A few days ago my wife was sharing with me an experience she had with a coconut water vendor.
This was a new vendor in the area. She asked someone nearby about the vendor’s prices. That person said that the vendor charged $10.00 for the small bottle of coconut water.
Knowing that that was the price we were accustomed to paying, she approached the vendor. When she enquired directly about the price, the vendor told her that the coconut water was $11.00. Needless to say, my wife was no longer interested in buying. She felt like the vendor was attempting to take advantage of her. I then said to my wife, “You must look like have plenty money”.
She was very indignant that the vendor could be so greedy, indeed she thought that this vendor’s behaviour was quite immoral.
I then quipped, “there you go!” You have just experienced what governments call “Progressive Taxation”. They even give it a nice sounding name, progressive! Who would not want progress?
If you would be honest with yourself, you too would be enraged by the thought that an unscrupulous vendor would dare charge you more because you look like you could afford more. Regrettably, that is the basis of progressive taxes, in that you are charged more because you can afford more.
If it is unscrupulous for a private citizen, in this case the vendor, to behave this way, then should it not be equally unjustified for government to behave in the same fashion?
Morality is not conditional!