I am not sidestepping anything, I'm simply commenting on data I have seen which presents Federal income taxes and income broken into various income categories.

I just presented you with data. Add 12.4% to the marginal tax rate paid by those earning under $94,200, and add 2.9% to the marginal tax rate paid by those earning over $94,200.

Now, tell me that you believe it leaves the distribution of income tax paid by income quartile unchanged. No, of course you know that looking at the full incidence increases the share paid by the lower quintiles and reduces the share paid by the upper quintiles.

And qualitative information is still information. I told you that income inequality has increased. Therefore if the upper 20% face the same average tax incidence, that means that they have evaded the increase in tax incidence that they ought to pay as a result of acquiring a large share of the national income. That is straightforward, and pretending to fail to see it is simply a rhetorical ploy.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.