>> Under this tax “reform” charade, liberals plan to further heap the burden of taxation on the income quintile that already pays the majority of income taxes. <<
This line is a wonderful example of the gaping disconnect between Republican rhetoric and the middle-class experience. While the AMT is a dastardly thing, tying it to fix the “injustice” that the quintile that has the most income pays the most income tax is bound to infuriate 79% of voters who aren’t hard-core Republicans. The injustice is that the AMT overrides tax exemptions whose purpose it is to make sure that middle-class people weren’t falsely presumed to have great wealth.
Not only that, but the “burden of taxation” should include all taxes - Social Security, Medicare, unemployment, etc - minus all benefits.
When you look at things that way, the highest quintile still pays the most in taxes... but they also earn the most... when you look at their total burden as a % of income, it is the highest.
But not THAT much higher than the next rung down the ladder...