood read as obviously more important than humans and life now. That's our final warning. We have a few decades before the "done deal" and no turning back.

[mopinko]

5. when you're right, you're right, bernie.

[brooklynite]

8. Sigh...they are not unpaid taxes and are not "owed"

Not paying taxes owed is a felony. These are taxes not owed because of the tax laws as written by both Republicans and Democrats. If Sanders has a mechanism to change the law and get it passed, let us know.

[Uncle Joe]

9. Tax evasion is a felony, having unpaid taxes is not. n/t

[brooklynite]

10. What taxes are OWED under the Tax Law and have not been paid?

[Uncle Joe]

11. You can see companies advertise all day long on television marketing to people that owe back taxes

and they will negotiate with the IRS for you.

[brooklynite]

13. So you're suggesting that Amazon wants to pay taxes but can't find the money?

Because that's how your analogy works.

I think we both know that's not what Sanders is implying.

[Uncle Joe]

15. No, my point was owing back taxes is not a felony, tax evasion is.

Furthermore, I believe Bernie is referring to the 1% as individuals not corporations but I could be wrong on this.

I have no doubt more detailed information on this will emerge.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

16. Do you think that those firms are marketing their services to the 1%? NT

[Uncle Joe]

17. Probably not but the essential point remains.

I imagine the 1% are more likely to have expensive attorneys take care of their tax issues.

[LanternWaste]

35. How very naive.

[ret5hd]

38. Not naive...invested in the status quo.

[The Valley Below]

12. Is Senator Sanders offering up data to support the truth of this proposition?

I'd like to see it.

[mjvpi]

21. That was my first question.

However, generally speaking, Senator Sanders numbers check out. I believe in skepticism, so I’m with you there. Do you have a source to disprove this? I’m open minded.

[The Valley Below]

22. No. Mine is an honest question.

If taxes are not being paid--especially by those with means, at the top--I'd try to hold by representatives feet to the fire to explain the problem.

I will admit to some skepticism with the source, but like you I generally believe in skepticism and in fact-checking claims.

If it is so, it would represent a big failing and I'd thank Sen. Sanders for raising the issue.

[mjvpi]

28. Okay, I did a little investigation

In a periodic assessment of tax years 2008-2010 the IRS estimates the amount of uncollected taxes at $458 billion. The Google machine will get you there. We have a progressive tax system. Most of the wealth created since 2008 has gone to the upper 10%. I’m using that fact from memory. It seems logical that the wealthiest people would represent a larger percentage of unpaid taxes, especially when you consider that wealthy people can spend more money on people to deal with taxes. While I couldn’t find any explanation from the Sanders camp on where he got his numbers, just a little actual research convinced me that his statement sounds consistent with the numbers that the IRS provided.

Thanks for encouraging me to do my own research. My original reply to you was an agreement. I wanted the numbers.

[The Valley Below]

29. Thanks for the feedback. It would be preferable to have hard data instead of inferences--

--as I'm sure you'd agree.

If Senator Sanders has the hard evidence to support his charge, I think it would be a winning issue for him (and all of us frankly) for him to bring to the fore.

One need not be a populist to know everyone--especially those who are most able--should pay their fair share of taxes.

I hope to hear more.

[mjvpi]

32. Thanks, I was honestly agreeing with you on where is the data.

I don’t always agree with Senator Saunders, but he doesn’t pull numbers out of thin air. Wealth inequality is well documented.

[The Valley Below]

33. I took your post as agreement. My apologies if my words came off otherwise. Not my intent.

I may have even more distance with regard to Sen. Sanders and the veracity of the information that comes out of his camp than you do, but I'm sincere in saying that this is a winning issue if he can back the charge with data.

I think we both fell the same on this latter point.

Cheers and thank you for sharing your dig into the numbers.

[NurseJackie]

24. That's not how it works. The burden-of-proof belongs to BS.

Do you have a source to disprove this?

That's not how it works. The burden-of-proof belongs to BS. It's up to BS to provide the data or research or proof to back up or support his claim. It appears that he has not done this. Why not? I believe that voters deserve to know how he arrived at this and if it's something that's based on his ideas of what future tax law should be like, then he owes it to voters to let us know exactly how it is that something like this will be passed. It's all well and good to promise rainbows and unicorns, but it's quite another thing to deliver on those promises.

[mjvpi]

30. Ok, I did some research on my own

Please see above. I honestly wanted to know if someone had numbers to prove or disprove. Using IRS numbers, Sanders numbers look like they’re in the ball park. While there is room for discussion on what the numbers that I found mean exactly, his basic point seems like it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand.

[BigmanPigman]

18. Most pay less that 10% on billions

yet can't/won't even pay that. Evil, greedy, selfish bastards! Fuck each and every one of them and those who make these laws to allow it.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

23. Bring back the guillotine.

The rich will break laws and lie to hoard and not pay any taxes. It's all a zero sum game.. We will have to stop feeding the parasites killing us,the hosts. If they don't share willingly we can always use a guillotine to remind them of thier worthlessness.

[BigmanPigman]

25. Ha! Were you just eavesdropping on me while in my kitchen

listening to the hearings? I was ranting about Volker being a greedy GOP treasonous bastard and I need to get out my guillotine (I wish) but since there are so many of them there will be a very long line.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

31. Were you evesdropping

On me? Or we just had a Vulcan mind mesh,and we're thinking the same thing? Volker was disgusting such a waste of skin.

[SpankMe]

20. I love Bernie, but I'd like to see some data on this.

Is this actual unpaid taxes today at current rates?

Or, is this taxes not being paid now, but which would be paid under a new tax rate table he's proposing?

Something else?

[calguy]

26. Bernie loves to throw out these claims

Without any basis for a data to back up his claims. It all sounds good until you find out he's just throwing shit out.

[Hoyt]

34. Need a citation, but one poster above says there was $458 Billion uncollected in 2008-2010.

During those 3 years, our deficit was a total of over $3.1 Trillion (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/historical-tables/).

So, if we had collected all of that, it would have reduced the deficit by about 15%.

I'm all for collecting what is owed, but that is not where the money is. We'll have to increase taxes, and it's going to be really hard to keep it from affecting people well down the totem pole.