I remain confused on why some continue to push for higher taxes as in Phyllis Murphey”s Jan. 5 opinion letter “Get the facts straight.” One stated reason is that we need more tax revenue to pay for government services and lower the national debt. If that is the reason, we should keep tax rates where they are or lower them. In the 60s, JFK recognized that high tax rates were crippling the US economy. He significantly lowered the rates especially for the top marginal brackets and the economy rebounded. The result was increased tax revenues following this tax rate decrease. A lower rate but much higher earnings to tax. Reagan in the 80s faced a similar weak economy and followed in JFK”s path by making significant cuts to all marginal tax rates. Wow, the same thing happened. The lower rates expanded the economy and provided greatly increased tax revenues. Even Bush”s tax rate reductions to the top marginal brackets resulted in those “millionaires” producing increased tax revenue following the rate reductions. For more detail on the relationship between tax rates and tax revenues throughout history do an Internet search on the Laffer Curve. However, possibly the reason for the continued cry to raise taxes on the successful is to redistribute this wealth; an attempt to pull even more funds from the private sector for redistribution by the public sector. Many seem to applaud this approach but history shows it never succeeds, for either the successful or the less successful. True prosperity for all results from freedom and liberty, a small government and a free market. Those are real facts.
Ed Calkins
Kelseyville
