A more progressive tax system makes people happier

Physorg.com ^ | Sept. 6th, 2011 | Association for Psychological Science

[ConservativeMind]

I guess I'd be happier if others paid everything for me, too.

The US ought to be one of happiest places, as roughly 50% of all households don't pay income tax, simply due to all the rest doing so on their behalf.

This is a senseless study, but it will be used by "progressives" to bolster their positions.

[allmost]

Friggin physorg reads like algore’s toilet paper sometimes.

[occamrzr06]

You forgot the barf alert.

[the invisib1e hand]

A more progressive tax system makes people happier -- Association for Psychological Science

The purpose of a university education is train the "prophets of socialism." -- From a book called "The History of Socialism" that I came a cross in a public library a half a lifetime ago. It was from the 50's or 60's, I'd guess, and it the bit I read detailed how socialism was to be propagated on a model lifted from the Church, with "prophets", "evangelists," and what have you.

[the invisib1e hand]

I guess I'd be happier if others paid everything for me, too.

Not if you had a conscience, you wouldn't. You'd be miserable.

[TwoSwords]

We’d need warp speed to reach these people. They’re pretty far out there.

[KingKongCobra]

What a load. I wonder if they polled Russia, China, Cuba and North Korea. Let’s see what happens when we get to the maximum levels of government control.

[richardtavor]

It is not a senseless study, but a BS study.

[doc1019]

I would think that a flat tax would make more people happy or even national sales tax rate. Either one would work better then the convoluted tax code we have to live by.

[Tzimisce]

[pieceofthepuzzle]

The presumption of the left is that those who have or make more money than others are just ‘lucky’, if not greedy. There is no recognition for having worked harder, nor any admission that having less can be the result of making less of an effort. It's always someone else’s fault.

[takenoprisoner]

“If the goal of societies is to make citizens happy, tax policy matters,” he says. “Certain policies, like tax progressivity, seem to be more conducive to the happiness of the people.”

So folks are happier if they pay more taxes?

[andyk]

The degree of progressivity was measured by the difference between the highest and lowest tax rates

That would seem to exclude those people who pay no income taxes. Looking at the simple different between the highest and lowest rates doesn't seem like a very good way of weighing the progressivity of a tax system. I think you would really need to look at the degree to which the rates are applied to taxable income as a whole. It's irrelevant regardless, IMHO, since the purpose of taxation is simply to pay for government.

[newheart]

If it is true it is solely because they have convinced themselves that the government is the best way to provide for others what people ought to do either directly or through the Church. Outsourced charity is not genuine charity.

[ClaudiusI]

Of course they’re happy, they’ve learned to love Big Brother.

[D-fendr]

It’s true:

46 happy Pauls for every unhappy Peter.

[mylife]

Yes, Yes...

Envy and Jealousy are good for mental health. /s

[djf]

A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

Plank 2.
Chapter II. Proletarians and Communists
The Communist Manifesto

[null and void]

Are these that same people who tried to sell us “funemployed” last year?

[Rembrandt]

It would be great if everybody in the U.S. were able to participate in supporting the country in which they live. That means that everyone, yes even the streetcorner people, pay some amount of tax; that would be good for their self-esteem and good for the country.