Originally Posted by aklim

They are present but incalculable. But that they are present means that any equation you use to calculate what we are paying for taxes is meaningless unless you can include them. When the city of Madison enacted a recycling tax on businesses, how do you propose that we calculate what the impact is? We know it is there but it is impossible to calculate. You are simply trying to deny that there is any tax that is out there besides the IRS.

So tell me what you think a business does when it gets hit by taxes? Besides fold up or pass it down, that is. Does every business simply lower their profit margin to compensate for it or do you think that they pass the taxes on to the consumer. If they pass it onto the consumer, you too have been taxed.

Not by businesses. They have raised their prices from what I have seen. When fuel prices rose during Katrina, the freighting companies did raise my rates.

I am simply stating that if you cannot figure out what the taxes that are passed on to you are, simply using the IRS numbers is not going to be accurate. It might be higher or as you assert, lower. Without knowing all the numbers and since they have not been constant since 1950, the number we have is not worth much from the accuracy standpoint.

Lets make this real simple. Is it your contention that NONE, 0%, NADA, ZILCH of the city taxes, state taxes, dog catcher tax, stadium tax, bar tax, etc, etc that is enacted WILL NOT be passed onto you? If it is passed on, then you have been taxed indirectly. If it is not then your contention that we can simply go by your evidence is correct. If it is passed on to you, you have been taxed and if we cannot see what impact it has, it is impossible to come up with a valid comparison as to whether the tax rate is higher or lower unless you wish to use an inaccurate number.