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Progressive Income Tax

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In America, we enjoy freedoms that we often take for granted. We have the power to decide things for ourselves, such as our leaders, our rights, and our liberties. We have the ability to debate and evaluate the effectiveness and the relevance of a law or bill, and we must use this power when it comes to the methods of taxation. Currently, the US uses a progressive income tax as its means to raise revenue. Deborah Lee and Richard A. Grant, in “Counterpoint: Expanding Sales Taxes Helps the Rich, Hurts the Poor,” believe that a progressive income tax is the fairest and most constructive ways to fund the government, and that such a tax benefits the poor more than a sales tax. Lee and Grant start their argument with wisdom, declaring that government must have a way to tax their citizens. Political establishments must have funds to protect, serve, and govern their people. This is the way it has been since the beginning of time. Politicians often use tax code as a background for their campaign, promising major changes. In order to determine the best …show more content…

They use figures to show to separate families of differing incomes. One has an income $12,000 and another has an income $120,000. Next, they estimate a cost of living at $600 and $48 in taxes from a state with an 8 percent sales tax. The low-income family pays “4.8 percent of their income” and the high-income family pays “less than one-half of one percent of their income.” The point they are trying to make is that a sales tax hurts the poor, and a progressive income tax does not burden the poor. However, progressive income taxes might look like a good solution but they have hidden consequences. Companies have to pay large amounts of money due to the income tax and they put that hidden burden on their customers, driving prices up to cover the big business taxes. When the poverty stricken buy something they are really paying the high business

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