Our Maryland socialist governor O Malley passed two increased taxes on the rich. Unexpectedly*** he collected less revenue from the rich than even before the tax increase. But I think you may miss the REAL reason why liberals raise taxes on the RICH. It’s not to collect more money from the rich specifically even though they argue that.
They raise taxes on the rich as a softener to raise taxes on ‘us’, the non-rich. O Malley also raised the state sales tax (and wants congress to enforce it across state lines) and the alcohol tax and the tabacco tax and is now looking to raise the gasoline tax. But we are supposed to feel better about it because the rich got soaked.
They may or may not raise taxes and "fees" on the middle class. It certainly makes sense, from their evil point of view, to raise taxes on the rich first if they are indeed going to tax the little people, e. g. O'Malley. But in either case it serves their purposes to appear to be a "friend of the lower classes."
Obama, for example, seems to want to keep "payroll taxes" at their current low level (he will be out of office before the true effects become obvious), and if he can couple it with "tax the rich -- take it or leave it," he gives the GOP the dilemma of:
1) Voting against the extension of the lower "Payroll tax" rates and thereby giving him a weapon to use against them
2) Voting for a "tax on the rich," and thereby making them GHWB-style traitors
Neither will work if voters are smart, but.....