Should the rich pay higher taxes than the poor? Is it just?

Policies on Taxation have been the most unjust over the years. This is since both the poor and the rich are expected to contribute equally to the government coffers yet they don't have equal opportunities in life. Let the rich pay according to their wealth as the poor are relieved of some burden.

I think it is just basic math that the richer should pay higher taxes. I also think that if these rich people help the poor by starting business or other organizations that help they should get a good deal on their taxes. But if they just make more money they should pay more in taxes.

Alesma, Good morning to you! my bet is that this is going to become a very heated discussion. But I agree with you. People that are in a high income bracket should pay higher taxes because the people that are not making very much money have a very hard time getting to a higher income. Things actually hinder them from reaching it. I think that the tax should be going to get motivated people with low credit rating and low income into a place where they can contribute more to their cities. The economic financial status is so off balance that its bound to fail if there are not ways made for the poor people to come up.

Generally here in our country if the tax table and computations are done honestly the rich are paying more than the poor for the higher your taxable income goes, the higher the corresponding rates will be applied. Hence, result is higher percentage rate for big income earners against lower percentage for low income earners. Problem is the rich can hire accountants who are taxation experts and thus manipulate figures to reduce their taxes to be paid.

In life more than 50% is based on luck. for example a few children are born in rich families and a few are born in poor families. what is the justification for this. Different children start life with different levels of start and so making more money by poor is not that very easy, it should be that rich pay higher taxes --that is the case in India also -- upto some level 10% income tax and beyond that 20% income tax and after another level 30% IT is charged and it is right.

Yes I think they should pay more also. There really isn't any good reason why we have people that cannot eat or have a home in this world. This world has to many resources so something is really off here and taxing the rich is a step in the right direction. We probably wouldn't have rich and poor if things were more fair and balanced to begin with.

Here in our country, the rich pays more higher taxes of course because they have more properties, they spend more and etc. But it is not right to have a different tax percentage for the rich and the poor. The logic is just that you spend more then you pay more taxes.

I think it serves the purpose of having a tax collection system, if you don't tax the rich higher rate, then you probably will not have enough revenue in the treausry department for every expenditure in a nation's budget since only the rich are the one who have plenty of dough($$$) and having full control of the means of production in the nation's economy, not the poor people. I assume it is just a common sense the poor don't even have enough money to put food on the table or earn enough to pay regular tax; let alone can pay higher tax rate. Unless you truely believe that the poor has plenty of money in their swiss bank account and don't have to work for a living often tout by our politicians in power. Whether it is fair or not to tax the rich higher rate than the poor; it is up to debate; I assume it all depend on how high should the 'higher rate' go and stop.

Yes i do think people that are rich should pay higher taxes because it just makes sense and any wealthy person that doesn't think so is just a really greedy person. I also don't think that they should have to pay so that we can all do nothing but live off them I just think that everyone should have to pay similar percentages of what they earn, so naturally a rich person will have to pay more because they make more money than the rest of us. Also there are just so many rich people that live life in excess and I just think it's ridiculous how it's waved in people's faces especially when there are people out there dying of starvation. People that have massive houses, own like six cars, and more clothing and jewelry than they can wear need to learn how much they are excessively living and I think should definitely be forced to pay more on taxes.

I am not one to make any kind of opinion on this. Because the country that I am from has already set up a tax collection system in place. When I look at my yearly tax collection form that I have to fill out, It really does separate the tax collection percentages higher when you make a higher income. But there are ways to get around it by having money stored away or invested in another country so you pay lower taxes.

it has to be for sure since its always the rich people who reap the benefits,so they have to pay more comparing to the poor.i think it is justified for sure its a matter of dedicating to country's infrastructure where they use it more comparing to other people.its the elite society who needs more attention and they can afford it

The richer the society, the better.We should raise the level of those who are at the bottom.It is important to teach people to fish and not to give them fish.Rich people say one thing and do another, I believe that charity and similar stuff means giving fish and not teaching to fish.It's comfortable to have beggars instead of strong citizens for a lazy state, of course, but strong society is a rich society, and look at those countries where people are poor and wait for the state to take care of them.Most of them become victims in their life because they never learned to take action and stand for themselves.Poor people do terrible things sometimes just to feed their children.It shouldn't be like that. I believe that it's the government that should spend less and tell the truth about what they do with your money because no matter how much you pay, the money disappears.Rich people know that and they don't trust the government while most poor people do.

