What is the best example of a regressive tax?
A regressive tax is often flat in nature, meaning that the same rate of tax applies (generally) regardless of income. These taxes include most sales taxes, payroll taxes, excise taxes, and property taxes.
Though true regressive taxes are not used as income taxes, they are used in the following instances: As taxes on tobacco or alcohol, sometimes called "sin" taxes because they also are used to discourage people from consuming those items. As gasoline or motor fuel taxes.
Regressive taxes are taxes that impose a higher percentage rate of taxation on low incomes than on high incomes; a technical example would be sales tax.
Sales and excise taxes are very regressive.
Poor families pay almost seven times more as a share of their incomes in these taxes than the best-off families, and middle-income families pay almost five times the rate of the wealthy.
Regressive taxes benefit higher-income individuals since taxes decrease as income increases. With progressive taxes, however, taxes are based on an individual's specific amount of taxable income, and the tax rates increase as income increases.
What are some examples of regressive taxes? The most common regressive tax is sales tac that places a flat percentage on the total price of a good or service. Other regressive taxes include excise taxes, property taxes, import duties, usage fees and lump-sum taxes.
A regressive tax is one that places a higher tax rate on upper income earners and a very low or nonexistent tax on very lower earners.
Though true regressive taxes are not used as income taxes, they are used as taxes on tobacco, alcohol, gasoline, jewelry, perfume, and travel. User fees often are considered regressive because they take a larger percentage of income from low-income groups than from high-income groups.
The social security tax is considered a regressive tax because it makes up more of the income for those who have a lower salary than those with higher salaries. There is a cap on social security taxes above a particular income which is why the tax is regressive rather than proportional.
The best description of a regressive tax is option D: a tax that charges high-income earners a lower percentage than low-income earners. Regressive tax is a tax where the tax rate decreases as the taxable amount increases.
Why is regressive tax bad?
The main disadvantage of a regressive tax system is that it places a disproportionate burden on low-income households, exacerbating income inequality and reducing economic mobility. It can also slow down economic growth by reducing consumer spending.
Payroll taxes, such as FICA and Unemployment Insurance in the United States, and consumption taxes such as value-added tax and sales taxes are regressive in that they both raise prices of purchased goods.
(Estate and gift tax rates increase with the size of estate or gift, so these are progressive taxes. Sales and excise tax rates stay the same, whether the purchaser is rich or poor, so these are regressive taxes.)
Common forms of regressive include sales tax, excise tax, and payroll tax.
In the U.S., the federal income tax is progressive. There are graduated tax brackets, with rates ranging from 10% to 37%. In 2023, if you're single and have $25,000 of taxable income, you're in the 12% tax bracket, while if you're single and have taxable income of $700,000, you're in the 37% tax bracket.
A progressive tax is one where the average tax burden increases with income. High-income families pay a disproportionate share of the tax burden, while low- and middle-income taxpayers shoulder a relatively small tax burden.
Answer and Explanation:
The sales tax reduces with an increase in food therefore it is an example of regressive taxes. Sales tax is applied as a percentage of the sales prices and is applied on most goods apart from groceries, housing, and prescribed drugs.
Medicare tax pays for Part A of the Medicare program that covers hospital insurance for individuals age 65 or older and those with certain disabilities or medical conditions.
Advantages | Disadvantages |
---|---|
It keeps people motivated and encourages them to earn more as the tax rates do not change. | Consumption of goods is likely to decrease, affecting the revenue negatively. |
Easy to calculate | Wealthier people earn more, and poor ones keep losing money on taxes. |
The sales tax is an example of a proportional tax because all consumers, regardless of income, pay the same fixed rate. Although individuals are taxed at the same rate, flat taxes can be considered regressive because a larger portion of income is taken from those with lower incomes.
Which of the following is not a progressive tax?
Reason: Sales tax is not a progressive tax system because the sales tax is charged at fixed rate on the amount of sales revenue and does not increase with increase in sales amount.
