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The middle class makes up most of the tax payer population. You can't tax income at the top and expect much unless you added 20%.

• thawaway1837 7y ago
  The top 1% in the US has absorbed nearly the entire economic growth for the last 30 years or so. The number of people doesn’t really matter. It’s the percentage of wealth that they hold that matters. Other segments of the population have seen absolutely no economic growth.
  • wolco 7y ago
    The top 1% isn't getting income via employment payroll. They own entities globally and can afford to give themselves a dollar a year salary. If you are only raising employment income taxes you have to get it from the middle class.
• azylman 7y ago
  Most of the tax payer population, but not most of the gains available for taxation. Small increases in taxes to the very wealthy would far outweigh large increases in taxes to the middle class in terms of government revenue. On top of that, you say "unless you added 20%" as if that's something that's beyond the pale when in fact the wealthiest people pay far less in taxes that at any point in our country's history.
• munk-a 7y ago
  Your statement isn't incorrect, but it has missed the point. Yea the middle class will always bear the majority of the tax burden in absolute terms, but that doesn't mean it's silly to tax the rich, the take home is pretty minor but they should always be paying more money in absolute individual terms than the middle class - right now they usually pay less, sometimes they pay nothing, sometimes they get a handout.