Best Argument for a Progressive Income Tax (vs a flat tax)  ⚐

It’s sometimes hard to explain to someone why a flat tax is inherently unfair.

“How is it unfair if everyone pays 10%?”

That statement is hard to argue with, unless the person you’re arguing with is able to have a nuanced discussion about tax burden and how a dollar is worth more to someone at one end of the wealth spectrum than it is to someone at the other.

This little sketch by David Akadjian does a good job of making that argument without needing to be particularly nuanced:

David Akadjian, 2016

The established rich pay less, everyone else pays more.

Another way to say this is that the wealthy and established are making it harder and harder for people to get ahead by shifting the burden onto those who are just starting out. This hurts small businesses and rewards larger, established businesses.