Florida has the nation's most regressive system in the nation. In a large majority of states, the combined state and local tax burden falls harder on low- and middle-income residents than on top earners. That's according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), a liberal think tank in Washington.
The most regressive states in terms of taxation are, in order, Florida, Washington, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Nevada. The least regressive jurisdictions are DC, Minnesota, Vermont, New York and California.
Federal taxes are progressive, but state and local taxes are regressive. According to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, state and local tax rates are highest for the poor and lowest for the rich.
Social Security can potentially be subject to tax regardless of your age. While you may have heard at some point that Social Security is no longer taxable after 70 or some other age, this isn't the case. In reality, Social Security is taxed at any age if your income exceeds a certain level.
References
- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2119412/How-make-ants-commit-suicide-going-spiral-death-doesnt-ant-iclock-wise.html
- https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/how-does-tax-exclusion-employer-sponsored-health-insurance-work
- https://quizlet.com/337691324/eco210-quiz-3-flash-cards/
- https://itep.org/whopays-7th-edition/
- https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/progressive-tax/
- https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/glossary/regressive-tax/
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linear-regression-still-queen-dominik-ogonowski
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/whys/thm03/les05/media/ws_ans_thm03_les05.pdf
- https://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/life_insurance/the_cost_of_life_insurance
- https://www.thestreet.com/dictionary/death-spiral
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28341637/
- https://brainly.com/question/3686893
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/progressive-tax-system-definition-pros-cons.html
- https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10035.pdf
- https://quizlet.com/121214369/lesson-2-regressive-taxes-flash-cards/
- https://www.accountingcoach.com/blog/what-is-the-death-spiral
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/whys_thm03_les03.jsp
- https://brainly.com/question/21107091
- https://navi.com/blog/regressive-tax/
- https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/what-is-a-progressive-tax/
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41433-022-01949-z
- https://quizlet.com/466244879/cost-final-exam-flash-cards/
- https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/regressive
- https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-top-ten-facts-about-social-security
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/regressivetax.asp
- https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/s/small-business-payroll-taxes.aspx
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/whys_thm03_les04.jsp
- https://www.newscientist.com/lastword/mg24632841-100-do-ants-bury-their-dead/
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/general/understanding-progressive-regressive-and-flat-taxes/L917X2gBs
- https://nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/why-is-social-security-regressive
- https://www.ftb.ca.gov/about-ftb/newsroom/health-care-mandate/personal.html
- https://www.verywellhealth.com/adverse-selection-what-it-is-how-health-plans-avoid-it-1738416
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10234516/
- https://inflateyourmind.com/microeconomics/unit-9-microeconomics/section-5-progressive-regressive-and-proportional-taxes/
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042415/what-are-differences-between-regressive-proportional-and-progressive-taxes.asp
- https://www.policygenius.com/life-insurance/alcohol/
- https://www.financestrategists.com/tax/regressive-tax-system/
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/is-a-property-tax-generally-a-progressive-proportional-or-a-regressive-tax-explain.html
- https://quizlet.com/349113812/chapter-13-questions-flash-cards/
- https://quizlet.com/500645753/practice-quiz-chapter-24-flash-cards/
- https://academic.oup.com/book/27174/chapter/196601850
- https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Pages/IRS_1095.aspx
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/student/whys_thm03_les02.jsp
- https://www.voxco.com/blog/regression-model-definition-types-and-examples/
- https://www.governing.com/finance/most-state-tax-systems-are-highly-regressive-report-finds
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/regression.asp
- https://www.insurance.wa.gov/whats-covered-and-not-covered-under-life-insurance
- https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/are-federal-taxes-progressive
- https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/perspective/is-a-death-spiral-inevitable-if-there-is-no-mandate/
