taxes

Who Pays Taxes? Are They Doubly-Progressive?

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I continue to be amazed that any person can look at these numbers and conclude (with respect to federal income taxes only) that the so-called rich do not pay their fair share. In reality, it looks like they pay the vast bulk of the income taxes. And the bottom half pay essentially nothing.

I’ll go even further. I find the federal income tax to be doubly-progressive. A non-progressive tax, imho, would be a flat fee. For example, everyone pays $1000.

We could make it progressive by changing this to a percentage. For example, everyone pays 30% of their income. This way, those with higher incomes (note, not necessarily the rich) will always pay more. But everyone pays the same percentage. We could call this a flat tax, but even in this scenario high earners pay more.

In my opinion, making high earners (again, not necessarily the rich) pay an even higher percentage makes the tax system doubly-progressive.

A third thought: does it concern anyone else that we have roughly half of households/people/taxpayers able to essentially vote themselves a raise with no personal burden or repercussions? Once the majority are able to live off the minority, we may have a problem.

And as I’ve noted above we don’t have a wealth tax to tax the “rich,” we have an income tax.

Cafe Hayek – On the Tax Burden: “E.J. Dionne laments the failure of what he describes as a “proposal [that] could have shifted the tax burden away from middle-income taxpayers toward the wealthy.” Let’s look at some facts. First here.”

Related links:
Do The Rich Pay Their Fair Share of Taxes?
53% of Americans on the Dole! & Who Pays Taxes?
Will we reach the tax tipping point?
Obama’s 95% Tax Cut Illusion – Don’t Believe The Spin

  • David

    Unfortunately the sheeple of America only have time and intelligence to understand the rapid fire catch-phrased vagueness from the mainstream media and political rhetoric, never really sitting down to read and learn about how the tax system actually works.

    I'm guessing that if you were to tell the average denizen that the rich half paid for the poor half they wouldn't believe you. Hence why most Americans still clamor for "something" to be done for the poor. Mostly without realizing it's the social and welfare programs they support that prevent the poor from being incentivized to earn a better living.