You don't pay more. There is an important fact that rarely gets mentioned in the taxation debate (by either side): the U.S. tax system is much more progressive than in similar developed countries: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2013/04/05/ameri.... The top 10% in the U.S. carry much more of the tax burden relative to their share of the income (33.5% of income, but 45% of taxes). In Germany, for example, the top 10% earn 29% of income and pay 31% of taxes.
Middle class people in the United States pay very low taxes. I met a young woman from Germany, who has a typical entry-level desk job at a logistics company. Her tax bill was about 40%, which is level only high-income people here in the U.S. would pay. A typical middle class family eligible for the various deductions pays about 25% in state and federal taxes.
My two cents: A welfare state requires buy in from the population. You can't have a successful one just taxing the rich heavily to pay for middle class benefits like college and expensive old-age care. You need to flatten the tax curve and raise taxes on everyone to pay for services you expect everyone to use. People need to feel like they are getting something from the system, not just being forced to fund it.
Middle class people in the United States pay very low taxes. I met a young woman from Germany, who has a typical entry-level desk job at a logistics company. Her tax bill was about 40%, which is level only high-income people here in the U.S. would pay. A typical middle class family eligible for the various deductions pays about 25% in state and federal taxes.
My two cents: A welfare state requires buy in from the population. You can't have a successful one just taxing the rich heavily to pay for middle class benefits like college and expensive old-age care. You need to flatten the tax curve and raise taxes on everyone to pay for services you expect everyone to use. People need to feel like they are getting something from the system, not just being forced to fund it.