Why stop at income taxes

Reader comment on: Make $51,000, Pay No Federal Tax

Submitted by benjamin Geballe (United States), Mar 11, 2010 15:46

It would seem that in discussing taxes, we must look at the total bill that people pay, federal, state and local. At the local level, property taxes account for much of the revenue. Property taxes tend to be regressive. At the state level, usually the income tax (progressive) and sales tax (regressive) account for much of the revenue. Taken all together, poor people are paying taxes, but not at the same rate as wealthy people. This is how it should be if we wish to maintain a country that has any social mobility or allows poor people to accumulate wealth. While I think a strong argument can be made that everyone should pay something, as a matter of principle, the wealthiest in this country should be paying more than they already are, also a matter of principle.

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