Congress is elected through a partisan process so sure, everything passed by congress could be defined to be political. At the same time, some things (many these days) are more political than others. This is one of those.

My decision would be no targeted deductions. An across-the-board standard deduction of whatever is deemed reasonable is sufficient.

Agreed but special interests run the govt these days

And we wonder why so many people are on the public teat. Why bother working when you are working under such conditions with forced overtime and you have to pay the same taxes on your meager wages as the white collar fat cats running to the computer to check how their day trading is progressing.

I think those living in The Villages need a reality check.

I remember when they were single mothers needing to support themselves. I remember my grandmother telling me about women who worked in restaurants during the depression. I remember learning about women on the frontier after this country was settled, serving customers in taverns.

Waiters and waitresses have come from all backgrounds, of all ages, living in a variety of circumstances, and doing so for all kinds of reasons.

I think a $15,000 standard deduction for each member of the household might be great. Of course, a poor family with 6 kids would end up getting a deduction larger than their income - do they get a kickback, instead of paying taxes?

Change the numbers a little and that's the way it works now.

Yep, they already get the Earned Income Credit along with all of the government assistance. But it will never be enough for some folks.

So less and less people support the govt. Not a good idea IMHO.

They would only receive $$ paid in refund return.
When you have a disaster claim on your taxes for amount over and above what funds were received from insurance or FEMA:girlneener: (or no insurance).
The $$ is applied to taxes owed, refund is only for taxes paid.

Flat,Tax
 

Just eliminate all special tax breaks for everyone. Flat tax everything. The rich guy pays 5% on his million dollar boat, the poor guy pays 5% on his 300 dollar row boat.

I've always felt that a flat tax across the board with no exemptions would be fair. But, I keep hearing that I don't understand how this would not be fair. The explanations just don't seem to make sense to me...

The poor guy has A BOAT? Jeez! I'm worse off than I thought! 😭😭😭

Why would a poor couple breed themselves into greater poverty? It will be the kids who ultimately suffer.

"Fair" is in the eye of the check-writer.

If I'm earning in the upper tax brackets it sure doesn't seem fair that the guy over there only pays 10% on his income or maybe nothing at all. We should have a flat tax so I pay less and he at least pays something.

If I'm earning in the lower tax brackets and can barely afford food then it sure doesn't seem fair that the rich guy over there not only has a private chef but also has enough to pay for fuel for his million dollar yacht. We should raise his taxes a bit so I can afford to eat every night or go to the doctor once a year.

Depends upon what the rich guy over there is already paying.

Matters to the rich guy, not to the poor guy. Whatever the rich guy is paying he can still afford the personal chef, the yacht, and the fuel. Whatever the rich guy is paying the poor guy still cannot afford food or health care. The rich guy is going to feel ill-used as long as he is paying more than the poor guy. The poor guy isn't going to give a hoot about what the rich guy feels as long as the poor guy doesn't have enough to survive.

I guess it might matter to us based on our impression of where we exist on the line between the poor guy and the rich guy. To paraphrase something I saw on the internet, I may or may not be two missed paychecks from being the poor guy but I am absolutely not two extra paychecks from hiring a personal chef and owning a yacht. We might think we should feel for the rich guy because some day we might have to pay that too while in reality we ought to watch out for the poor guy because, if anything, we are more likely to be in his shoes. And besides, it's the decent thing to do.

I wonder, what would Jesus say about us and our answers? Somehow I can't imagine He would support a flat tax system in a society that tolerates such an unbelievable difference between the haves and have nots.

Could you survive on $9.98/hr? Plus, they have to wait on entitled Villagers.

No one ever tipped me for doing my job either but I was paid a fair wage. Sad for you.

No one is forcing people to take that particular job. I seem to remember that most of the wait staff used to be part-timers. You take a gig and it doesn’t pay enough, you move on.

Starting at 13, I've worked all my life including the first 7-8 years in kitchen/serving/bartending positions at two different country clubs. Both of our kids have served and bartended as starter jobs. We're comfortable enough but if we choose to go out at a restaurant, we order knowing we'll add 20% for good service. Only lately have we started adding less tip when we get especially bad service. 20% is the default or we don't go out to eat.

Not $9.98/hr. Tipped employees are guaranteed $13/hr and this is going to $14/hr in September. About 1% of workers are earning minimum wage in Florida.

Ok now, listen up. If you don't like your job or your pay, it's up to you to change something.

