“Greed and power continue to get in the way of true equality.”

  If the government needs more resources for education, mental health or social security, the rich can supply a larger portion of funds through taxes, so there is more money for those things. A straightforward way the government could bring in more money when needed, is through taxing the rich more. The wealthy can afford higher taxes, and since they have benefited the most from the economy, it makes sense to give some of that money to the poor.

   Vast differences in wealth can lead to things like the Wall Street Crash in 1929 — the worst economic event in history. Economic growth can still occur despite a rise in taxes; the rich will not become poor because of these taxes. Raised taxes can help the economy grow quicker. The raise is not to punish taxpayers, but to make them equal.

   Something important to understand is where federal tax dollars go. Government debt, social security, healthcare, national defense, veterans’ benefits, safety net programs, education, infrastructure and salaries are all paid for with taxes. Within that, health and education only make up about 5% of the taxes. “I think the core issue with progressive tax policy is who do we want to make decisions in our economy: billionaires or democracy?” Marshall Steinbaum, an Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Utah. There is more than one issue when diving into taxes. Who is getting taxed? What amount? What control do people have over where taxes go? Tax paying civilians should be able to fill out where they want their tax money to go and how much of it they want there. Education and healthcare should be the highest priorities, yet they only receive about 2-5% of tax money. People can protest and educate their peers about these taxes, and hopefully change will follow. It will not be simple, but it is necessary.

   Another factor playing into this is social backlash. A rise in taxes will create a hatred toward the rich from poor and middle-class people, encouraging a class war situation to erupt. Economic inequality is already present, not because of the rich, but because resources are distributed based on class, gender, sexuality, race and more. Taxes are not the root of these issues; it is discrimination and power that others have too much of.

   Paying taxes is not only a civil duty, but a law. So, how are the rich avoiding their taxes? Former President Donald Trump claimed losses that wiped out income tax bills. Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk both claimed to owe zero dollars in income tax in 2018. They avoid taxes by investing in stocks or other investments that have real value, but do not get taxed year to year. Some ways that the rich could be taxed includes adding a surtax for wealthy individuals, increasing ordinary income and capital gains tax rates, creating a tax on net worth and increasing IRS funds. If the rich are making such a huge amount of money, an increase in their taxes or simply paying taxes in general, should not be difficult. Greed and power continue to get in the way of true equality.

   “We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”— Winston Churchill