Rating: 
Summary: Finally! Someone who cares about the "upper middle"
Review: Politicians and reporters for years have ignored my family. We are a childless, hardworking, taxpaying couple who happen to each be salaried and each of us makes about $250,000/year.We are screwed by the current tax system. Not rich enough (or self employed!) to be able to take advantage of all the tax loopholes that allow the super-rich not to pay any taxes. And we're not poor enough to get all sorts of tax breaks that the "lucky duckies" who earn in the range of $25,000 - $100,000 get. In fact, all the standard deductions are phased out for use because of the stealth tax--the Alternative Minimum tax. All the things that the "lucky duckies" can deduct, like medical bills, unreimbursed business expenses, costs related to relocation or looking for job, CANNOT be deducted by us. Adding together state, local, federal (including Social Security) sales and property taxes, we pay over 50%/year of our wages in taxes. When I hear someone who makes $75K with two kids complaining about taxes, my blood starts to boil. Finally, there's an author who realizes that the most productive workers in the country, but those who make less than, say, $500K a year and are salaried, are the ones who suffer the most under our tax system. And not just the low-paid "taxeaters" are lucky. The super-rich, of course, don't pay any taxes. And it's all perfectly legal! Unfortunately, Johnson isn't the best writer, so the book only got 4/5 stars for poor editing and writing. Still he makes points I haven't heard often. The current political parties fail me. Nobody feels sorry for families who make $400K a year. The current president cuts taxes for the super-rich while giving "Joe Lunchpail" a check for $300. 90% of the voters are happy, and I'm screwed. (If "Joe Lunchpail" had half a brain, he'd wonder why the government just didn't put a line that said "TAX REBATE -$300" on the following year's tax return. George W's sending out those rebate checks probably cost $100 million in postage and adminstrative costs alone! Don't forget that he sent out a letter before the checks went out! If you're truly overtaxed, read this book and your blood will boil. If you're "super-rich" read it to find out how to avoid more taxes! And if you're one of the "lucky duckies" who gets things like "Earned Income" credit, then you should cluck for joy!
Rating: 
Summary: Class Warfare - "Bring It On"
Review: Ask yourself a simple question. If the ultra wealthy are taxed too much and the ultra poor are taxed too little, then why has the income gap between rich and poor grown? The answer is simple, the ultra wealthy are not taxed enough and the ultra poor should pay less. Ask yourself another simple question. If the millionaires and billionaires can fight for their economic interests, then why can't others fight for their interests as well? The answer is simple. The ultra wealthy and right wing don't want this to happen because it would force them to defend the indefensible, the US tax system. Finally, ask yourself this. If a person or company benefits from living and working in the US should they be required to contribute for that benefit? The answer is obvious. Of course! Further, those that have benefited the greatest should be required to contribute the most. Without proportional reciprocity, the ultra wealthy will continue to reap the greatest reward with the least sacrifice. David Cay Johnston has done all Americans a service by writing "Perfectly legal." His succinct outline of a dysfunctional tax system highlights the underlying reality of the posed questions. The book also exposes the absurdity of the right wing's defense, expressed here and daily by right wing talking heads. For those that would like to hear Johnston interviewed, follow the links below: http://tinyurl.com/2xcge (rm)
http://tinyurl.com/yto4z (mp3) Let the wars begin!
Rating:
Summary: This Book Is Must Reading !!!
Review: Are you aware that Milton Friedman is the economic guru of Republicanism/Libertarianism? It is his economic philosophy that is the underpinnings of the Laissez Faire economics that the Republicans/Libertarians have been promoting that has been undoing the middle class and the working class in America and once again - as in the days of the robber barons - causing the concentration of money and power into the hands of a few at great injury to the rest of America. Anyone opposed to their laissez faire approach has been branded a "socialist" as though there are only two economic systems in the world. Unfortunately, Democrats have had to come along for the ride in a world that has been framed by lassiez faire for the last three decades. That tide is about to turn. "Perfectly Legal" absolutely destroys the false economic system that Milton Friedman has imposed on us. It does it by exposing the dirty truth about what is really happening to our society and our tax system and who it is that is being robbed blind. To the lassiez faire crowd, this book is the most dangerous book in existence. It has the potential to destroy their entire movement by giving Americans the information they need about what is happening to us. It makes the entire system crystal clear and it does so with easy style that is a pleasure to read. You owe it to yourself, and you owe it to your family to read this book. It's not hard reading. It's quite easy, and it is entertaining. But more important than entertainment is the information that flows off the page. Have you felt lost in economic arguments? Have you wondered that is really going on and who is telling the truth and who is lying? You won't have to wonder any more. Read this book and you will understand what's happening clearly and assuredly. No one will be able to deceive you again. What had been mysterious and muddy will be clear and understandable. This is a book that you must read. There is no other book on the market like it. There is no confusion, no mess, and no muddy terminology. There are only clear facts that bring you up to a level of understanding that you did not have before. For the first time in your life, you will be free of doubt. You will know what is happening, and you will know what is - and what is not - in your best interest.