If you keep doing the same thing and expect something different, you've got a problem.

And if you wait for the government to save you, you've got a bigger problem.

I am not sure of the distinction between which employees should be tipped and which should not be tipped.

Currently, the minimum wage in Florida is $13.00 an hour, and the required minimum wage for tipped employees is $9.98. If the tipped employee does not make $3.02 and hour in tips, then the employer must make up the difference so that everyone makes at least $13.00 an hour.

What is the Minimum Wage for Tipped Employees in Florida? (2025)

It appears that $13 an hour is either a living wage or it is not a living wage.

If they all get at least $13 an hour - whether they work at Publix, Aldi, McDonald's, or serving tables at a small cafe in the Villages or in Wildwood or Leesburg or mowing your lawn or operating the gates in the Villages - why do people believe that those serving tables in a restaurant or small cafe deserve to be tipped and the others don't? Are the tipped employees working harder than the other workers?

I was at McDonald's recently and I was impressed at how hard the person at the front counter worked. It was a busy morning and she was taking orders, serving the food, making some coffee drinks, etc. She seemed to be really busy. I really think that she was working harder than some person serving tables at a Country Club in the Villages.

So why don't we tip these people?

Use Taxes to help?
 

So use taxes as a tool to eliminate poverty? That isn’t what taxes are intended for. They are intended to fund the government that collects them, nothing more or less. They certainly aren’t intended for subjective agendas.

That has nothing at all to do with what I wrote.

LOL
Maybe not intended, but certainly done anyway.

That may have been the case a long time ago.

Currently, the federal individual income tax is structured so that the poor owe little or no income tax. In addition, tax credits—primarily the earned income tax credit (EITC) and the refundable portion of the child tax credit, called the additional child tax credit (ACTC)—increase the disposable income of many low-income taxpayers who work and have children. This has reduced poverty.

Poverty and the Tax Code : Democracy Journal

The question should be, "why do we tip anyone? "
Obviously, an awful lot of people are making minimum wage and seem to be doing alright. Restranteurs, add $3.02 to servers wages and eliminate tipping for your customers and save them money. Servers no longer have to smooge with customers in hope of making minimum.
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate servers. I do hate the arbitrary practice of tipping. This thread has several examples of people who have no idea who they "should be tipping", or how much. I think the practice is ridiculously out of hand. Either everyone, from president on down works for tips, or no one should. Or, next time you want to let your server know that you appreciate the sandwich and water (with lemon) they they brought you, leave them a nice Hallmark thank you card. Those things are expensive and require thoughtfulness and effort on your part. I'm certain your waiter/waitress will really appreciate your kindness.

It also has created a culture where people do not care what things cost as the govt pays the bill.

I don’t know any of those folks. I, and everyone I know cares what things cost. And the government sure isn't paying my bills. I guess I must be doing something wrong.

Ever ask what surgery will cost before going under the knife?

Unless it is an emergency, I always ask for a pre-authorization to make sure that the insurance company will pay it.

Mission Resort and Golf Club: "23% gratuity added for parties of 8 or more".
(aka "Tipping Creep.")
Wanna split an $18 Shrimp Cocktail?
$3 plate charge added.

Saw on a hand held POS System in Ocala recently...
Your tipping choices were: 20%, 25% and 30% !
I laughed out loud!

Skip

I would rather serve myself, give the cook my order, sit at the table of my choice, read the menu on the table, refill my drink when I want it, not when/if the waiter happens to wander by. Oh, and not have to wait 15 minutes for the bill when I'm done because the waiter is on a smoke break. Don't think I forgot the "bus-boy". I'll leave a buck on the table for taking a minute or two to clear the table ND wipe it off with the ubiquitous wet/stinky towel they always have handy.
My "blest day" will be when tipping is a thing of the past.

Our days of tipping like we have in the past are going to disappear when the law changes for taxing tips. If you are getting a deduction, you do not need as much from us.

How much impact will the deduction for tips actually have?

Not looking for an answer about getting to deduct up to $25,000 in tips. Wondering what the correct percentage to tip will be when the servers will not have to pay taxes on a portion of their tips. Save me the trouble of doing the math.

And getting rid of tipping will solve the problems you mentioned? It really, really sounds like eating out is not for you.

Good question, have not decided how we will handle this but interested to see how this will affect servers.

Hope you're married; this isn't going over well on your next date....