It is amazing to me how a newspaper like The Sun can make statements in its editorials that are abject lies. You stated that the GOP has responded negatively to the Buffett Rule which is supposed to make sure "that millionaires will pay at a tax rate that is at least comparable to what middle-class American must pay." However, a chart published the same day as your editorial in the Wall Street Journal shows that the Buffett Rule premise is false. In 2008, which is the last year for which such data is available from the IRS, the following chart shows the average tax rates paid by adjusted gross income (AGI) is as follows:
$1,000,000 and up 23.3 percent
$500,000-$1,000,000 24.1 percent
$200,000-$500,000 19.6 percent
$100,000-$200,00012.7 percent
$50,000-$100,000 8.9 percent
$30,000-$50,000 7.2 percent
This looks progressive and not regressive to me.
The reason that the rate for the $1 million and up bracket exceeds that for the $500,000-$1 million bracket is that a greater proportion of the earnings in this bracket is from capital gains, which are taxed at 15 percent, rather than at the higher marginal tax rates for individuals. I would think that a reputable newspaper would do a fact check before drawing conclusions that are clearly wrong. Blatant errors such as this, which try to validate the policies of our president, severely diminish your credibility, which, along with the Internet, is among the many reasons why your subscription base has and will continue to decline in future years.
Allan G. Richmond, Baltimore