Rick Scott says it's 'unfair' that poor people don't pay income tax

"That's not right! They ought to have some skin in the game."

In an interview on Fox News Sunday, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott denounced “Democratic talking points” from questioner John Roberts about the Senator’s controversial 11-point plan to “rescue America”

But whether he repudiated said talking points is an open question, as Scott did not say no to some of the plan’s more extreme proposals, including a call for everyone to pay federal income tax.

Roberts presented quotes from the plan itself saying that everyone should have some “skin in the game” and pay federal income taxes. Scott defended the idea that everyone needs to pay something, even if it’s only a “dollar.”

“Here’s what’s unfair: We have people that don’t, that couldn’t go to work and have figured out how to have government pay their way. That’s not right! They ought to have some skin in the game. I don’t care if it’s a dollar. We ought to all be in this together.”

The discussion of proposed sunsets of Social Security and Medicare was also spicy.

“Here’s this thing about reality,” Scott said as Roberts talked over him to lead off the line of questioning on the topic.

“Also in the plan it says we ought to every year talk about how we’re going to fix Medicare and Social Security. Here’s what’s happening: No one that I know of wants to sunset Medicare and Social Security. But what we’re doing is we don’t even talk about it. Medicare goes bankrupt in four years. Social Security goes bankrupt in 12 years. I think we ought to figure out how we preserve those programs,” Scott said.

Of course, it’s not just Democrats dissing the Scott plan: Minority Leader Mitch McConnell denounced it during a press conference at the Capitol where Scott was present, saying it would not be part of the Republican agenda.

Asked about that, Scott was coy, offering non-responsive critiques of the “woke left” and the need to “have a plan.”

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22 comments

Charles Carey
March 27, 2022 at 11:00 am

We do need to start paying more attention to Social Security and Medicare in this country. They will be going bankrupt in the future unless we act. First thing make SS mandatory for everyone and remove all existing exemptions just like Medicare is now. And stop trying to police the world and start balancing the budget!
- Robert H Hogner
  March 29, 2022 at 12:09 pm
  
  Whoa, so 1930’s Republican economic theory is “born again.!”
Peels
March 27, 2022 at 11:11 am

I’d like to see his skin out of the game lol
Roamer
March 27, 2022 at 3:58 pm

Says the guy that committed 1.7 billion in Medicare fraud. He should be in prison, not the Senate. A true IQ45.
Sue
March 27, 2022 at 4:05 pm

Rick scott took the fifth 75 times in Medicare fraud case. Don’t believe anything he says!
tom palmer
March 27, 2022 at 6:05 pm

Well, if you don’t have much income, you don’t owe much tax. That’s how the system works. Scott is aware of this, I’m sure from the other end of the scale.
delores Parks
March 27, 2022 at 6:42 pm

What should be done is the cap for social security taxes should be raised. People who earn more than 148,000 do not pay any further social security payroll taxes. Why is that? Why not continue paying social security taxes on all earnings. Social Security and Medicare benefits could be enhanced for our seniors Rick Scott is a real evil menace. How does someone involved with Medicare fraud get to be a US senator? I don’t get it.
Jorel
March 27, 2022 at 7:59 pm

Why not start paying social security tax at 148000 and up ? Let’s try that for awhile . Also add corporations to the mix
The.Truth.Comes.Out.In.The.End
March 27, 2022 at 8:19 pm

Social Security and Medicare taxes should be paid by EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN. Same percentage rate. No exceptions. Skeletor’s company committed one of the largest Medicare frauds in history. He is the LAST person that should be giving advice on this issue. He should never have been Governor or Senator. I pray he becomes unemployed in Florida.
None
March 28, 2022 at 1:35 am

If only politicians were paid minimum wage, we could laugh at them trying to say it’s a livable wage
Patrick
March 28, 2022 at 11:02 am

The cap for Social Security should be eliminated and all forms of income should be included, not just wages. We need a wealth tax and a minimum tax across the board. Medicare should be for all.
PeterH
March 28, 2022 at 12:01 pm

Anyone who lives paycheck to paycheck, pays rent for an apartment, or rents space in a trailer park …… is voting against their own self interest if they vote for ANYONE in today’s Republican Party.

Join the millions of anti-Trump conservatives who have left the GQP until they grow up…… and learn the franchise of humility and compassion.
- Jerry
  March 28, 2022 at 10:34 pm
  
  So maybe you can explain how the Democratic party is going to make it so poor people aren’t living paycheck to paycheck.
  
