Hughes 1

Tessa Hughes
Gardner
H English 10/ 4
10 May 2016
Dont Punish Their Decisions
Were you raised being told that life was not fair? Do you believe that life should be fair?
Or at least certain aspects of life? Well, many wealthy individuals believe that life should only be
fair for them; they are under the impression that they are superior to those who dont have or
make as much money as they do. Today we live in a society where tax equality is a law, and the
burden of taxation is dispersed throughout the classes fairly (Equality). Tax equality is
important because those who make $1,000,000 should not be taxed the same amount as people
who make $50,000, because there yearly incomes are different. Reductions in income tax rates,
cuts to welfare, and financial deregulation have also helped make the rich richer and, in some
instances, the poor poorer (Bourguignon). In the United States there is the progressive law; one
that taxes those with higher incomes more. By rising taxes for those who make more, the
government is attempting to create tax equality for U.S. citizens (people, property, children, and
opposed). Tax equality should be strengthened because individuals should not be penalized: for
carrying a job that they love, for maintaining a job to support their family, or for working a low
paying job to help others and not just themselves.
Some believe that the wealthier should not pay more taxes feel that the richer are simply
more productive, luckier, and given more power in their company (Krugman). It is not their fault
that they are more motivated and are given different opportunities than those who are paid less,
right? They are paid more for a reason and the wealthy believe they have the right to spend their

Hughes 2

money however they choose. 68% of taxes paid are paid by the wealthy (anyone who makes
more than $250,000 yearly), due to their higher income, so they are taxed at a higher rate
(Federal Budget in Pictures). Since the rich are already paying for 68% of the nations taxes
they should not be asked to pay more. The rich conclude that they shouldnt pay more because
there will always be tax inequality, and that inequality can be broken down into three causes:
productivity, luck, and power. Due to the belief that some people are just capable of making a
contribution hundreds or thousands of times greater than average, (Krugman). The wealthy
consider their higher wages as proof that they work harder than an individual that gets paid less.
They also believe that they are richer because they just happen to be in the right place at the
right time (Krugman). They wealthy credit their profits to sheer luck, claiming that they should
not be blamed for making such large sums of money. Lastly, it is proposed that those who are
placed in a higher position at work make more money because they can set their salary or trick
naive investors into giving them more money. This reasoning takes aspects of both productivity
and luck; the wealthy worked their way to the top and were given the opportunity to decide how
much they make. The rich, in turn, have used their privilege to shape policies that further
increase the concentration of wealth, often against the wishes and interests of the middle and
lower classes. (Ingleheart) It is true, some of these reasons may factor into why some make
more than others, but having that rule or idea apply to everyone is unfair. Some people choose to
have a high paying job but may not enjoy the work they are doing. Others may love the work
they are accomplishing but sacrificed having a higher salary for being happy. Ones pay
ultimately come down to the power of decision.
Sadly, we live in a society where money is a driving force, so no matter what job you
pursue money will always dictate your lifes possibilities. Since one person decides to pursue a

Hughes 3

different lifestyle than another person that wants to make more money; they shouldnt be
punished for their decision. Bloomberg wrote about a young couple quit their high paying jobs,
bought a boat, and opened a pizza restaurant on it on the coast. The couple, Tara and Sasha
Bouis, got bored of the life they worked so hard for, abandoning it for a life that brought them
back to a simpler time: their youth. Living in a simpler place, always so close together provides
them with experiences and teaches them lessons they never would have received if they stayed in
New York. Living in close corridors strengthens Tara and Sasha's relationship and provides other
benefits that would not have been given if they kept their corporate jobs. Living these unique
experiences all while making pizza is a lifestyle that is not for all but should not be criticized.
This young couple live a very different life than those who make millions a year, but are just as,
if not more, happy than the wealthy. This couple still consider themselves as rich and should not
be penalized with greater taxes just because they chose to lead a different life with nonstereotype wealth. Just because this one couple attempted to not let money dictate their lives,
having to pay outrageous high percents of their yearly income for taxes is still controlling this
couples lifestyle. Income tax can constantly loom over someones life, no matter how they
choose to consume it, and being forced to spend large sums of their earnings is not fair.
Tax equality should be kept as a law because it allows people that want to work to help
others remain happy. Tim Owens, a reporter, wrote an article about Christopher Mullally, a man
who started a nonprofit to help end hunger in Somalia. After Mullally heard the statistic that
600,000 children in Somalia could die of starvation he decided to take action. Mullally ended up
raising one million dollars and his nonprofit is continuing to help starving children in Somalia.
By starting and continuing his nonprofit Mullally gave time and effort to a project that could
have fallen through or gotten too hard, Mullally claims that there were times that he felt like

