NationStates Jolt Archive

Simple question really. Did you pay federal(insert your government type here) taxes to your respective federal(insert your government type here.) governments in the tax year 2008? If you did was it over or under 10% of your gross income? To clarify I am asking about taxes you pay through your pay check that does not include Medicare, Social Security or some other Social program.



Edit: If you paid in and got all of it back then that doesn't mean that you ended up paying taxes. I know you are all smart enough to figure that out.

No, since I'm not living under a federal government :D

No, since I'm not living under a federal government :D

:rolleyes: Got this off to a good start I see.

The last three options apply to me. Since going to university I have been able to exempt myself under P38S. However, for a couple of years my earnings exceeded the personal allowance, making me eligible at 20%.

You can't actually be too young to pay taxes. If you have no income, you don't pay income taxes.

You can't actually be too young to pay taxes. If you have no income, you don't pay income taxes.

You are correct. I worded that wrong. Should have been the option of no income.

:rolleyes: Got this off to a good start I see.

Okay, I paid taxes to the central government here. Probably a couple of hundreds of euros. But I can ask it back, because I did not earn enough to have to pay taxes . Which I will, but in 2013(latest date to get tax back from 2008), giving me a nice interest :)

I filed mine a few weeks ago, federal and state, yep.

I filed both Federal and Provincial tax returns and got a $4129.73 return this year. :tongue:

Okay, I paid taxes to the central government here. Probably a couple of hundreds of euros. But I can ask it back, because I did not earn enough to have to pay taxes . Which I will, but in 2013(latest date to get tax back from 2008), giving me a nice interest :)

They actually pay you interest on it if you decide not to get your return? I don't think they do that here in the US.

They actually pay you interest on it if you decide not to get your return? I don't think they do that here in the US.

We also subtract the interest of our mortgage loan from the taxes :) Unfortunately I'm renting :(

We also subtract the interest of our mortgage loan from the taxes :) Unfortunately I'm renting :(

In the US we do that too if one owns a primary residence. However I am not sure how long that will stay. It is a big tax break for homeowners.

Well, over the last little while, I didn't eran enough to pay taxes. It seems funny though, you guys have an odd system. Am I correct in thinking that when you file/pay taxes, you actually write a cheque and send it in, every year/month/whatever? Or am I misconstruing the situation?

Here, the government looks at how much you earned every week. They extrapolate that amount to what it would be if you earned that much every week for a year. If that amount falls into a tax bracket, they automatically subtract what they should be owed if you did earn that amount every week for a year. That way, at the end of the year, if they guessed correctly, you don't have to pay any tax at all. Most people earned slightly less, so many get the government to send THEM a cheque. For some, though, they earned more (usually because of a bonus or somesuch) so have to send in a cheque. That is the unusual case.

All of the above seems to make much more sense, and makes the taxation system more streamlined and efficient. Plus, some people elect to pay more taxes than they have to so that they can get a nice big bonus at tax time. However, I don't know how it works for non-standard income earner. such as business owners.

I didn't make enough to justify taxes (i.e. I didn't get a bill).

nope total exemption all year.

Taxation is a form of legalized extortion.

Most people will never know the joy of writing off balloons as a tax deduction. :D

Never have paid any taxes.

Most people will never know the joy of writing off balloons as a tax deduction. :D
For you, it's a business expense. :)

I filed my taxes, but well, first of all, my taxes are deducted from my paycheques so I pay a little each month. Secondly, I don't make enough money to be taxed (and pay tuition on top of this so I get education credits) so I'm getting a big fat refund.

Does this count as "paying taxes" 'cause I did what I was supposed to do with my taxes, but I'm not paying anything extra?

Oh, and part of my salary doesn't get taxed at all since it's research grants. :D

edit: oh, way to read the edits. :S

Oh... and also, due to my low income, my education credits even increased (though not as fast as when I was in undergrad I guess).

