Have any wealthy people made a public statement they will be happy with a 5.4% tax

[madville]

Just curious if any wealthy people like atheletes, actors, actresses, mucisians, etc have come straight out and said publicly they have no problem paying a 5.4% tax on their earnings to fund health care. If somebody gets 20,000,000 for a movie or sports season, do you think they are going to gleefully pay 1,000,000 to fund health care reform or do you think many will try to shelter it somehow?

Probably going to be a lucrative time to be a creative accountant for the rich.

[abumbyanyothername]

1. Maybe we could exempt the athletes and movie stars

and just hit the CEOs and Investment Bankers.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

2. I think Whoopi Goldberg has made a statement to that effect...

not those exact words mind you.

[ContinentalOp]

3. Where did that 5.4% number come from?

Because that's a bit more than I'm paying now for my private health insurance. Presumably if the tax were progressive I could save a bit of money. But the current plan under discussion amounts to much more than 5.4%. $10,000 is 5.4% of $185,185.

[scheming daemons]

5. Top tax rate will be 39.6% when Bush's cuts expire in '10. This bill would make it 45%.

[ContinentalOp]

6. Oh I see. So the 5.4% isn't health care for everyone, just for the poor? -nt-

[scheming daemons]

7. It's the surcharge on the rich to pay for the program

[scheming daemons]

4. Well... it certainly didn't hurt the stock market today

So, they didn't "vote with their dollars" as the Repukes like to say every time the market drops on Obama's watch.

[abumbyanyothername]

8. They did vote with their dollars

and the verdict is that national health care is good for American business.

[ibegurpard]

11. Put their money in insurance companies

dollars to donuts

[MrModerate]

9. If you're an actor earning 20 mill per picture a few more points one way or the other . . .

Shouldn't matter (it's only a few months work, after all). If you're an athlete wrecking your body for a brief period of productivity (American football, f'rinstance), you may be more reluctant. If you're a musician, the duration of your high earning period might be completely unpredictable (cf Thunderclap Newman, Zager & Evans) and since you're likely to have been completely cornholed by everyone with whom you have business dealings you might, again, be gunshy.

Also, none of these professions benefit in a one-to-one relationship from the health of the American economy.

My guess is, taxes is taxes, and every high-earner ends up going to professionals with the objective of paying the smallest amount that will keep them out of jail (Crocodile Dundee and Wesley Snipes notwithstanding).

[imdjh]

10. If I could have one $20M paycheck, I would gladly pay 45% tax on it.

I would bitch to save face, but if I walked home with about ten million, I'd suffer through it.

[mitchum]

12. Maybe those athletes and entertainers will just withhold the essential services they provide?

Society will come to a grinding halt.