A few years ago I posted about marginal tax rates on Facebook and was genuinely shocked at the number of my friends—including those who had gone to elite colleges—who didn’t understand what they were. I think they had been misled by exactly the kind of dishonest conservative messaging you’re describing here. I love your idea for a website to explain marginal tax rates that looks right-wing.
I've always wondered the same about Duverger's Law. Any ignorance is more likely to hurt the Democrats, so why don't they do more to educate the public on it?
But given that it's the name of your Substack, maybe you have a future article in the works?
Seems to me that a flat tax is not an important point for Republicans and that when they do (rarely) seriously propose it they always do so as a flat tax with a sizable deduction, such as 20% for all income over $50k or similar. Considering the working lower and middle class are key demographics of the right, I cannot see why they would want to risk pissing them off (as opposed to wealthy coastal elites who vote democrat).
The actual Republican leadership is well aware of how the tax system works and would almost certainly keep some sort of deduction in there. But the article is definitely correct - there are plenty of people I've encountered who think that your marginal tax rate applies to everything, and it surely generates some sort of sympathy for millionaires when they hear a Democrat propose, say, a 50% tax rate on the rich and don't realize that this person would already be getting a lower tax rate on their first million.
A few years ago I posted about marginal tax rates on Facebook and was genuinely shocked at the number of my friends—including those who had gone to elite colleges—who didn’t understand what they were. I think they had been misled by exactly the kind of dishonest conservative messaging you’re describing here. I love your idea for a website to explain marginal tax rates that looks right-wing.
I've always wondered the same about Duverger's Law. Any ignorance is more likely to hurt the Democrats, so why don't they do more to educate the public on it?
But given that it's the name of your Substack, maybe you have a future article in the works?
Seems to me that a flat tax is not an important point for Republicans and that when they do (rarely) seriously propose it they always do so as a flat tax with a sizable deduction, such as 20% for all income over $50k or similar. Considering the working lower and middle class are key demographics of the right, I cannot see why they would want to risk pissing them off (as opposed to wealthy coastal elites who vote democrat).
The actual Republican leadership is well aware of how the tax system works and would almost certainly keep some sort of deduction in there. But the article is definitely correct - there are plenty of people I've encountered who think that your marginal tax rate applies to everything, and it surely generates some sort of sympathy for millionaires when they hear a Democrat propose, say, a 50% tax rate on the rich and don't realize that this person would already be getting a lower tax rate on their first million.