When it comes to taxing people, I think it would be unfair for the rich people. There are several rich people who really help the poor ones through their foundations, charities or simply giving jobs. Some people became rich because of hard work and others are born with a golden spoon and we can't blame them for being rich. It may be quite unfair especially if they acquire their riches by doing illegal things thus making the poor even poorer. Who says life is fair anyway?

Maybe but with limits! The rich isn't rich because they were bored and wanted to do something. Don't take all the money from rich people only because they have money. They worked hard (or something) to reach "rich" status.

Well if you look at it Alesma, somehow they are paying more taxes. The rich has businesses right? they have luxuries...bigger houses..therefore their bills are higher and those bill have taxes - therefore they are paying taxes more, their businesses are also taxed - so they are also paying higher taxes.. But if you tell me that the rich should help the poor..i believe there is nothing wrong with that - just that it might create tolerance with the poor and the poor might not work at all and just depend on the rich. Therefore not at all times the rich should help the poor.

Do you believe that rich people donate to charities? Fund scholarships for underpriveleged students? Build hospital wings, libraries, and other institutions that help other people? The "rich" should pay whatever they are obligated to pay just like everyone else. Maybe the real issue should be how to help the "poor" who struggle to make it day to day and often can't afford their taxes.

Well, I think that this question has an answer more than obvious. Do not even need to mention it, since it is clear that the right thing should be (and which unfortunately is almost never right!) That the rich should pay higher taxes than the poor, would seem to in direct proportion to their income. In Italy, for example (my country), there are serious economic problems. One of the highlights of this causes malfunctioning of the distribution of wealth, consists in the fact that the rich do not pay taxes properly. So we hear about every day of tax evaders, etc.. The poor, or to better understand each workers pay taxes, because their salaries are already reduced by such taxes. The self-employed rather than their own must declare their income .. well better not comment further!

It actually isn't unjust. Technically everyone pays a lot of taxes because it is all income based even shopping is income based. You pay taxes on what you make and what you spend. Rich people could handle paying around 40% of taxes a year. I am not talking about people who make 250,000 a year but people who make 1,000,000 or more a year. I also don't agree with 45% or 50% of taxes and most people in America seem to forget that the taxes on the rich were higher than what is being proposed now and these people were still rich and didn't up and leave ship or anything like that. On top of that, rich people like everyone else are paying taxes on their income. Which means if a rich person has 300,000,000 in the bank and only makes 1.5 million that year... then he is only paying taxes on 1.5 million and still has way more than enough to live off of. Add in any interest some of the money might be gaining and then the rich person is only paying taxes on the income gained through the interest. That is it. Our politicians would have us believe that it is more, but that is the basis of it. Now add in any stocks, capital gains, and more and they pay taxes on the income given by that just like any other person who invests in a company for retirement. Rich people aren't going to starve or suddenly be unable to live like most people want to believe. However, that money goes to pay for a majority of the politicians in office, government programs including federal employee benefits, fixing our roads, paying for policeman, fireman, the national debt and more. I mean perhaps people should think about that more than they are thinking about themselves. If I made more money or I was making 1,000,000 a year, then I would have no issues with paying the 40% of taxes to help my country and the people in my country who made it possible. I wouldn't become some greedy miser and start screaming "mine" like most people do. In that situation I would still have $600,000 net at my disposal. How would a person making that much live on $50,000 a month? Budget. It is that simple. I think the rich should want to help the country they were able to amass their riches in. Charity doesn't help the country by building roads. It helps a small group and while it is helpful... tax breaks for charity isn't. A simple "thank you" should be enough for someone to give charity to help others.

I don't think they should pay MORE except maybe for a little while because they haven't paid even equally to most of us in years or maybe ever. I think they should pay just as much as we do. Its unfair that the lowest in the country are supporting it. It also doesn't make sense. So I hope this changes that the rich will at least pay enough that we all do.

See it is just not the matter of paying higher taxes by richer people. The problem here is that rich people also used to enjoy same services and products which are tax exempted for the poor or lower middle class. For example, diesel is provided in subsidized rates in india because as they cannot afford the original price of diesel so government pay large portion of it. As diesel is used by villagers,poors,farmers at the subsidized rates then why rich people having SUV's and other luxury cars uses this subsidized diesel. They should pay the original price as they can afford to pay. It is not only a point of opportunities rather rich people used to misuse and neglect many aspects. Rich people never think about poor, how they are managing their meal for the day and how they are surviving in this very expensive world. Rich will go and buy movie tickets with a raised entertainment tax but when it comes to helping poor and do some charity they pull their legs back. So in my opinion rich should be paying higher taxes for the things, products, services they are using on subsidized rates, which are meant for poors.