To mark Tax Day, Whoopi Goldberg, a strong critic of high taxes, railed against how much the government takes from her paycheck. On the April 15 edition of "The View," Whoopi displayed some of her bills with the many government fees attached to it. She also felt she was being punished for her success even calling it "un-American" and wondering why she never gets a "break."
Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck asked Whoopi, who admitted to voting for Hillary Clinton, if she would vote for someone who by their own admission, would raise taxes on the wealthy. Whoopi did not directly answer the question only stating "we’re getting screwed either way."
Joy Behar jumped in to hype Denmark’s socialist system. She noted Denmark’s high taxes but seemed to forget she did when she noted healthcare and education are "free." Behar then went off on a tangent when Elisabeth Hasselbeck said "so everybody move to Denmark and see if you like it." Behar screamed "don’t give me that argument. I heard that in the 60's and the 70's if you don’t like it here get your ass out. I don’t appreciate that."
The entire transcript is below.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Why is anybody auditing anything? I’m over this tax stuff. I’ll tell you.
ELISABETH HASSELBECK: What will you do?
GOLDBERG: Well, I’ll tell you, I don’t mind paying taxes because I know I make a lot of dough and you want to give some. Okay? That’s the way it’s supposed to be. That’s the way it’s supposed to be because if you have you want to give. That’s the way, that’s why it’s set up this way. But I am sick and tired of being taxed because I’ve done well for myself. I don’t understand why I am paying the kind- look, look at the phone bill. Let me just read this to you. Federal Universal Service Fund, what the Hell is that? What is it?
JOY BEHAR: This, this is your telephone bill?
GOLDBERG: This, this is the cell phone. Then you have the State Gross Receipts Tax, the State Sales Tax, the State Telecom Exicse, Country Surcharge, County Telecom Excise, MCTD Surcharge, Local Sales Tax, nine- State 911-
BEHAR: Whatever that is.
GOLDBERG: -County 911-
HASSELBECK: You get taxed for 911?
GOLDBERG: Yes! What the Hell is this?
HASSELBECK: You can not be taxed for 911.
GOLDBERG: Well, I think, I think it’s the emergency thing. But then you have the emergency for the state you’re in and then the country you’re in, and then the county you’re in. Okay, the electric bill. What do these things mean? Your basic service charge, okay, $11.39. Then you get this delivery that costs you $11.85. Then you get a CBC/RP- what the Hell is it? And while it seems like not a lot of dough, and then you have a GRT and other surcharges, it doesn’t seem like a lot of dough, but this happens to you every month. Every month this comes on and we don’t say "whoa! What the Hell?" Cause don’t forget- oh wait, let me get this one too.
BEHAR: There’s more.
GOLDBERG: Oh yes. You get, you get for the electricity. Okay, we know you got to pay for electricity. But you are charged every month for a storm charge. What if you live in a- what if you don’t have any storms?
HASSELBECK: Just in case.
GOLDBERG: Just in case? What if you-
SHERRI SHEPHERD: What is a franchise charge? Isn’t that like if you own your own-
GOLDBERG: That’s what I’m saying. Do I own the Edison people? Where is all of this and then?
HASSELBECK: Just wait. It’s going to get worse.
GOLDBERG: Well no, no. It’s not going to get worse because it’s already pretty awful and let me explain why. Because every time that you go to buy something, okay, you are paying the state and the country and all of this other tax. I don’t mind that. Again, I don’t mind paying when it’s okay, but not when you are bailing out banks, it is costing me quadruple to heat my house, four times as much to put gas in my car. I- where’s my break? [applause] And you know what? Also, you’re not giving me- wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me just get it all out then you can say whatever. I have been paying my taxes since- my famous person taxes, that’s what I call it- for the last 23 years since I’ve been famous. I have never gotten money back ever. Because once you make over a certain amount of money, you don’t get any money back. I don’t understand- why can’t I have some money back? You’re mad at me, why are they mad?
SHEPHERD: Because there’s a trade off. You’re famous. You don’t get the money back.
GOLDBERG: No, you don’t, you don’t, that’s not, no- you don’t charge people because that’s an un-American way.
HASSELBECK: Would you elect someone who’s going to propose higher taxes for the rich then?
GOLDBERG: If the, if the tax- the thing is-
BEHAR: Can I get in this conversation?
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
BEHAR: Because I got some statistics.
GOLDBERG: Okay, but let me just say this. Nobody sitting at this table doesn’t know what it’s like to be taxed, nobody.
HASSELBECK: Yes, we’re all taxed.
