Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site whuxj.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuxj!wjm From: wjm@whuxj.UUCP (MITCHELL) Newsgroups: net.taxes Subject: It still pays to make another buck (in the U.S., anyway) Message-ID: <174@whuxj.UUCP> Date: Thu, 29-Mar-84 11:13:29 EST Article-I.D.: whuxj.174 Posted: Thu Mar 29 11:13:29 1984 Date-Received: Fri, 30-Mar-84 02:22:25 EST Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany, N.J. Lines: 18 Unless the maximum tax bracket is >= 100%, you are always better off earning additional money, since you will still have more money in your pocket after Uncle Sam takes his cut. As mentioned in an earlier article, the U.S. tax brackets are a piecewise linear CONTINUOUS function, so that the higher bracket only starts at the END of the lower one. If you look at the Tax Rate Schedules (X, Y, or Z) in your 1040 instructions, you'll see that the taxes are stated as: $ xxx + yy % of the excess over $ zzz (up to $ www) and that xxx is the summation of all taxes contributed by the brackets below the one you're in. Sure, additional income may push you into a higher bracket, which means Unc takes a bigger slice of the LAST buck you make, but you'll still have more money after Unc gets done. CAVEAT -- this only applies to taxes in the United States of America. It may NOT apply to foreign tax systems. Only 17 days left to file your Form 4868, Bill Mitchell Bell Communications Research, Inc. Whippany, NJ (whuxj!wjm)