maybe so. But even without the relationship you describe between what you pay and what you get, a progressive tax system still maximizes the government's incom

maybe so. But even without the relationship you describe between what you pay and what you get, a progressive tax system still maximizes the government's income vs a poll tax. I'm just pointing out that even before you get to talking about what's fair or what's right, you simply could not support a government as expensive as ours on a poll tax. - so there is a reason why we have a progressive tax rate that has nothing to do with perceived fairness.