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/teacher/whys_thm03_les02.jsp
- https://www.medicare.gov/basics/forms-publications-mailings/mailings/other-mailings/qualifying-health-coverage-notice
- https://www.americanprogress.org/article/5-little-known-facts-about-taxes-and-inequality-in-america/
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/taxes/2023/03/27/regressive-tax-progressive-tax-difference/11549345002/
- https://taxfoundation.org/taxedu/educational-resources/primer-the-three-basic-tax-types/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/progressivetax.asp
- https://turbotax.intuit.com/tax-tips/retirement/when-does-a-senior-citizen-on-social-security-stop-filing-taxes/L53Hx1v9W
- https://jproco.medium.com/the-business-death-spiral-and-how-to-avoid-it-4b258b2f29f6
- https://www.thedoctors.com/articles/are-you-prepared-for-a-medicare-recovery-audit-contractor-rac-audit/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/insurance/082516/examples-adverse-selection-insurance-industry.asp
- https://apps.irs.gov/app/understandingTaxes/teacher/whys_thm03_les03.jsp
- https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/745704/EPRS_BRI(2023)745704_EN.pdf
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/a-do-medicare-considered-a-regressive-tax-b-if-so-why.html
- https://quizlet.com/483660018/taxes-and-tax-shelters-questions-flash-cards/
- https://accountingprofessor.org/death-spiral-in-business-what-is-it-examples-and-how-to-avoid/
- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/regressive-tax-definition-history-effective-rate-4155620
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_spiral_(insurance)
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/flattax.asp
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/a-5-sales-tax-on-food-is-an-example-of-a-a-flat-tax-b-progressive-tax-c-proportional-tax-d-regressive-tax.html
- https://lifehappens.org/life-insurance-101/what-happens-if-im-denied-life-insurance/
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/progressive-tax-system/
- https://www.wallstreetmojo.com/regressive-tax/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_spiral_(figure_skating)
- https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/federal-tax-system-progressive/
- https://smartasset.com/financial-advisor/what-is-a-regressive-tax
- https://www.investopedia.com/medicare-tax-definition-5115380
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/which-of-the-following-is-an-example-of-a-progressive-tax-system-a-social-security-tax-b-a-sales-tax-c-a-proportional-tax-d-u-s-federal-income-tax.html
- https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20191017.160034/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5886257/
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/which-sentence-best-describes-a-regressive-tax-a-regressive-taxes-place-a-higher-burden-on-people-who-earn-less-compared-to-wealthier-taxpayers-b-regressive-taxes-place-a-higher-burden-on-wealthy-taxpayers-compared-to-people-who-earn-less-c-regressi.html
- https://www.csus.edu/indiv/p/pforsichh/documents/ReviewQsandInstManualforChaps9_11_13_16_Appendix_000.pdf
- https://www.cms.gov/cms-guide-medical-technology-companies-and-other-interested-parties/payment
- https://www.coveredca.com/support/membership/health-coverage-and-your-taxes/
- https://gocardless.com/en-us/guides/posts/progressive-regressive-and-proportional-taxes/
- https://www.rand.org/topics/health-care-financing.html
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042815/progressive-tax-more-fair-flat-tax.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/deathspiral.asp
- https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/10/states-wealth-inequality-taxes
- https://testbook.com/key-differences/difference-between-progressive-and-regressive-tax
- https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/what-is-ant-mill-spiral-of-death-2398709-2023-06-27
- https://www.cbpp.org/research/policy-basics-federal-payroll-taxes
- https://homework.study.com/explanation/a-what-is-a-regressive-tax-b-why-is-the-social-security-tax-considered-a-regressive-tax.html
- https://quizlet.com/494818528/econ-flash-cards/
- https://www.policygenius.com/life-insurance/who-you-should-never-name-as-your-life-insurance-beneficiary/
- https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/regressive
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/regressive-tax-definition-structure-example.html
- https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/united-states
- https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2023/03/conversation_moral_hazard.php
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/taxes/medicare-tax
- https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/questions-and-answers-about-health-care-information-forms-for-individuals
- https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/legal-secrets-to-reducing-your-taxes
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regressive_tax