Well, you've got dozens of different taxes out there, and most of them are regressive. A "flat tax" income tax would probably have a lower bound number below wh

Well, you've got dozens of different taxes out there, and most of them are regressive. A "flat tax" income tax would probably have a lower bound number below which your taxes scale linearly down to zero. But tweaking the income tax does nothing for the other payroll extractions. Or the gasoline excise tax. Or the sales tax. Or property tax (paid through rent). Or tariffs. Or the hidden tax on the everyone: inflation. That paycheck doesn't go quite as far each year, does it? Beyond that, you've got land-use controls and building restrictions that artificially drive up the cost of housing close to job centers. Then school zones create more barriers. You'll spend more time commuting, which means the rest of your life is more difficult. And buying a car is more expensive as the regulatory burden on auto-makers increases year after year. Unfortunately, this is where many say, "Well the government just needs to help those in need." So taxes go up. Rent control is added. Rinse & repeat.