Rating:
Summary: If You Ever Thought the Tax System Needed a Makeover...
Review: ..you'll still think so when you finish reading David Cay Johnston's book. A summary of our current tax system might be: too many loopholes, needlessly complicated codes, and basically unfair no matter what bracket you're in. "Perfectly Legal" is enlightening reading. Reviewer: Linda Painchaud
Rating: 
Summary: Class warfare agenda
Review: Come on. The bottom 50% pay 4% of the federal taxes. The top 50% pay 96% of federal taxes. What conspiracy? This is another liberal class warfare agenda piece. Don't believe me, look at the other book being marketed with it on Amazon. If you want to pay for class warfare reaffirmation -- go for it. But don't fool yourself that you are being informed. No matter how you spin it, the top 50% pay for the federal government.
Rating:
Summary: "Perfectly Legal" Should Be Read By Every American Family
Review: This is one book you will definitely want to read. If you thought that you understood America's tax system and how it affects you, you will probably be shocked to discover just how wrong you have been! David Cay Johnston is an investigative reporter who is a double Pulitzer Prize winner. He spent many years working on the material for this book. Once you begin to read this, you will find it difficult to put down. It will open your eyes like nothing you have ever read about taxes, and who is carrying the burden, and who will find themselves buried under a severe burden within only a decade. Johnston is an excellent writer and the information just flows off the page. This is easy reading and it is some of the most informative material you will ever come across. You cannot afford to be ignorant about our tax system and how it is affecting you. I'm sure you have heard the political arguments where Democrats say, "the Republicans are robbing the poor to give to the rich" and the Republican arguments that "the rich are carrying all the tax burden and need relief." Which is really true, and how do you know it? Read this book and you will find out. It will become crystal clear. Are you aware that there are really TWO Income Tax systems? One is the regular Income Tax which is what you hear everyone talk about when they talk about giving exemptions and giving tax cuts.
But you never hear them talk about the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). It takes precedence over the regular Income Tax and is the final determinate of the taxes you pay. It was originally put in place to prevent the richest 155 families in the US from getting away with paying zero taxes. It has since turned into just the opposite. What it now does is to redirect the tax burden from the top wealthiest families to the middle class families. The wealthiest still pay zero taxes by using tax deferment methods and tax shelters. They can delay tax payments up to 30 years and pay with inflated money that is worth less than half the original tax burden. And the major tax burden has shifted to families making from $70K to $500K. If you make over $500K, you tax burden drops DRAMATICALLY, but if you are in the middle class, you tax burden increases with each passing year. By the year 2010, the Alternative Minimum Tax will take in more of your tax dollars than the actual Income Tax structure. I wish I could tell you more here, but it would be senseless to try to repeat all the information that this book provides. It is a wealth of information. Let me mention one other thing: Social Security. You remember that back in 1986 there was a big "Social Security scare?" It was being said that Social Security was going broke? You were lied to. Social Security had a minor 5% shortfall, and only need
a minor adjustment to solve the problem. However, Reagan's "tax cut" was causing severe deficits. Both the AMT, and Social Security were adjusted to make up for the decline in Income Taxes. The tax cut was given with one hand, and taken back with the other. What shifted was WHO the tax burden fell on. Social Security went from a pay-as-you-go system, to a pay-in-advance system. The additional excess income from Social Security taxes are siphoned off to pay for the tax cuts. From 1984 to 2002, the government siphoned off $1.7 TRILLION from the Social Security System to pay for government operational cost that could not be paid for with the lower Income Taxes. Many families are now paying more in Social Security taxes than they are in Income Taxes. This is a "hidden tax." Additionally, not only does that tax come directly out of your paycheck, you employer pays the other half, which is twice the amount shown on your pay stub, but which the company considers a part of your salary benefits. This extra Social Security tax is going to supplement the tax breaks to the wealthiest families in America.
