Robert Reich: Romney’s 13 percent is shameful.

[kpete]

Equal sacrifice means that in paying taxes people ought to feel about the same degree of pain regardless of whether they’re wealthy or poor. Logically, this means someone earning $20 million a year should pay a much larger proportion of his income in taxes than someone earning $200,000, who in turn should pay a larger proportion than someone earning $50,000.

But Romney’s alleged 13 percent tax rate is lower than that of most middle class Americans who earn a tiny fraction of what he earns.

At a time when poverty is increasing, when public parks and public libraries are being closed and when public schools are shrinking their offerings and their hours, when the nation’s debt is immense, and when the 400 richest Americans have more wealth than the bottom 150 million of us put together — Romney’s 13 percent is shameful.

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/08/18-1

[Quantess]

1. Agreed.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

2. I'm sure Romney feels the same way

The country club crowd sit around the pool bragging about how little they pay in taxes; anyone who pays as much as 13% feels ashamed.

[ibegurpard]

3. why are we talking about this as if it's the case?

did he release his returns yet?
the only response to what he says about his taxes should be "prove it."

[KurtNYC]

4. How does Reich know what Romney paid versus made?

This is red herring stuff. It is not about how much money Romney has but rather what he did (caymans, Swiss, IRA stuffing) and with whom (Adelson) to get it.

Also about whether he committed voter fraud.