The higher tax already got us on our taxable income

It is a simple rule: What the government gives it can take away. The Real Estate tax was sold to the American people as a tax on the value of your house. When the value goes up your taxes go up when the value goes down your taxes go....

I noticed an extra $22 taken out of my check every two weeks. This makes me very sad and I was super upset with it. It's too bad that in a democracy such as we have, we really don't have any say in where our tax money goes. How about pay cuts to the incredibly wealthy politicians that dominate the top 2% in the country? While the rest of us are scraping by to make ends meet? Something. I won't launch into an all-out political rant, although your post has just reminded me how much I dislike the government. Gah!

The fiscal cliff deal had nothing to do with that unless your income is over $400,000 a year. The social security tax had been cut from 6.2% to 4.2% temporarily because of the recession and the ended at the end of 2012. For those of us who have been unemployed since 1989 and on Social Security starting in 2011, we never saw the cut or the increase back to the regular level since we had no paycheck that had Social Security taken out and we also have a much lover Social Security check because of not having paid into it for 22 years. What do you do in case like mine? You work hard, you save, you invest and when you become unemployed, you don't take a penny of unemployment, you live off of your investment income which was much lower than the income when working but you survive. Also, you pay your taxes which go to pay for other people's unemployment who didn't save and invest, etc.

wow, sorry to hear that. We had 2 taxes raised here in mexico jan. 1st. Gas and cig. taxes. Almost 10% each, not sure how many will be able to afford that here. Take care there.

Wasn't the fiscal cliff. That was just a distraction for this tax. Definitely don't need any tax increase (I know it's really not an increase, but a return to older tax levels) with this economy for those of us who are struggling from paycheck to paycheck. Unfortunately the country elected a Democrat as president and Dems love taxes.

For those that struggle to make ends meet I think the raise in social sercutiy taxes will be very hard. Some people $10-$20 a pay is no big deal but those that struggle it will make a big difference in their life. Hopefully this is the only tax hike the govt will make this year.

Many people in my country are eager to go to USA to work. Their reasons are that the income there is much better. And I also heard that they became rich there. From your discussion, it seems to me that even in the United States, employees seem worried about tax imposed on them.

No offense but does no one remember that this tax was always 6.2% before they made a 2% tax cut on it. Everyone regardless of how much they were paid had paid 6.2% for their social security tax. It isn't a huge hit to the paychecks either. Usually an extra 10 to 20 dollars that comes out, that would have come out anyway if not for the tax cuts. There is not going to be some giant amount out of paychecks for it. I am sorry for the mini rant but I have a friend who grosses on average about 1500 a paycheck and only saw 800 in the bank and freaked out thinking it was this tax when the social security tax only took $93. She then decided to call her mother and realized the other took money out to pay a bill. Everyone will be fine if they budget better and save.