Comedian Bill Maher called out Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and other Democratic socialists on Friday’s episode of “Real Time,” pointing out the huge sums he’s forced to pay in taxes when the rich don’t pay their fair share.
“Last week was tax day. … I paid the government, if you add state taxes, local, sales, property, taxes. [and] Obamacare, probably about 60% of what I earned. That’s a lot, and I don’t mind if Bernie Sanders stops saying the rich don’t pay taxes,” Maher said, opening his “New Rules” segment.
“And while I’m sure the super rich, with their legions of accountants and corporate loopholes, get away with murder, us regular rich people pay a ton of taxes!”
Fox News Digital reached out to Sen. Sanders’ office but did not immediately receive a response.
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Maher went on to call out largely Democratic socialists, pointing to an earlier Los Angeles Times opinion piece pointing out that the top 10% of earners pay 72% of all taxes, while the bottom half of earners pay about 3%.
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“Democratic socialists talk about socialism as if we don’t already have it,” he continued, pointing to government-subsidized programs like Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, SNAP and more.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders waves inside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on January 27.
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“Not against it, only question – how can you soak the rich and fail the poor so badly?” he added, earning applause from the audience.
With the IRS reportedly collecting more than $5 trillion by 2025, Maher brought to mind the government’s failure to adequately care for the poor.
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More specifically, Maher pointed to Remote Area Medical (RAM) services designed to provide free medical, dental and vision care to those living in underserved areas.
“Are we really that incompetent and corrupt? Don’t answer that,” he teased.
“Anyway, somehow the super rich keep getting super rich while a growing percentage are feeling really down. You wouldn’t know it because everyone on TV is rich.”
Expanding on his argument, Maher cited once-cheap activities that have since turned out to be big costs that squeeze average Americans, including vacations to Disney theme parks and the skyrocketing cost of concert tickets.
He then turned to concerns about healthcare costs and access, noting that while the rich can afford healthcare, the poor lack the luxury.
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“But here’s the truth — you’re not going to get health care by taxing these people and threatening to eat the rich,” he said.
“You raise taxes on billionaires, they leave the state, or they leave the country. … Or, in some cases, the planet,” he said, referring to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
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Pointing to Elon Musk’s proposal to fund unpaid TSA workers while DHS defaults on funding, he noted the ability of the super-rich to single-handedly support entire systems and agencies.
“Just cut out the middleman. Government and healthcare bureaucracies that for whatever reason, no matter what, don’t seem to reach the people and directly embarrass the billionaires,” he added.
Original article source: Bill Maher calls out Bernie Sanders, saying he’s tired of hearing the rich don’t pay their fair share of taxes
