Despite half of his income going to Uncle Sam, Hollywood actor John Leguizamo told The Daily Caller that President Barack Obama is doing the “right thing” by raising his taxes.
“What’s wrong with big government? I’ve never had a problem with big government. I’ve felt our country’s always done best during Eisenhower, FDR, when we had we had big government … We’re not in a fascist state, so what’s the problem with big government? It’s not a problem. It makes things better,” he told TheDC during Creative Coalition’s inaugural ball.
“Re-regulation is what we need in Wall Street. We need actually more government in the arts. Back in the 80’s and 70’s, when we had a lot of government in the arts, we had the most experimental stuff ever.”
TheDC asked Leguizamo if he is concerned about the nation’s $16 trillion debt.
“I think with the taxing the rich now that’s finally happening now which we need to do – I mean, back in the 50’s and 60’s, if you made money you paid like 70 percent in taxes or even higher than that, and that’s when we started booming and creating a middle class,” he responded.
“I think that’s what you got to do is, you’ve got to tax people. I mean I make a lot of money, and I’m now in a 49 percent tax bracket. It’s painful, but it’s what you’ve got to, we’ve all got to chip in.”
When asked what’s the most he would be willing to pay in taxes, Leguizamo said he would remain in the U.S. even if his tax rate went above 50 percent.
“I’m already at the top. I’m paying almost 50 percent of my money in taxes. If it has to go up higher, I will do that. I’m not going to leave the country. You’ve got to stand up for what you believe in, and I believe Obama’s doing the right thing. It’s been done before,” he said.
According to its official website, The Creative Coalition is a nonprofit “social and political advocacy organization of the entertainment industry” which “educates and mobilizes leaders in the arts community on issues of public importance, specifically in the areas of First Amendment rights, arts advocacy and public education.”
