Why should wealthier Americans have to pay more in taxes than anyone else?

Question

It seems to me that everyone should pay equal amounts when it comes to supporting our government. Just because a person figures a way to make more money than most everyone else shouldn't be reason enough to make them pay more of THEIR money to support people that don't/won't work. The only fair taxes, as I see it, are sales tax and gasoline tax. If you use it, then you pay. Over-taxing (property taxes, income taxes, etc.) the wealthy is nothing more than a redistribution of wealth.

Where in my question did I claim that I was wealthy or even rich? Out of 14 answers so far, only 4 answerers are able to formulate a coherent, non-argumentative response.

Answer 1

Class warfare. The rich are a tiny minority, so it is easy to abuse the majority's natural jealousy to buy votes. It isn't fair, and everyone knows it, but most people don't care as long as the rich are getting screwed worse than themselves. It is a redistribution of wealth, but it is also a powerful tool for getting votes from the envious.

Answer 2

This is a very naive view of the world and does not take greed into account. Money makes more money so the extra taxes you pay is probably cancelled out by the hundreds or thousands of dollars you make shifting money around in investments and interest. How come when I save money I earn less than 5% interest but when I borrow I have to pay 8-25%? Odds are stacked against making something out of nothing.

Ultimately this country was better to you than it was to most so you should give back more than most as well. You can well afford it. How much money do you think you can get out of the poor? 30% of nothing is still nothing.

I am sorry if new schools for the poor are cutting into your ability to have that jet and your own island. Boo hoo. Oh the plight of the rich man.

Answer 3

Put simply, the problem is this: a rich person can afford to go without an extra yacht, but the working poor can't afford to go without a meal. Wealthier Americans pay more in taxes because they can afford to pay a larger proportion of their income. Sales and gasoline taxes are among the most unfair because, as a consistent percentage regardless of income, they hurt poor people the most. Food taxes are the worst, because everyone has to eat.

Wealthy people have always been asked to shoulder more of society's tax burden since the income tax began to finance our involvement in World War I. Those who have benefitted most from our system of government should give back the most to pay for the protection of their investments (most of our federal budget goes to defense) and help others climb the social ladder. But it is not redistribution of wealth, per se. The money is not going straight to the poor, but to programs that help people find jobs and lift themselves out of poverty.

Overall, though, we still have the lowest overall tax burden in the industrialized world, and wealthy individuals and large corporations remain the largest recipients of taxpayer money (see links below), so it all evens out.

Answer 4

Because they are more able. Someone trying to live on minimum wage or near that just doesn't have anything left over. And if they're trying to support a family, they're really hurting! Don't get me wrong - I'm not talking about the people who think the world owes them a living, and there certainly are some of those, but about those who are trying to make their way in the world but having a hard time, or are physically unable to work. Not everybody has the education and ability to get a good job. And it's easy to say well, go get some education, but not always so easy to do.

I don't complain about my taxes, even though they're higher than some. And no, I'm not rich, but do OK.

The advantage to a sales tax is that it hits the people in the underground economy equally with people getting their money over the table rather than under. As long as basic necessities like food and clothing are exempted, as they are in some states, sales tax sounds reasonable to me.

Answer 5

You are just selfish a tax should be by percentage so if you earned £100 and the tax was 10% you would pay £10. If you earned £100,000 you would pay £10,000 that is fair to you. And it still leaves you far more money than the other person can ever have so as an afterthought your tax should be 40% £40,000 and it still leaves you with enough to have a selfish greedy life while the other person has to struggle by on £90 you may have earned more but you should be thankful and only too willing to pay more.

Answer 6

There is no such thing as a fair tax system.
The rich shouldn't have to pay a higher percantage then the poor. In fact it would make sense for the rich to have to pay less then the poor, due to the fact that they are already going to be using that money to help america 90% of the time. This is what most people don't understand. Rich people create business, they give you jobs and make America what it is comercially. If you make them pay more taxes, that money is not put to better use then if it had been put directly back in the economy.

Answer 7

OK to the sales tax idea. How about a tax break for every one say the first $35000 isn't taxed at all for everyone who earns a income and then a 15% tax on all income after that, flat and fair with no loop holes for any one to wiggle through.

Answer 8

You have to pay a percentage depending on how much money you make. how can a person making minimun wage possibly pay the same as Britney Spears or George Bush for that matter. It's impossible. And it should be this way, otherwise the middle class would be considered poor if we have to pay the same as the upper class. They are not supporting people that don't work, right now we are all supporting a war that the upper class president and vice president started. They should pay for this not us.,

Answer 9

Wealthy Americans don't pay their fair share. It may look like it to you because the amount they pay looks like alot but they know of so many loopholes in the tax laws that they get out of paying what they should - We don't make enough to afford to pay someone to fine the loopholes for us so we have to pay the full amount.

Answer 10

i agree with you...except on the flat tax idea...that was what ross perot wanted to do...but that will never fly...however...most people do not see it that way...they feel that those who are less fortunant or lazy shouldn't have to pay as much tax...after all they are not making that much money...but those that are fortunant should spread the wealth...they want a communist type government...where everything is supposed to be equal...