Quote:
Originally Posted by The12thMan";p="
According to the latest stats available at irs.gov for the year 2003, the top 5% had an income share of 32.53% and a tax share of 53.52%.
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You're getting your data from the Tax Foundation, aren't you?
Even taking their analysis at face value, if you factor in the IRS estimate that it only captures 70% of nonwage income, then the income share for the wealthy should be adjusted upward to about 46.5%, since they have the vast majority of nonwage income. At that point you're getting pretty close to a flat tax.
And, as always, that analysis ignores payroll taxes, property taxes and sales taxes, all of which hit the less affluent (as a percentage of income) far more heavily than they do the rich.