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> just inconceivable.

Unless the primary goal was to transfer tax dollars from the unwashed to the privileged.

Don't be silly, the "unwashed" don't pay taxes. E.g. the bottom 50% pay 2.9% of total income taxes collected.

Edit: Heck, according to the IRS, in 2013 the bottom 20% paid -1.6% (negative 1.6%) of total income tax collected! I assume that's because of the EITC.

The bottom 50% pay a bunch of other taxes. Payroll taxes, sales taxes, taxes on booze, cigarettes, property etc.

Bottom 40% - All Federal Tax - 2013 - 5.6% of tax revenue. Bottom 60% - 16.5% [1]

A good rule of thumb is all state & local taxes paid generally work out to about 1/5th of your mortgage/rent cost. But that's also not funding the F-35. (neither are payroll taxes)

[1] - http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?DocID...

State taxes are systematically less progressive than federal taxes so despite that rule of thumb you can't assume that relationship holds across income levels.

Exactly so. If they were progressive, then a fixed percentage rule would not hold. Being less progressive (more likely a fixed percentage), the rule of thumb is generally more accurate, wouldn't you agree?

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