It's a great deal if your federal tax burden (income+SS+medicare) is greater than 25%, which is true for the middle class and high income earners. Those are th

It's a great deal if your federal tax burden (income+SS+medicare) is greater than 25%, which is true for the middle class and high income earners. Those are the groups with the least political power, though. Lower income and the poor are protected by politicians who want to be progressive and make the rich pay their "fair share", and the very wealthy whose income is largely limited to capital gains taxes have their own political power via the fundraising / lobbying / donation networks.