Be careful in looking at taxes
In his letter "So-called rich not really rich" Ken Dale made a number of statements which are illustrative of the old adage "figures don't lie, but liars figure." There appears to be a direct correlation between "letting the Bush tax cuts for the so-called rich expire in 2010" and the apparent tax increases for the several households identified.
These "increases" include changes which have nothing to do with the 2010 action. The best example is that these figures show the one time tax stimulus payments of 2007 to result in tax increases since they aren't repeated in the following years.
On the basis of just this one misinterpretation a figure of $415 for the family of four with an income of $30,000 jumps by $1,200 to the $1,615 shown and that for the same family earning $40,000 jumps from $545 to $2,345.
The data from the Bush administration may be correct but may also be intended to be misunderstood.
For more complete and accurate unbiased tax information a person may go online to taxpolicycenter. org. The Tax Policy Center is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. The Center is made up of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government. TPC provides timely, accessible analysis and facts about tax policy to policymakers, journalists, citizens and researchers.
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JOHN B. DIONNE
Yuma
