Here's my take on it. I don't care how rich you are, no one should ever willingly pay more. They should fight tooth and nail to keep as much as they can. With THAT said, the rich do not pay their fair share. Looking at raw numbers on paper, someone like Mitt Romney pays more than I do if we're both paying roughly 15% (I believe most of his 'income' is taxed at 16%) but in the real world, I pay more. That 15% I lose out on is a significant chunk. I look at my check and dream about all those taxes taken out and I'd be doing ten kinds of awesome if I could keep it all. My lifestyle would benefit with lower taxes. You think Mitt Romney is hurting, or would be hurt, if he would pay 3% more? Please.
Again, never trust the tax man. Just because Obama is in favor of returing the tax rates to Clinton era rates, doesn't mean they'll stop there. So fight, fight, fight. Don't just hand over your cash even if you have more than God. On the other side of that coin, don't tell me paying more is 'punishing success' when the gap between rich and poor has grown considerably over the past few decades (And had another nice boost thanks to the Bush era tax cuts, still in effect.)
Going back to Mitt Romney, I believe most of his money is made from the market which is taxed differently than someone making their fortune through salary. Again, I believe most of his money is taxed at 16%. Love it or hate it, our system rises and falls based on market fluctuations. And we need investments. Doesn't matter how many times 401k's and personal finances are wiped out due to Wall Street greed, there will never be any significant change to our current market. Deal with it. So I'm in favor of lower taxes imposed on trades. Though I'm not sure such a low amount is fair. But who am I to punish 'success' ...
