Letter: Other people’s money

I keep hearing that the rich are not paying their fair share in taxes. The last person I heard that comment from I challenged them to tell me what should the rich fair share should be.

He couldn’t or wouldn’t answer.

I really think people just spout out what they hear other people say without thinking the answer through. A little fact checking with the Tax Foundation showed that the highest rate during the Roaring ‘20s was 25 percent. That was bumped up to 63 percent and then to 79 percent (during the Great Depression) and once again to 94 percent (during WWII).

The government needed more money, so the participation rate during those years went from 7 percent to 64 percent of the general population.

After the war, the rate gradually dropped from 91 percent down to 39.6 percent today.

Sometimes, I wonder why people are so worried about another person’s money.

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 11:25 AM with the headline "Letter: Other people’s money."