> Meanwhile, the proportion of taxes paid by the top quintile earners has increased from 55% in 1980 to 70% by 2013. Citing the amount collected from the top q

> Meanwhile, the proportion of taxes paid by the top quintile earners has increased from 55% in 1980 to 70% by 2013. Citing the amount collected from the top quintile is moving the goalposts a bit. A typical 20%er is someone like a successful dentist. Sure, they probably have a stock portfolio, but that's for funding their retirement. It doesn't help that the statistics are always presented in misleading ways. We really need the stats to be stated in terms of tranches that exclude the higher ones (eg. top 0.01%, 0.01-0.1%, 0.1-0.5%, 0.5-1%, 1-5%, 5-10%, 10-20%, 20-40%, 40-60%, etc.). Instead, lumping the 1% in with the 1-20% just co-opts the upper-middle class into defending the interests of the 1% and above. > But all this ignores the main fact, which is that actual rich people make most of their money not as income, but as unrealized capital gains. High marginal rates on income taxes affects high-earning professionals. Not the private jet crowd. Of course. That's where discussion of wealth inequality (and the estate tax) takes over from income inequality.