IIRC, I paid around and about 280,000 in taxes this year and got 37,000 back so it was right around 10% of my total salary. I also had to do the usual song and dance to the IRS about how much money I made and how it was under the limit for foreign earned income limit so I owed nothing to the US government.

Nope. I got my refund! Oh wait... I guess I paid in to get that. Never mind. :P

Yah, I paid my taxes. Gotta support the war effort overseas and the welfare mothers over hear, dontcha know?

IIRC, I paid around and about 280,000 in taxes this year and got 37,000 back so it was right around 10% of my total salary. I also had to do the usual song and dance to the IRS about how much money I made and how it was under the limit for foreign earned income limit so I owed nothing to the US government.

Dude... 240,000 is 10% of your salary?

And earning 2.4 million leaves you only getting taxed 10%????


EDIT: Ah, that would be 240,000 yen, not dollars, yes?
Man, my mistake. Sorry.

Shit. I voted 'no', because I'm tired and retarded and was like, 'no, I get money back, wheee!' Money I OVERPAID. Duh.

Yes, I paid federal taxes. Right around 10%.

Taxation is a form of legalized extortion.

rather an oxymoron that. Like legalized murder.

rather an oxymoron that. Like legalized murder.

Some would argue capital punishment is legalized murder. So it's not much of an oxymoron.

EDIT: Ah, that would be 240,000 yen, not dollars, yes?
Man, my mistake. Sorry.
Yes, yes it would be. :D

I paid in, though I'm unsure as to how much as a percentage of income...certainly less than 10%.

10% taxes? I only can dream about that one...

Residents of Belgium pay personal income tax on their total income from all worldwide sources on a sliding scale. The basic exemption for 2008 is 6,040 EUR regardless of marital status with further exemptions for dependent children and a spouse. For 2008 marginal income tax starts at 25%, moves to 30% at over 7,420 EUR, 40% over 10,510 EUR, 45% over 17,610 EUR with a top limit of 50% for incomes above 32,270 EUR.

Residents also pay communal and regional taxes at rates between 0% and 8.5% of the total income tax payable. The most common rate is 6%.

Income tax is paid on the taxable base which is determined from salary less compulsory social security contributions (paid either in Belgium or abroad). Professional expenses can be deducted either directly supporting documentation or more usually on a lump sum basis depending on salary. The 2008 rate for this standard professional deduction is a maximum 3,320 EUR.

Yes.
It was less than 10% of my gross income.

No.

10% taxes? I only can dream about that one...

Residents of Belgium pay personal income tax on their total income from all worldwide sources on a sliding scale. The basic exemption for 2008 is 6,040 EUR regardless of marital status with further exemptions for dependent children and a spouse. For 2008 marginal income tax starts at 25%, moves to 30% at over 7,420 EUR, 40% over 10,510 EUR, 45% over 17,610 EUR with a top limit of 50% for incomes above 32,270 EUR.

Residents also pay communal and regional taxes at rates between 0% and 8.5% of the total income tax payable. The most common rate is 6%.

Income tax is paid on the taxable base which is determined from salary less compulsory social security contributions (paid either in Belgium or abroad). Professional expenses can be deducted either directly supporting documentation or more usually on a lump sum basis depending on salary. The 2008 rate for this standard professional deduction is a maximum 3,320 EUR.

I noticed while living in the UK we seemed to have a similar tax system. It may have changed by now. However this is what happens when a nation doesn't have a fairly large population but likes all the things of a modern life.

Yes indeed.

I pay my monthly PAYE, I pay VAT on stuffg I buy, I pay my poll tax to the local council, lucky for me I don't drive so no car tax, nor fuel tax, nor congestion charge, but I do drink and smoke so I pay tax on both of those items.