BEHAR: When you’re working you get taxed.
GOLDBERG: Okay, you’re getting taxed. Should you, because you make a dollar more than so and so be taxed differently?
BEHAR: I don’t know.
HASSELBECK: See that’s what some of those running are proposing.
GOLDBERG: Well, you know what? We’re getting screwed either way. I’m just trying to, trying to find the best way to get screwed I guess is what I’m saying.
[laughter]
SHEPHERD: Also, you know, a little bit of this, when you make a certain amount of money, like we can have a lot more write offs than the average person.
GOLDBERG: I don’t know who you’re talking to. I do not get hardly any write- I don’t get hardly any write offs.
BEHAR: Well, every time, every time you buy something- make up is write off for you.
GOLDBERG: Not for me.
BEHAR: You don’t wear it. Hair, hair-
SHEPHERD: You need to start before it’s tax season.
BEHAR: You need to start being superficial.
GOLDBERG: No, but it’s doing- you see what it’s doing? It’s turning me into a cheat trying to find a way-
BEHAR: Don’t, don’t, don’t say that.
GOLDBERG: Well, listen, I’m saying it because if it were, if it were done differently, we can say, "okay, I’m paying- this is my gas bill, this is what it’s costing me to do, this is my thing. I need a little help on this."
HASSELBECK: Who was proposing that flat consumer tax?
BEHAR: Huckabee I think.
HASSELBECK: Huckabee, right? You’re just taxed on what you buy, so you want to buy some candy you’re going to be taxed on it.
BEHAR: We’re going to be bankrupt more than we even are now. But listen, I called up- can I just say something about this? I know, the other day you say you pay 50 percent of your income in taxes right?
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
BEHAR: And you really don’t get much for that at all in this country, and that’s why people were really angry. So I called up the Danish consul because-
GOLDBERG: They take 75.
BEHAR: No, I found out all of the facts about Denmark because Denmark is a wonderful place in terms of taking care of their people. Now, I know it’s a, it’s a homogeneous country. It’s got a lot of different things that are different from us.
HASSELBECK: Right, they got their own issues there.
BEHAR: Well, what are their, what are their issues? I’d like to know.
GOLDBERG: Read your, read your thing.
BEHAR: Okay. They pay, people pay roughly 50 percent of income in taxes. They do not pay if they make up to $8,000 a year. They do not pay any taxes at all. Okay, that’s one thing. The benefits include free healthcare for everybody, okay, free schooling up to graduate school, university, college, high school, graduate school, everything.
HASSELBECK: So they never have to work, just keep studying right? I’m just thinking.
BEHAR: Just a minute.
HASSELBECK: If I were there I’d just go to school.
BEHAR: Everyone gets a basic pension like social security, everybody. They have heavily subsidized daycare for kids. They don’t pay it all, but they give you big discounts, okay, extensive social care system. If someone loses their job for example, they get up to 90 percent of their previous salary and they’re eligible for free schooling. So people are out of work for a very short period. To answer your question, they have an unemployment rate of 2.6 percent. The United States, 5.1 percent.
SHEPHERD: But how many people are in-
BEHAR: So much for "everybody’s on the dole."
HASSELBECK: So everybody move to Denmark and see if you like it.
BEHAR: Oh, don’t give me that argument.
HASSELBECK: I’m just saying-
BEHAR: Don’t give me that argument. I heard that in the 60's and the 70's if you don’t like it here get your ass out. I don’t appreciate that.
HASSELBECK: I’m just saying, I’m saying, look, in this country, there are people trying to get into this country every single day. This is not- I think sometimes this country gets painted as a really bad place and it’s not.
BEHAR: No, I’m giving you information of what could be done with your 50 percent in taxes.
SHEPHERD: But what’s the ratio of people in Denmark as opposed to the ratio of people here? I’m mean, you’re talking about, you’re talking about the United States of America relative to Denmark.
GOLDBERG: But how many Oprahs does Denmark have? How many Bill Gates does Denmark have? Do you realize that 50 percent of their income every year could float an entire nation? I’m just saying there has to be a better way to do this. If you’re going to take my money I don’t mind it, again. I don’t mind it when taxes-
BEHAR: But then give us something.
GOLDBERG: But that’s what I’m saying.
HASSELBECK: You want to see where it’s going.
GOLDBERG: Yeah, I know that I’m paying for this war, but I’d also like to be making sure that I’m paying for, for a nursery school for kids who need it. I want it to be balanced, and dammit, you know I’m tired of it. I’m tired of it.
