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akuma587 on 28 April 2009
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mrstickball said:

Actual data tends to agree with my statement, Akuma.

Look at the % of taxes paid by the Top 1% to Top 10% income groups - they increased rapidly after the ERTA was passed. This chart isn't about total revenue, but the distribution, as per my point (lower taxes reduce tax avoidance by the well-to-do)

The chart shows that revenue from the Top 1%, 5%, and 10% all increased under Reagan. I'm not talking just about tax receipts going up under Reagan, but the skewing of where the money came from.

Percentages are all well and good, but percentages =/ actual and real revenue. You can be collecting a higher percentage of revenue from the rich BUT STILL be collecting less money from them than you would otherwise.  A higher percentage does not mean more revenue.  And that is where your logic is ultimately flawed.

Let's say you are taking 50% of 100 - that is 50.  Now let's say you are taking 60% of 70 - that is 42.  The percentage was higher (percentage revenue), but the actual number was lower (actual revenue) because you shrunk the amount of taxable income.  A higher percentage does not mean more revenue overall.  That's basic algebra.

 



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