As I'm an italian wage worker, cannot avoid paying the taxes: my employer (the Region) subtracts every month the taxes I'm supposed to pay from my salary.
Actually, they take more than they should, so every year I file my UNICO (income declaration form) and my F24 (tax payment form) asking for the Agenzia delle Entrate (our IRS) to give me back the excess taxation. For the last three years, the A.d.E. owes me about 3500 € (generally they pay back about 5 years later, them bastards), and this year I'll file about another 1000 € credit.
Also, I cannot choose to pay some taxes and dodge others (like, dunno, paying for the statal part and dodging the regional part) - it's everything bundled up together.
About taxes on goods, well, that's just unavoidable, as the IVA (VAT) is included in the final price.

Actually, they take more than they should, so every year I file my UNICO (income declaration form) and my F24 (tax payment form) asking for the Agenzia delle Entrate (our IRS) to give me back the excess taxation. For the last three years, the A.d.E. owes me about 3500 € (generally they pay back about 5 years later, them bastards), and this year I'll file about another 1000 € credit.
.

So those guys actually "borrow" your money for 5 years? What the hell? I think we may just have a solution to the current US deficit! Do they pay you interest for all that time they hold your money like they apparently do in Holland?

i'm on Pay As You Earn so its easy for me - no lump payments at the end of the year, or anything to work out, just a % of each paycheque gets taken for income tax and national insurance. not sure what the % actually is, but its got to be below 20% after the lower rate allowance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_the_United_Kingdom#Income_tax

Do they pay you interest for all that time they hold your money like they apparently do in Holland?

No they don't. Well, sort of: they pay us the interest of the official inflation rate - which is quite lower that the real inflation you can measure on consumer goods.

Yes. Federal income was slightly less than 10% of my gross income. Provincial was slightly more. Total was well above 10%.

I don't earn enough to pay tax. I assume VAT on the variety of things I buy doesn't count.

Incidentally, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't actually pay taxes so much as I'd have it noted on my payslip that X amount was deducted from my earnings before I ever got them.

I can get the 'independent earners credit' which gives me up to $10 a week back in tax - but I'll wait till the end of the year to collect it because if I start collecting it now and earn under $25,000 - I'll have to pay it back :(

it was about 8.5 percent of total income. income tax only, eh?

I paid taxes for the first time (I mean like income, obviously I've paid sales taxes before)!
Well, I don't have a job or anything but I had enough money from scholarships that I had been told it needed to be reported.
My mom helped me take care of it and I think it worked out to just like 2 or 3% of what I had, not too much and less than I had expected.

Simple question really. Did you pay federal(insert your government type here) taxes to your respective federal(insert your government type here.) governments in the tax year 2008? If you did was it over or under 10% of your gross income? To clarify I am asking about taxes you pay through your pay check that does not include Medicare, Social Security or some other Social program.



Edit: If you paid in and got all of it back then that doesn't mean that you ended up paying taxes. I know you are all smart enough to figure that out.

REFUND!!!!

(I upped my withholdings so that technically, I've overpaid during the year. that way I don't have to worry about 'having the money' come tax time.)

it was about 8.5 percent of total income. income tax only, eh?

I wanted to keep it simple because not everyone has state income tax or sales taxes. If you get into the fees on cars, utilities and the like it gets complicated.

I wanted to keep it simple because not everyone has state income tax or sales taxes. If you get into the fees on cars, utilities and the like it gets complicated.
yeah that makes it too hard to calculate.

although the simple question seems to be beyond some of our posters. getting a refund only means you overpaid it doesnt tell you anything about how much actual income tax you paid.

what did your percentage work out to?

yeah that makes it too hard to calculate.

although the simple question seems to be beyond some of our posters. getting a refund only means you overpaid it doesnt tell you anything about how much actual income tax you paid.

what did your percentage work out to?

True even though I spelled it out.



Our tax bill ended up to be 26% of gross income. That doesn't include property income because that is in a trust. I pay enough taxes to equal 100 middle class families. It's a bit sickening to me. However I can't legally avoid it.