I was just listening to a recording of a conference call this morning where a financial planner began his presentation with this premise:

Taxes will be increasing in the future

I haven’t listened to the rest of it because I had to pause it and write this post. I’m sure when I go back this guy will paint a whole picture based on the assumption of taxes increasing in the future.

Really?

Maximum Taxes

Well, first, let’s admit to ourselves that there is a very real, hard maximum taxation point. That’s 100%. A taxpayer cannot pay more in taxes than he has. Beyond that is impossible.

Second, let’s admit that there is effectively a maximum taxation point that is well below 100% of what a taxpayer has. Taxes going beyond this point is improbable. Let me explain…

Whether you may realize this or not, you probably pay 60%, 70% or more of every dollar that has ever been “yours” in taxes. Income taxes, property taxes, sin taxes (on booze), gas taxes, sales taxes, excise taxes, franchise taxes, death taxes, etc. Some of these taxes show up on paper that you can see, and some of these taxes are never declared to you at the point at which you pay them.

Where the Line is Drawn

So with the majority of the money that was ever yours already going to these direct taxes, how much more taxation can you take? Imagine a scenario where we go from systematically losing 70% of our money to losing 90% of our money.

Do you think hundreds of thousands [Read more...]