Soaking Rich Cite Needed

J Cullen reporter at eden.com
Tue Dec 8 12:48:46 PST 1998


Can anybody on this list tell me how the wealthiest income category's share of tax payments has fluctuated over the past five, 10 or 20 years, and how that relates to other income categories' share of tax payments?

Following is an exchange from a Reform Party list in which a respondent claimed that the "higest incomes pay a larger perchantage of the total tax bill than ever in the history of the country." That claim strikes me as false, but I can't find any figures to support my suspicion.

He doesn't say what constitutes the highest incomes, but let's say the top 20%--or come up with your own threshold if you prefer.

Thanks,

-- Jim Cullen

Jim Cullen wrote:
>> During the past four years the rich got their tax breaks and the
>> corporations got more special interests written into legislation while
>> health, safety and environmental standards were relaxed. Meanwhile,
>> assembly-line workers watched their jobs exported in the name of free
>trade
>> while mothers on welfare were told to find a job.
>>

Wealth Apologist replied
>
>I really tire of class warfare - really tire of class envy. It is time
>to stop pitting one group against another. I am not of the "rich", but I
>resent the inaccurate statement indicating the "rich" got their tax
>breaks. The higest incomes pay a larger perchantage of the total tax
>bill than ever in the history of the country. It is precisely because of
>the double whammy of so called "progressives", AKA socialists, and the
>Republican fascists (both sides of the same coin), that we have the
>terrible confiscatory tax rates we have now.

---------------------------------------- THE PROGRESSIVE POPULIST James M. Cullen, Editor P.O. Box 150517, Austin, Texas 78715-0517 Phone: 512-447-0455 Internet: populist at usa.net Home page: http://www.populist.com ----------------------------------------



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