  Also, you need to put it in perspective. 65% of Americans live “paycheck to paycheck.” But 65% of Americans aren’t living in trailer parks. You could be making $150,000 a year and still live “paycheck to paycheck” depending on your cost of living and how you spend your money. Some people are very very bad at saving any money. My parents were horrific at it…but they weren’t poor. They just spent most of their money as quickly as it came in. How is the government supposed to fix people who are bad at money?
  
  DeSantis just recently signed into law a bill to mandate better financial education classes in schools. That’s a good start. We need to really start teaching kids about money, how to save, how wealth is built, how to manage their finances, etc. Finding ways to get people to reach the ability to support themselves and not rely on the government should be the objective of any government policy.
  
  And before you start coming up with socialist government solutions of redistribution. Keep in mind right now we have serious inflation problems in our economy. Simply pumping more money from the printing presses into the system to support social programs or give it out to the poor will only make that inflation worse. The country is $30 trillion in debt. Both parties in Congress have done an absolute horrific job managing our country’s finances for the past 30 years. I can’t remember the last time we had a real actual balanced budget? Maybe the 90s? How do you expect Americans to balance their budgets and spend wisely when the government can’t even do it?
  - PeterH
    March 29, 2022 at 1:24 pm
    
    Today’s Republican Party is very different from the Republican Party of Eisenhower.
    
    Eisenhower was the last Republican to float a balanced budget.
    
    Bill Clinton was the last Democratic President to have a balanced budget.
    
    Endless wars and tax breaks for millionaires damage the possibility for a balanced budget.
    
    I agree with you that fiscal education must be taught in schools.
    
    Take a moment an read some history on Utah’s Evan McMullin who’s running as an independent for Senate.
  - Azig
    April 7, 2022 at 12:10 pm
    
    Reagan took the Deficit from 70 Billion to 175 Billion
    Bush took it to 300 Billion
    Clinton returned it to Zero
    Bush 43 took it from zero to 1.2 trillion
    Obama halved that to 600 Billion
    Trump has it over a Trillion already and with the “TaxCut” on it’s way to 2.5 to 3 Trillion
    Republican say “Democrats Cause Deficits”
    America is
    23 in education.
    37 in healthcare.
    34 in raising family index.
    No high-speed train.
    Highest number of homeless people.
    Highest number of incarcerated people. 78% of people live paycheck to paycheck. Stock market is not economy of Americans! Where 90% of money belongs to top 10% of the population, it’s a wallet for the rich.
  - Terry Blount
    April 8, 2022 at 8:52 pm
    
    But those scumbags were elected by the voters.
    
    Voters don’t want to make sacrifices and politicians know this.
    
    It’s difficult to blame the government for giving people what they want.
- Matthew Lusk
  March 29, 2022 at 10:35 am
  
  You misspelled Democrat, it does not start with an R.
JohnG
March 29, 2022 at 7:23 am

Interesting coming from the guy who led the largest medicare fraud in US history…nobody cares what this parasite has to say
Matthew Lusk
March 29, 2022 at 10:33 am

Of course the progressive income tax is geared toward haircutting productive successful citizens more so than low income earners; however, the poor play plenty of tax. What does rick think trillion dollar deficit spending is??? A hidden tax paid through inflation, that’s plenty of skin, enough to keep a wage earner poor for life. Then the criminal banking cartel adds on 900% mark up by expanding its federal reserve scam credit dollars. Rick, shut your mouth, lower Fed spending and lock up the bankers. There is really no need for a personal income tax at ALL!!! Lower Fed spending can be monetized through treasury dollars, no escape for tax cheats or loopholes and the tax is flat.
William Wells
March 29, 2022 at 11:03 am

The budget will never be balanced because darn near every politician is a mobster in one form or another. If they don’t support “the mob” they don’t get re-elected at minimum…and maybe “wacked”. Best bumper sticker I ever saw…don’t re-elect anyone. Then you should remember Rahm’s quote…”never let a good crisis go to waste”. If there isn’t one…they’ll create one.
Bob Hogner
March 29, 2022 at 12:11 pm

Next on Reptile Rick’s Fox Ghetto talking points: Tax the poor at a higher rate. That way we introduce incentives for them become rich.
Terry Blount
April 8, 2022 at 9:11 pm

After reading these comments it’s obvious that no one seems to understand that wealthy people don’t get a salary their income comes from selling assets. They pay capital gains tax but lawmakers have created so many loopholes and methods to reduce capital gains… and if you don’t sell and take the profits you didn’t make any money.

Politicians know where their campaign contributions are coming from and they aren’t going to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.

So the po’ folks say … make them pay tax on unrealized gains. Then they realize how stupid that was when the URS sends them a bill because the value of their house and retirement investments and penspension fund increased.