The IRS audit one isn’t even relevant. Quick research shows only 20% or less of the population (varies by state with 20% being the highest and most states under 10%) making >$200K a year, it’s actually impressive that 37% of the audits were actually over $200K. When you think simply from the volume of under versus over $200K, 37% being over means that a larger ratio of >$200K were audited versus the ratio under $200K
Quick edit: US as a whole is 8-9% of households > $200K
I mean, it is relevant because the lefts big argument when the right said, “why do we need all these extra agents… you just want to audit the middle class” was, “oh no, we’re not going to do that, we need these extra agents to go after the rich”.
Exactly, now it’s a volume thing. If you make say $150k a year and the irs audits you, what are you going to do fight them? Nope. I got audited when I left Nys and was making like $90k… they wanted an extra like $3000… I talked to a lawyer and he basically said it’ll be cheaper to pay then to hire me to fight it… so guess what. You’ll be paying if they audit you.
The only involvement I’ve had with an audit was my mom one time when I was in my 20s, her dumb ass accountant continued to claim me as a dependent. In your situation, was there anything to actually fight? Like did you actually owe?
But again, let’s pretend there are 1000 households, 9% of them make > $200K, so 90. In 2020, 0.2% of filers were audited so 200 in this instance. If 37% of those were > $200K then 74 out of 90 or 82% were audited, as opposed to less than 14% of the under $200K.
Even if you audited 100% of > $200K you would still likely have more volume under $200K.
What would make those stats more telling is with the addition of all of these IRS agents, what was the >$200K percentage before, is 37% of the total substantial increase or not.
Maybe we should have a “Have you been audited” thread.
I was once because of an overlapping W2 & 1099 situation. Took a few days, paid a professional to review. At the end I think I remember paying $4k. A week later I received a letter from the IRS saying thanks, you’re all set. Then a week after that I received a refund check for $3,900 because they said I overpaid… I don’t know who’s doing what over there but thanks I guess, lol.
When I moved from NY to Texas, the company I was working for gave me like $20k to move. I think I had receipts for like $10k and then I claimed the rest as income. They said since I didnt use all the $20k I had to pay taxes in the entire $20k not the $10k I had receipts for even tho I filed whatever long form they had at the time. It was 16 years ago so I don’t remember the details exactly but I remember the laywer that I talked to. He said that my taxes were filed correctly, but the agent wasn’t understanding it. To fight them and get them to see that they were filed correctly would cost more then just paying, so I ended up just paying.
If someone asks you what the difference between left and far left is, this would be an example of the “far” … Degrowth Communism.
The degrowth movement has swelled in recent years, particularly in Europe and in academic circles. The theory has dramatic implications. Instead of finding carbon-neutral ways to power our luxurious modern lifestyles, degrowth would require us to surrender some material comforts. One leading proponent suggests imposing a hard cap on total national energy use, which would ratchet down every year. Energy-intensive activities might be banned outright or taxed to near oblivion. (Say goodbye, perhaps, to hamburgers, SUVs, and your annual cross-country flight home for the holidays.) You’d probably be prohibited from setting the thermostat too cold in summer or too warm in winter. To keep frivolous spending down, the government might decide which products are “wasteful” and ban advertising for them. Slower growth would require less labor, so the government would shorten the workweek and guarantee a job for every person.
Saito does propose a few concrete fixes: Ban private jets. Get rid of advertising for harmful goods and services, such as cosmetic surgery. Enact a four-day workweek. Encourage people to own one car, instead of two or three. Require shopping malls to close on Sundays, to cut down on the time available for excessive consumption.
… many of her peers find Saito’s ideas inspiring. “A lot of us have felt such immense climate anxiety and considered whether or not we should have children,” she said. “Degrowth gives us hope for a future that we haven’t felt in a long, long time.”
