(08-02-2018, 12:36 PM)mikesez Wrote:

(08-02-2018, 11:49 AM)pirkster Wrote: That, and not being able to recognize tax "revenues" (confiscation is a much more fitting term, since it's taking from those who actually earned it by those who did not) are at record levels screams that the income side of the balance sheet is certainly not the problem.

Spending is clearly the elephant in the room that everyone in the room has become comfortable with.

Revenues for January-June 2018 are up 0.2% compared to the same period in 2017.
That's not accounting for inflation, which is about 3% currently.
And it is including the payments in April, which for both years were the highest. 
People who paid federal taxes in April 2018 and only in April 2018 (which is most people) were paying based on *2017* rates. 
To get that noise out of the data, it is probably best to look at only May and June of each year.  Most people who paid in May or June of 2018 were paying based on the lower 2018 rates.  Revenues are down 8% for those two months, again not accounting for inflation, when compared to May and June of 2017.
Don't believe me?  See for yourself: https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/fsreport...urrent.htm
Tax cuts decrease revenue.

Riiiiiight....I'd like to know how to get onto this "only pay taxes in April" plan and not have an withholdings from my employer throughout the year.

Also let's conveniently ignore federal withholding taxes in Q1 2018 when bonuses and other such compensation are typically paid, you know, the stuff taxed at the highest rate federally  

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