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by PaulDavisThe1st 1507 days ago
"most of us" don't understand the basic concept of marginal tax rates, and "most of us" don't understand the idea of marginal utility. "most of us" have in some form or another been doused in a firehose of "the only good tax rate is a lower tax rate" propaganda generated over (at least) the last 40 years.

For a long time, the USA (like many other post-industrial revolution countries) has accepted that "fair" means using progressive taxation to try to create roughly equal impact given the marginal utility of higher levels of income. It's not incredibly scientific, but it isn't really incredibly subjective either.

Conservatives and their cousins at some level more or less reject the concept that there is any fair level of taxation at all, and if there is, they lean toward equal numerical taxes for every dollar earned (or taxed), thus rejecting marginal utility theory entirely.

There are at least a couple of high-net-worth-admission lobbying groups that have asked Congress to raise rates on people like themselves (which inevitably will impact other people like themselves). And speaking for myself, I believe that I should pay more in taxes.
2 comments
nradov 1507 days ago
Most of us understand the concept of marginal tax rates just fine. We're arguing about the optimal shape of the curve. Everyone (with a few exceptions) seems to prefer that the curve should trend up sharply just past their own income level.
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PaulDavisThe1st 1507 days ago
At least half, and I would say as a hand-waving number, maybe as much as 75% of the comments I see in any online comment thread to any news-y-ish thing demonstrate a complete failure to understand marginal tax rates.

Closer to home: my kids don't understand it. My wife doesn't understand it. Most of my in-laws don't understand it.

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tekknik 1507 days ago
> the only good tax rate is a lower tax rate" propaganda generated over (at least) the last 40 years.

You lost me here. I guess it’s bad to want to keep my money I’ve worked so hard to earn. Must be that propaganda. Or perhaps the socialism propaganda just isn’t working?

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