Property and sales taxes are both the most regressive forms of taxation in practice. The reality is, as much as everyone bitches about income taxes, a progress

Property and sales taxes are both the most regressive forms of taxation in practice. The reality is, as much as everyone bitches about income taxes, a progressive tax system [regardless of the exact source, you could do a "progressive sales tax" for instance] is critical to prosperity. Property taxes are in many ways effectively a tax on owning rental property which translates into higher rents [up to the market's willingness to pay, which is quite high given people are spending 50% of their income in some places in rent].