That, currently, is $1.7 TRILLION that will never be paid back to the Social Security System. Additionally, this technique actually hides the true amount of the country's deficit, which is much larger than what is officially published. If you read any book this year, make it this book! For the first time in your life, you will be stone-cold aware of what is really happening with the tax system. Once you read the book, you will be telling everyone you know to read it. It's that good!
Rating:
Summary: America at Risk
Review: David Cay Johnston's exposition of recent developments in the economic structure of America falls somewhere between "highly disturbing" and "terrifying." In 317 pages, this Pulitzer winning author sets forth a fact-laden indictment of the increasing inequity of the tax system. His wide-ranging anecdotes are well-supported by much broader statistics. And while his tone is never shrill, his message is one of alarm. The system is simply not working; the range and depth of the problems he cites are astounding. It is a book I highly recommend. It is no particular news to learn that the rich are getting richer and that the poor are lagging behind, but it may be news for many that the middle class and the upper middle class are increasingly being tasked with carrying a burden that the rich and the super rich find ways to avoid. The chapter that explains how the Alternative Minimum Tax will eliminate most any benefit that taxpayers with incomes below $500,000 might ever see from the 2003 Bush tax cuts is particularly enlightening. As Johnston lucidly argues, the issue is not about "cutting taxes" but more fundamentally questioning who should bear the burden of the cost of a civilized society and to what extent. His indictment runs against Republicans and Democrats (the two wings of the "party of money") alike and heavily censures those whom he calls the "political donor class." As he suggests, facile slogans such as "It's your money, not the government's money" only obscures the sober realities that there are jobs that only the government can do and that someone must pay for them. Yet, as Johnston explains, rather than considering the issues of what the functions of government should be and how they should be underwritten, the country's current situation is ont that is rank with greed and in which the common understanding is "let someone else pay for it, only fools pay taxes." Ultimately, Johnston's message is a call to action: "Democracy is about each of us pursuing our self-interest in the belief that our society can achieve a common goal. Yet those who wash their hands of politics, do not vote, do not make the effort to be informed and do not talk about public issues with our families, friends and neighbors cede to others the shaping of society and the conditions of our lives. It is this apathy that has allowed certain individuals to contort, or even to remake, rules that work for their benefit at the expense of the average American taxpayer." (p. 3). In reading "Perfectly Legal," I was reminded that, during the Middle Ages, only the pesants paid taxes. Such a system will eventually break down in instability and insurrection. Accordingly, a decent companion volume to "Perfectly Legal" might well be "The Oxford History of the French Revolution" (William Doyle, Oxford Press 1989).
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad but misses the point
Review: The author understands that high taxes are bad for the poor and middle-class. Some how he fails to understand they are bad for the rich too. If you tax the rich and big companies, they will leave, and give jobs to people in countries with lower taxes. Taxes should be fair to what the country needs to do the business of government. We Americans have slowly created a welfare state we do not want to pay for. If we want that state, all of us: rich, poor and in-between will have to bear the cost. If we don't want the cost, then we must dismantle the welfare state. Otherwise, don't complain about taxes.
Rating:
Summary: The burden does fall on the middle class
Review: In response to reviewer Martin Owen. After years of being a
teacher's aide, never making more than $17,500, my wife
received her certification two years ago, and her annual
pay doubled to $35,000. Now I'm a retiree collecting Social
Security. But, because my wife went over te $32,000 cap
for couples filing jointly, 85% of my S.S. is now taxable.
I take it, that anyone would agree, that $35,000 a year is
not much money. And, wouldn't taxing my Social Security be
considered double taxation. The author made many good points
in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Taxes and the rich..
Review: I have not read the book but I don't quite understand one stats that is often cited about the percentage of total taxes the rich pay. The richest 1% pay 35% of the taxes so they pay $35 for every $100 collected in taxes. But people don't mention how much percent of the total income they make? The point is that they should pay at least the same percentage of their income in taxes as the middle class american's do.
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