One of the tenets of Karl Marx was the establishment of a "progressive tax" system as a society "evolved" to a Communist State. Interesting that the "new" Russians went to a flat tax (and revenue went up!) and we have the tangled, progressive mess that punishes achievement. The dirty little secret that special interests don't want you to know is that the abolishment of the personal tax code replaced with a national sales tax would send more money to the treasury. Do you think that people who are paid mostly in cash actually pay taxes on their true earnings? There is a great underground economy that the W-2 worker is supporting on their backs.
For the liberals on this board I ask, " If I get a second job to help my family which brings in more money (and puts me in a new tax bracket) why should I be penalized by paying more in taxes?" Overlly simplistic question I know but I'm tired of all the lawyerly parceling of words. Hard work should not be penalized.