What is Progressive Taxation?

A progressive tax system reduces the tax burden of people with a lower ability-to-pay, and demands more from people with a higher ability-to-pay.

In this video I interview Zach Schiller of Policy Matters Ohio.
Some of my thoughts on progressive taxation are as follows...

I've heard Kasich say that high taxes on the excess money of the affluent, punish success. High taxes on the upper income of the affluent don't punish success, because success is being a good person and making good things happen in the world. That kind of success is its own reward, and average everyday people are intrinsically motivated to contribute in that way. When a person is emotionally healthy, and they have an area of talent, they like to express that talent for the sake of promoting the common good/general welfare.


Having lots of money is not success. That's just having lots of money. Why should anyone have lots of money when other people are going without? Ben Franklin, one of the founding fathers would agree with me. And the Jesus character in the bible told a rich man to sell all he had and give the money to the poor, so he might have agreed with me too. I personally believe that everyone on the planet can have a middle class level of economic security, and that Western Europe is a good model for what that can look like. The carbon footprint of the average European is only two or three planets, and with the direction they're moving with renewable energy, they will soon be down to one planet each, a sustainable level. And the lifestyle is one that any human could feel comfortable living.

If you've got an addiction to seeking wealth and power, you need therapy. Your addiction is endangering ecological balance and preventing economic justice and world peace.

A book I recommend is "The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better."

Another one is, "Europe's Promise" by Steven Hill

Another benefit of a very progressive tax system, would be to decrease concentrations of wealth and power. When wealth concentrates in too few hands, it translates to political power and undermines democracy.

Another benefit of a progressive tax system is it would help us generate revenue for things that make America a better place.

Progressive tax structures help expand the middle class, and when the middle class grows in size, it's growing because people who used to live in poverty are being lifted up into the middle class. So when you fight for the middle class, you're really fighting to wipe out poverty.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Progressive Tax
• Zach Schiller
• Policy Matters Ohio

[laurenmichellekinsey]

@USMCSEALofApproval That's right. They would only pay the higher rate on the $5,000 they earned beyond the $200,000.  They wouldn't have to pay $5,000 in taxes, they would just have to pay 35% of that $5,000, or whatever the higher rate was....

[USMCSEALofApproval]

Let's say a person makes 205,000 and the cut off is 200,000. That person would only pay 5,000 at the higher tax rate.