• Dr. Bluefall@toast.ooo
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    1 year ago

    The issue with a flat tax system, though, is that the value behind each dollar is different for different classes of people.

    $20 is chump change for a billionaire. $20 for a middle class person might be some nice takeout for an evening. $20 could mean whether or not a working poor person can eat that day, or if they have to save what money they have for rent or electricity.

    A flat tax system isn’t actually “flat”, not in practice. It’d be more accurate to describe it as “regressive”.

    • corroded@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I agree with you, but wouldn’t a flat percentage fix this? Something like everyone pays 20% tax on all earned and unearned income, no exceptions.

      • Dr. Bluefall@toast.ooo
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        1 year ago

        No, because you’re charging people the same effective rate regardless of their ability to pay.

        Someone in the 0.1% of the 0.1% can afford to give a lot more of their income than someone in the bottom 25%. As such, a flat tax rate would negatively impact lower income taxpayers compared to high-earners.

        Hence why I described it as “regressive” in my earlier comment.