Hughes 4

quitting (Mullally). This energy and time may have been better spent on other items, such as a
high paying job he was qualified for, but he decided to dedicate his time to helping starving
children on the brink of dying. Should a man that is devoted to help keep hungry children alive
be punished? Should a higher percent of his salary be taken away just because he chooses to earn
less to help more? The answer is no, taxation equality should be law because it keeps people
such as Mullally from over paying for all of his charity work.
But ultimately, the bottom line is, no matter what, any hard-working employee with a
family works for one reason and one reason only: their family. Their whole goal, no matter who
they are, is to provide for their loved ones, give them a roof over their heads, food on the table,
everything they need they want to give them. But in order to provide for their family some may
not get to be picky about their work. If they were given the responsibility to care for another
human life earlier on in life without outside help, college may not be an option, therefore
eliminating the opportunity for a higher paying job but that is no excuse. That person can not
choose not to work. They have to go and work however long and however hard to make any sort
of money for their children, taking what they can get. For them there is no other option. Those
who have no other option make up 3.9% of the United States working population; they work for
or below minimum wage just to make money. While this percentage may appear extremely low,
around 2011 this percent consists of three million Americans (Ratio of Minimum Wage to
Average Wage). This means that there are three million Americans that work all hours of the
day for practically nothing for their family. This work could be equally, if not harder, to make a
miniscule amount of money compared to the rich. Since the wealthy dont have as much to lose,
like a home or a meal for their family, if one day they decide not to work as hard as the last, they

Hughes 5

take for granted what they have. They are under the impression that more money means more
work accomplished, but the reality is more money means more support for their family.
Life is all about decisions, and people shouldnt be punished for making decisions that
make them happy or for not having a choice at all. If someone chooses to work to support their
family, to make the happier, or to benefit others they should not be penalized with having to pay
more in taxes since they wanted a lesser paying job that makes them happy. Tax equality will
make the nation we live in fair, not just tolerable but enjoyable. Do you really want to live in a
society where one's happiness comes at a price?

Works Cited
Bourguignon, Francois. "Inequality and Globalization." Foreign Affairs. Jan/Feb 2016: 11. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Apr. 2016

"Equality." TheFreeDictionary.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

Hughes 6

"Federal Budget in Pictures." Top 10 Percent of Earners Paid 68 Percent of Federal Income

Inglehart, Ronald. "Inequality and Modernization." Foreign Affairs. Jan/Feb 2016: 2. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Apr. 2016

Krugman, Paul. "Is Vast Inequality Necessary?." New York Times. 15 Jan. 2016: A.31. SIRS
Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Apr. 2016.

Mullally, Chris, and Tim Owens. "Real Stories: I Started My Own Nonprofit."ONE. N.p., 21
Dec. 2012. Web. 03 May 2016.

"Ratio of Minimum Wage to Average Wage, circa 2011." Characteristics of Minimum Wage

(2014): n. pag. Web. 3 May 2016.

"Taxation - Equality." - People, Property, Children, and Imposed. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.

"This Couple Dropped Everything to Open a Pizza Boat in the Caribbean."Bloomberg. N.p., n.d.
Web. 3 May 2016.