Can anyone give me a real and valid reason why rich people should pay a higher PERCENT of their income in tax?

Question

And if you say that they can afford it, you're an idiot.

Wouldn't it be FAIR if everyone paid 20% of their income in taxes. Someone who made a million dollars would still pay a hell of a lot more than someone like me who only makes about 40K!

Beach Bum, you sure miss the mark...

If everyone paid 20% of their income in taxes, someone who makes a million dollars would pay $200,000 in taxes while someone LIKE ME (I never said I was rich) who makes $40,000 would pay $8000 in taxes. The millionaire is paying way more than me, but we are each paying our fair share.

IN addition, you make it sound like I advocate the middle and low income people pay their taxes directly to the rich. If that's truly what Democrats think is going on, then that is one SERIOUSLY misguided political party!

So, pretty much everyone who tried to give a reason basically restated the fact that I noted you should avoid: they can afford it. Most of the arguments are just bastardizations of that claim. But that still doesn't make it a valid argument!
Plus, like I said, if they are taxed the same percent, they will still be paying more than everyone else! Where's the flaw in that? I agree that there should be no loopholes. That's also not really the point. Why tax them at 50% if you know they're going to get out of it anyway? Not a valid argument.

Jackson- the estate tax is a whole other thing. But do you honestly think it makes sense that someone could give money to charity tax free, but not to their children? It's insane!

ggarsk - I would argue that lower income people use the "commons" more. Add in welfare and medicare and there's no question that rich people use less "services" than everyone else.

Answer 1

I don't see a valid reason either, but you have to admit that the socialists who came up with the progressive tax structure were pretty sharp. This way, you can't restore fairness to the tax system without leftists hollering that you're favoring the rich. Of course tax cuts benefit the rich - the rich pay the most taxes! (Except for the Kerrys, of course).

Answer 2

Taxes exsist to pay in common for things thoeretically we all use.
For the recored....no tax is fair that does not have a check box for what percent you the taxpayer wishes to go to what "service"

Reason 1. They (the rich)can affrod to have thier taxes done by experts who find loop holes and end up paying less those who do not have the time or money.
2. The way economics work there are places in this country where the wage/jobs/rent combanation leaves familys with increasing dept and poverty, which taxes have not yet compinsated for. A rich person will not lose thier home or not eat. Taxes are a hardship to most of the population, an inconvienece to the rest.
3. a. Wealth comes from resources which are not disributed equally among tax paying citizens. Most wealthy people are not "successfull" they have inharited thier money, and often thier "oppertunities" and care free/work free lives as well. A higher tax for the wealthy would be a step twords economic equality.
b. People who have been cheated abused sold, Slaves, Native Americans, Women, Non-Christans, have had a very unequal chance to wealth and the taxes could go to non-profits and homes/land for people who have no parachute.
3. Taxes are for the community. To make it a better place. The world is a small place, America is smaller, we have to work together. Just becuase one kid grabs half the pizza does not mean he should keep it. Nor does it mean he is smarter than the other kids. Just selfish, its more than he can eat.
They are members of this community and the very idea of the rich, people allowed to take ten times thier share or need should be done away with. The world only makes so much land and food and I think your taxes should start to jump after you make living wages for your area to half if not more.
5. Anyone selfish enough to hored should be penelized by an appropriate consiqense.

Answer 3

Everyone, including corporations should pay at a flat tax rate that is the same and do away with tax breaks. Why do think we are unable to have a balanced budgets year after year? A good example of this waste is the fact that here in California a person that owns a Hummer can get a 2000 dollar tax break because of an old law that allows this based on the weight of a vehicle which was originally inteneded for farmers and their equipment.

Answer 4

A flat tax is a regressive tax. It affects the lower income more. A progressive tax is fair. The rich people use the commons more then the middle class. What is the commons? It's our education system, infrastructure, police, courts etc. They depend on our education system to provide an educated work force, They use the infrastructure to move their products. So they should pay more. During Eisenhower's term, the tax was 90%. JFK dropped it to 75 % and closed the loopholes. Now it's at (I believe) 50%. I'm taxed at 35% so how is their rate so much harder on them then my rate is for me? And I can't take advanatage of all the loopholes they get to.

Answer 5

The problem is at least 2 fold. First, rich people can afford to hire attorneys to devise ways to avoid taxes that average people must pay.

Within that set is a subset of people who actually can afford to live on a certain amount, and retain the rest to pass upon death to their heirs, or shield it in corporations, etc. The exemption for estate tax is now quite large, and the ultra rich have thier lackey in the W House working to eliminate the estate tax period.

I am not anit-rich. But, like you, feel that everyone should pay their fair share to support the country whose freedoms made their wealth possible.

Answer 6

There is no reason to tax rich people a higher percent and there is no reason to tax everyone the same. None is exactly fair. But one has to be declared fair.

If a millionaire had to pay 20% of his/her income in taxes he or she could possibly be taxed about 40K, what you make in a year.

If a millionaire had to pay a higher percent he'd be throwing away more than what you make in a year. I find that funny because you want rich people to not be taxed higher and in a way you're wanting rich people to pay somewhere around your yearly salary. That is to say they are just "giving away" your yearly salary to the government.

Answer 7

Sure I will.

The reason is because it takes all classes to make this country the grand economic machine that it is. If you are one of the more blessed persons of this system then it is your responsibility to pay more for what makes it great. I don't understand why that is so hard to grasp in little peon brains.

This country is great because we don't have ppl living in cardboard boxes outside where they work. If you are one of the ppl who reap some of the wealth of this nation, then you must pay more in taxes. That is your price for being able to reap the wealth.. that is part of what keeps us great.

You sound so 'republican'... ppl who want to take take from the working class that makes the wealthy rich. But when it comes time to give a little more back just so those ppl can maybe be able to go to Disneyland once in their life (maybe have a little something also for their hard work), you start yelling NO FAIR.

In layman's terms: Do you not pay a little extra for the best table at a restaurant? Do you not pay a little extra for the best balcony seat at the opera?

Answer 8

here's a good paper on the subject

Why adopt a progressive tax rate structure? In our 1987 article Social Welfare and the Rate Structure, Joseph Bankman and I argued that the strongest argument for progressivity is that transferring income from richer to poorer individuals through a combination of taxation and government spending increases total welfare or utility in the soci-ety.1 The reason such transfers increase welfare is simple: additional money produces more utility for a poor person than a rich person....

Answer 9

People are born with talents, some with silver spoons in their butts, some with intellect, some with the ability to make and steal money by using the other half.
That is why the RICH should pay more. They should share their talents and give back some of what they either stole or made off the backs of the rest of us.

Answer 10

Considering that the real income of the wealthiest 1% rose by over 12% since 04 and the real income average of the other 99% rose only 2%, I would say it's fair.