We often hear this argument:
“I may not pay the same percentage as a working person, but I pay more in total dollars than most people will ever earn.”
Technically, that can be true.
But it completely misses the point.
Because taxes aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet.
They are felt in real life — in rent, groceries, medical bills, car repairs, and whether a single emergency tips a household into crisis.
The confusion around taxes exists because two very different measures of “fair” are being used at the same time.
Look. To be clear about this...taxes, are a privilege to pay. We should stop seeing them as a nightmare. They are part of being a citizen, of being supportive of your country.
However, they should also be fair and equal. And here is where things get very partisan and confused. They should be used appropriately. But also, the question here is, "equal" in what way(s)?
Two Ways People Measure Tax “Fairness”
1. Total Dollars Paid
This is the measure wealthy people usually use.
If someone earns $20 million and pays $4 million in taxes, they can honestly say, “I paid more in taxes than most families will ever make.”
That sounds massive. And in raw numbers, it is.
But after taxes, they still have $16 million.
Their lifestyle, security, healthcare, housing, education, and future are not at risk.
2. Percentage and Survival Pressure
This is how working people experience taxes.
If someone earns $30,000 and pays $6,000 in taxes, that 20% might mean:
-
No emergency savings
-
Delayed medical care
-
No financial buffer at all
-
Chronic stress that never shuts off
That same percentage doesn’t just “reduce income.”
It changes what kind of life is possible.
This is why equal percentages do not create equal reality.
Why Equal Percentages Still Aren’t Equal
Let’s say everyone paid 20%:
-
A person making $30,000 pays $6,000 and struggles to survive.
-
A person making $3 million pays $600,000 and still lives in total security.
-
A person making $300 million pays $60 million and remains untouched by hardship.
The math is equal.
The pain is not.
This is the part that gets ignored most often.
The Part Everyone Avoids Saying Out Loud
The real issue is not:
“Do wealthy people pay a lot?”
The real issue is:
Do they pay enough to feel the same pressure regular people live under every day?
When taxes do not change your life in any meaningful way, they are not a shared burden.
They are a minor administrative inconvenience.
When taxes determine whether you can afford food, rent, medicine, or transportation, they are a form of ongoing vulnerability.
That is not shared sacrifice. That is unequal exposure to risk.
Why the System Feels So Confusing on Purpose
Three things keep this discussion muddled:
-
Politics Follows Money
Those with the most wealth have the most influence over tax rules. -
Wealth Is Romanticized in America
People are taught to identify with future billionaires instead of present reality. Many defend extreme wealth as if they will personally benefit from it someday. -
The Tax Code Is Extremely Complex
Complex systems protect inequality. If few people truly understand the rules, it becomes harder to challenge the results.
What Fairness Would Actually Mean
Fairness does not require that everyone pays the same number of dollars.
Fairness means:
-
The burden feels similar
-
The pressure is shared
-
No group is crushed while another barely notices
Societies do not fall apart because the wealthy are taxed too much.
They fall apart when the bottom breaks while the top grows ever lighter.
The Bottom Line
This debate only feels confusing because one side talks about how much they pay, while the other side lives how much it hurts.
Those are not the same thing.
Until pain and responsibility are shared, the system will never feel fair — because mathematically equal rules do not produce human equality in the real world.
Cheers! Sláinte! Na zdravie!
No comments:
Post a Comment