The long-time Washington Post columnist devoted 800 words over the weekend to a sophistic rant about the superiority of proportional (i.e. flat) taxation to progressive taxation.
It’s the kind of opinion column that will appeal to other conservatives and perhaps to individuals who have never considered the issue of how to structure taxes before. But the most remarkable thing about it is that Will can’t even make a good case that Will himself prefers flat taxes to progressive taxes.
Before the end of the third paragraph, for instance, he allows that, “Society should prevent extreme privation, no matter how far the top earners are from those near the bottom.” This is another way of saying government shouldn’t take from the indigent, no matter how essential the needs of the polity—or, that even in a world where taxpayers pay the same marginal rate, the poor should pay no taxes at all.
We’ve established what kind of person he is (the kind who thinks progressive taxes are good)—now we’re just haggling over the price.