Regarding the letter “We need fair taxation to end wealth inequality” (Jan. 7, TribLIVE): “Fair share” is liberal speak when arguing that our tax system is unfair, because in their opinion, the wealthy are not paying enough taxes. They are careful not to define what a “fair share” would be. That way, no matter what changes might be made in the tax laws, they can always claim that the wealthy are not paying their “fair share.”

According to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, in 2020, the top 25% of wage earners paid 89% of the total income taxes collected. I wonder if this is a “fair share” in the letter- writer’s mind. Probably not.

Roughly 50% of wage earners pay no income tax at all. They have no skin in the game, yet they get the same and probably more benefits from the federal government than the people who actually pay taxes. Is paying no taxes in this case a “fair share”? Probably so, in her mind.

Well-run corporations build any taxes that they anticipate owing into the prices they charge. Thus the consumers actually pay the taxes on corporate profits. Want to see your prices go up? Ask Congress to raise the corporate tax rate and take away all of the corporate tax exemptions. You’ll see the unintended consequence of price hikes to the consumer.

For the past two years, the Democrats ran Washington. They could have passed legislation that would have forced the corporations to pay more taxes. Ask them why they didn’t.

Ralph Dunsworth

Oviedo, Fla.

The writer is a former Murrysville resident.

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