There’s nothing “unfortunate” about it. That’s just the way it is. I don’t get this fixation among conservatives against “regressive” taxation. Regressive taxes like excise taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes, etc. are often the only way to get even a single penny of tax revenue out of people who don’t pay income or payroll taxes and may even get income tax credits that give them cash refunds that exceed what they paid in income taxes.
Whether these excise taxes are a good idea or not is a legitimate question, but the “regressive” nature shouldn’t even be part of the conversation.
[There’s nothing “unfortunate” about it. That’s just the way it is. I don’t get this fixation among conservatives against “regressive” taxation. Regressive taxes like excise taxes, fuel taxes, sales taxes, etc. are often the only way to get even a single penny of tax revenue out of people who don’t pay income or payroll taxes and may even get income tax credits that give them cash refunds that exceed what they paid in income taxes.
Whether these excise taxes are a good idea or not is a legitimate question, but the “regressive” nature shouldn’t even be part of the conversation. ]