So, as of today, I was informed that Philadelphia has a 4.1% wage tax. This tax, which steals 3.5392-4.219% of one’s wages to pay the City of Philadelphia is the most absurd and tyrannical tax that I have ever heard of any level of government levying on its people. It applies to both residents and non-residents, and it reeks of a perfectly good reason why we ought to have more scrutiny of exactly what government is doing with our money. To top it all off, I will also have to pay the Illinois income tax, which is a flat 3%. The Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn, has proposed a 50% increase in that tax just this year.
What I find especially ridiculous is that members of Congress frequently have opposed any form of flat tax in favor of a progressive tax system. So where are all these progressives now? Where is the talk of “fundamental fairness” and the erosion of the middle class? Not that I accept any of those arguments as they are ridiculous on their face, but after all that ranting in Congress, here comes the local government with its regressive tax system. And, of course, the same city government has no problem whacking us for a 10% tax on alcohol at a bar, and the state government owns all of the liquor stores here.
The Match 