Progressive Taxation: supported by Adam Smith and most economists - New England Patriots Forums

Phokus · 10-03-2009, 05:55 PM

I was doing a bit of research about the flat tax/progressive tax and i came upon some surprising quotes/stats on who was in favor of progressive taxation

Quote:

The idea of a progressive tax has garnered support from economists and political scientists of many different ideologies - ranging from Adam Smith to Karl Marx, although there are differences of opinion about the optimal level of progressivity. Some economists[15] trace the origin of modern progressive taxation to Adam Smith, who wrote in The Wealth of Nations:

The necessaries of life occasion the great expense of the poor. They find it difficult to get food, and the greater part of their little revenue is spent in getting it. The luxuries and vanities of life occasion the principal expense of the rich, and a magnificent house embellishes and sets off to the best advantage all the other luxuries and vanities which they possess. A tax upon house-rents, therefore, would in general fall heaviest upon the rich; and in this sort of inequality there would not, perhaps, be anything very unreasonable. It is not very unreasonable that the rich should contribute to the public expense, not only in proportion to their revenue, but something more than in that proportion.[16]

Quote:

In most western European countries and the United States, advocates of progressive taxation tend to be found among the majority of economists and social scientists, many of whom believe that completely proportional taxation is not a possibility.[18][19] In the U.S., an overwhelming majority of economists (81%) support progressive taxation.[18][19]

Chris Rock had a bit about alimony and i think it's a great analogy to how bad an idea the flat tax is:

"If you're making 20 million, your wife want 10, big deal, you ain't starving. But if you're making 30 thousand and your wife want 15, you just might have to kill her!"

YouTube - Chris Rock - Alimony

EDIT:

Oh one more interesting thing

Apparently pretty much all developed western countries support progressive taxation while former communist states support flat taxation:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fl..._in_Europe.svg

Progressive taxation: Supported by 81% of economists, the father of capitalism Adam Smith, and pretty much all developed western nations

Flat Taxation: Supported by former commie states and idiots

Why the hell do conservatives even keep talking about the flat tax again?

Real World · 10-03-2009, 06:17 PM

I don't think the issue is progressive taxation. Most people, like myself, don't have a problem with the general concept. The problem some people have with it, like with most anything, is the specifics.