It is tax time again, and people are hearing that constant litany of “taxes are too high,” especially from the rich and their elected officials. The Department of Labor’s Fourth Quarter Productivity numbers show that it is the average working stiff who is getting taxed at a far higher rate, and no one in the media is talking about it because it is considered “corporate profit” to increase the rich shareholder’s bottom line.

Consider: Since the 1970s, American workers’ productivity has continued to increase until the average middle class worker now creates $106 worth of goods each hour, while their wage has stagnated at an average of $28 per hour or $1,120 per week (source: Department of Labor).

What if you were paid $106 for 40 hours or $4,240 per week and then taxed $3,120 each week? That represents, mostly, the profit business owners are making on your efforts — a tax rate of 74 percent on what you create. Republicans are complaining that 38 percent is outrageous. They would be screaming bloody murder at 74 percent, just like they are screaming about a $15 minimum wage.

Add to that the cost of health care, Social Security and other benefits that they want to force people to pay for out of that $1,120 that is left, and you can see that it is the working class that is really being taxed beyond all measures of those meager income tax rates the rich folks and politicians are screaming about.

Maybe it is time everyone started to do some screaming?

Richard Fochtmann, Leeds

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