Barack Obama Quotes

I think we should have basically the same tax policy that Germany, Japan, the U.K., everybody else has, which is a tax rate in the mid-20s and no loopholes. Zero. The U.S. has the most antiquated tax system. And that means some people are going to pay more taxes, and some people are going to pay less.

Our federal tax system is, in short, utterly impossible, utterly unjust and completely counterproductive; [it] reeks with injustice and is fundamentally un-American... it has earned a rebellion and it's time we rebelled

Only the little people pay taxes.

By getting rid of loopholes, you are making the system more fair so people who make the same kind of money pay the same taxes.

Wealthy people don't even pay taxes. But everybody must pay taxes.

And it would be fair. Everyone will pay the same tax and it will eliminate tax cheaters and corporate shenanigans.

I think that taxes would be fair if we first get rid of the tax code. This is the ultimate solution, not to just say we're going to trim around the edges, not to say that we will try to simplify a little of this and a little of that. The problem is, replace the tax code, so we can establish tax fairness for everybody.

I will never support any tax increase on middle-income earners, ever... If you're not going to eliminate loopholes and exemptions, then I wouldn't support lowering rates.

Multi-millionaires who pay half or less than half of the percentage of tax the rest of us pay justify their actions by saying they pay what the law requires. Though true, the fact is they found ways within the law to beat the purpose of the law - which, in the case of taxes, is that we all pay our fair share.

It's really a question of fairness and what kind of country we're going to live in. There are 22,000 people making over $1 million. They're paying an effective tax rate in the teens. As Warren Buffett said, he pays less in taxes effectively than his secretary does. That's not right.

Everybody gets ticked off about GE paying no taxes. Look, we have a complicated, convoluted tax system. And only big corporations and wealthy individuals like Warren Buffett can take advantage of it. We need to simplify and flatten the code, get rid of all the loopholes.

Politicians and economists figure out an elaborate system of tax and economic incentives and then every body else figures out a way to beat it

The rich aren't like us—they pay less taxes.

You can close [tax] loopholes, but people will always find new ones.

It’s not easy to get rid of tax loopholes. The reason they are there is that people wanted them there.

The Reagan tax reform delivered real fairness, closing loopholes for Washington special interests so that all Americans could keep more of their hard-earned paychecks.

The rationale for eliminating the alternative minimum tax is that such a backup system should not be necessary if the tax code is fundamentally fair and eliminates all the loopholes that made it possible for high-income taxpayers to escape taxation in the first place.

We simply cannot continue to live with a [tax] system which has so many inequities. It must be changed in such a way that each of us pays a fair share of the burden. It has been said that one man's loophole is another man's livelihood. Even if this is true, it certainly is not fair, because the loophole-livelihood of those who are reaping undeserved benefits can be the economic noose of those who are paying more than they should.

Why I've advocated a proportional tax system. You make $10 billion, you pay a billion. You make $10, you pay one. And everybody gets treated the same way. And you get rid of the deductions, you get rid of all the loopholes.

The tax system is stacked against the average taxpayer.

There's only one kind of tax that would please everybody - one that nobody but the other guy has to pay.

I am for our not having any discrimination in tax legislation.

One of the things I have been preaching around the world is collecting taxes in an equitable manner, especially from the elites.

Closing tax loopholes has to be part of the revenue equation.

If we had a flat tax code rather than a 70,000-page document full of cronyism and favors, bureaucrats and elected officials wouldn't have the power to do you any favors. That's what we need. You would have to compete on your own on a level playing field, but that's not what the government permits now.