Debate on Taxes

Controversy will always follow humans where ever we go. Humans have argued over many issues for centuries, often times with no conclusion or “correct” answer ever in sight. One common issue that has been debated since the early 1900s is whether or not the more wealthy individuals in a society should be taxed more heavily than their poorer counterparts. Many have argued over the pros and cons of the taxation of richer people, but when one looks at it objectively, the pros far outweigh the cons. Not only do the pros outweigh the cons, but a question one must ask oneself is whether or not prosperous people really need that extra money? Richer people should be taxed higher because it is better for the economy, social classes will become more even, and the wealthy owe it to the society that helped raise them to become successful.

One reason why the rich should pay higher taxes is that it makes the social classes more even. Recently, social classes have been spreading further and further apart. The rich have been getting richer and the poor have been getting poorer. Raising taxes on the wealthy will help fix this problem as it will take some of that extra money, and be used to improve social welfare. In the 1920s, there were many different tax cuts. The first cuts began in 1922, and continued to occur throughout the 1920s (Crawford). In 1925, the government was encouraging a growing gap between the rich and everyone else because of the tax cuts that benefitted the rich. During this time, the top 1% in wealth increased their share of total income by 19% (Crawford). This hurts the lower and middle classes because that extra money has to come from somewhere, and it hit their pockets hard. The same thing happened not too long ago...

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...r people should be taxed higher because it helps the economy, it helps social classes become closer, and because the affluent owe it to the society that helped raise them.

Works Cited

Crawford, Dan. “The 1920s Depression: Glenn Beck, Thomas Woods, and “Benefits” of Cutting Taxes to Combat a Recession, Part 1.” Angry Bear. n.p. 15 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2012.

Frank, Robert. “Is the Key to Getting Rich Work, Risk, or Luck?” CNBC. CNBC, 10 June 2013. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Judis, John B. “Rein in the Rich: How Higher Taxes Could Lift the Economy.” New Republic. The New Republic, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Strasser, Annie-Rose. “5 Reasons Americans Are Right to Blame Bush for the Economy.” ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 14 June 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.

Ydstie, John. “Raising Taxes on the Rich: Canny or Counterproductive?” NPR. NPR, 30 Nov. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.