Taxes

I really like Ezra Klein. This morning, he wrote about what kinds of taxes different regions of the US pay to raise their revenue:

Here's the takeaway - not all taxes are created equal. Income taxes are progressive, in that the more money you make, the proportion of your income you pay; sales taxes are regressive, in that everyone pays the same flat tax (say 6%) on a new pair of socks, whether they make $20,000 a year or $20million.

Obviously, regressive taxes favor rich folk - it means they'd pay less money - and hurt poor folk - if you're poor paying an additional 6% on everything you buy can be a real burden, whereas if you're rich you often don't give it a second thought. I don't really have a point beyond that it's important to keep in mind the different ways we tax people, not just whether or not we tax them. Progressive tax systems are by and large fairer, because they impose a more equal cost relative to each person's earning power.