Here is a summary of the statistics for the distribution of wealth in the US as
of 1998, the most recent information available that has been fully analyzed:
% of US Population % of Wealth Owned
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Top 1% 38.1%
Top 96-99% 21.3%
Top 90-95% 11.5%
Top 80-89% 12.5%
Top 60-79% 11.9%
General 40-59% 4.5%
Bottom 40% 0.2%
You can find this illustrated in a graph at United for a Fair Economy (UFE):
http://www.ufenet.org/research/wealth_charts.html
Tax Policy Center's Distribution of Tax Burden 2001
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/TaxFa....cfm?Docid=220
Using both the chart posted and the link to the other chart, do the math, the top 20% of tax payers possess approx. 83.4% of the wealth. ( I arrived at the number from adding the % of wealth of the top 20% in the top chart). In 2002, the top 20% carried approx. 67% of the tax burden ( I arrived at this number by adding the Share of Fed. Taxes Post-EGTRRA of the top 20%). The lowest 40% of the population has .2 % of the wealth and carry approx 5% of the tax burden. So in my eyes, yes the tax burden that each group pays is not proportionate and levy more of the burden on the poor.
-Demosthenes