Types of taxes

There are two basic divisions of taxes. First we'll be looking at the difference between direct and indirect taxes. Then we'll take up progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes.

Direct Taxes A direct tax is a tax with your name written on it. The personal income and Social Security taxes are examples. They are taxes on particular persons. If you earn a certain amount of money, you must pay these taxes.

The corporate income tax is also a direct tax. You might not think so, but acorporation is considered a legal person. For example, in court, you would sue a corporation rather than its owners or officers. Thus, if a corporation makes а ргоfit, it must pay a corporate income tax, and this is a direct tax.

Indirect Taxes These are not taxes on people, but on things. Some of us may have trouble making this distinction, especially given our problematic relationships with some of our family, friends, and co-workers, but in economics we do make a sharp distinction between people and things. Taxes on things include sales and excise taxes. Examples are a state sales tax on most retail purchases and the excise taxes on tires, gasoline, movie tickets, cigarettes, and liquor.

The distinction between direct and indirect taxes was made by John Stuart Mill more than a century ago:

A direct tax is one which is demanded from the very persons who, it is intended or desired, should pay it. Indirect taxes are those which are demanded from one person in the expectation and intention that he shall indemnify himself at the expense of another.

Now we shall take up, in turn, progressive, proportional, and regressive taxes. The key variable we use to differentiate them is where the tax burden falls.

Progressive Taxes A progressive tax places a greater burden on those best able to pay and little or no burden on the poor. The best example is, of course, the federal personal income tax. For the vast majority of American taxpayers today, the more they earn the higher percentage they pay. In terms of the average tax rate, then, people in higher income brackets pay a substantially higher average tax rate than those in lower brackets.

Proportional Taxes Proportional taxes place an equal burden on the rich, the middle class, and the poor. Sometimes a flat tax rate is advanced as a «fair» or proportional tax, but it is neither. For example, a flat income tax rate of, say, 15 percent, with no deductions, would place a much greater burden on the poor and the working class than on the rich. It would be much harder for a family with an income of $10,000 to pay $1,500 in income tax (15 percent of $10,000) than it would be for a family with an income of $100,000 to pay $15,000 (15 percent of $100,000).

Regressive Taxes A regressive tax falls more heavily on the poor than on the rich. The examples I have already given illustrate this (a tax may be set forth as progressive or proportional when it may be regressive in actuality). Another example is the Social Security tax. In 1995 the rate was 6.2 percent on all wages and salaries up to $61,200. The maximum you had to pay was $3,794.40. Where did this figure come from?

Multiply $ 61,200 by 6.2 percent, or 0,62.

Now that I've had you do all these calculations, I have some bad news for you. The 6.2 percent of your wages deducted from your paycheck is not all the government takes. The Medicare tax of 1.45 percent is also taken out, but unlike the Social Security tax, there's no wage-base limitation. If you earned $1 million, you'd pay a Medicare tax of $14,500.

The deduction from your pay is 7.65 percent (6.2 percent for Social Security and 1.45 percent for Medicare).

22.2. Find in the text the English equivalents of these words and word-combinations:

1. основний розподіл

2. прогресивний податок

3. пропорційний податок

4. регресивний податок

5. соціальне забезпечення

6. податок на прибуток корпорації

7. суд

8. пред’являти позов

9. податок з продажу, податок з обороту

10. акцизний збір

11. роздрібні закупки

12. компенсувати

13. перемінна, показник

14. диференціювати, розмежувати

15. група по розмірам доходу

16. єдина податкова ставка

17. викладати, формулювати

18. заробітна плата, яка видається чеками

22.3. Read text again and write down the definitions:

a) прямі податки;

b) непрямі податки;

c) прогресивні податки;

d) пропорційні податки;

e) регресивні податки.

22.4. Join the halves. Translate the sentences into Ukrainian:

1. A direct tax is…	a. best able to pay and little on the poor
2. If a corporation makes a profit…	b. an equal burden on the rich, the middle class, and the poor
3. Taxes on things include…	c. a tax with your name written on it
4. A progressive tax places a great burden on those…	d. more heavily on the poor than on the rich
5. People in higher income brackets pay…	e. it may pay a corporate income tax, and this is a direct tax
6. Proportional taxes place…	f. sales and excise taxes
7. A regressive tax falls…	g. a substantially higher average tax rate than those in lower brackets

22.5. Speak briefly about types of taxes. Use the plan and the key words and phrases to help you.

a) Direct and indirect taxes (personal income tax; Social Security tax; taxes on particular persons; corporate income tax; legal person; to sue in a court; to make a profit; taxes on things; sales and excise taxes; a state sales tax on most retail purchases; excise taxes on tires and ect.; to be demanded from the very person; to indemnify oneself on the expense of another);

b) Progressive, proportional and regressive taxes (key variable; tax burden falls; best able to pay; no burden on the poor; the more taxpayers earn the higher percentage they pay; people in higher income brackets; people in lower brackets; to place an equal burden on the rich; the middle class and the4 poor; a flat tax rate; to fall more heavily on the poor than on the rich; to do calculations; to deduct from someone’s paycheck; Medicare tax; there is no wage-base limitation).

23.1. Read text 27. How many parts does the text consist of? What is each part about?

TEXT 27

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