Tax Day Town Hall

On Tax Day, April 15, 2019, Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania at a Fox News town hall. The interview immediately shifted to taxes and the returns that Sen. Sanders released earlier that day. These returns indicated that the Senator from Vermont is, in fact, a millionaire. He donated a dismal percentage of his income to charity. All of this is laid in stark contrast to Sen. Sanders self portrayed “every-man” facade.

The conversation then shifted to Bernie’s personal philosophy on taxes. Most notable among his proposals is a 52% “wealth tax”, a 52% tax on the entirety of a person’s assets. This tax would be reserved for the extremely wealthy, similar to a system in effect in Canada. This 52% is an echo from Sen. Sanders’ original run for president in 2016.

Similar Rhetoric

The Independent Senator quoted that the top 1% of the population received 83% of the benefit from President Trump’s tax break. However, the top 1% of taxpayers in the United States account for more taxes paid than the bottom 90% combined. It is far more likely that the reason for this imbalance in benefit stems from how much the wealthy were already paying, and less from any targeted attack at the average American.

Mr. Sanders has had resounding success recently with his bestselling book “Our Revolution”. The book is certain to push him to another year of millionaire status. Fox News interviewer Brett Baier asked him “When you wrote the book and made the money, isn’t that the definition of capitalism and the American dream?” Sanders replied, “No, what we want is a country in which everyone has an opportunity.” This in particular shows that Sen. Sanders is unwilling to acknowledge the benefits of the capitalist economic system. This system shaped not only America but the world into the most prosperous and wealthy that it has ever been.