But we have regressive sales and property taxes.
50% of families in America have a net wealth of approximately zero. Here, I agree with you, these people should bear a small tax burden. Every dollar they make is placed back into circulation almost instantly. Sales taxes in many states--like mine--are heavily regressive to this demographic; property taxes less so because they don't <by and large> own anything. When the government dumps dollars into this group {welfare, farm supports} those dollars enter circulation and allow several sets of other people to have income {stores, feed lots, tractor sales,...} all of which does the economy good--especially in the poor areas.
At the other end of the scale, people with wealth; the majority of income dollars simply goes into savings or investments and does not get placed back into circulation (directly or immediately). These are the people who own things {cars, boats, airplanes, companies} all of which need a worthy police force to keep them safe, bureaucrats to watch over the banking and investment businesses, and an armed force to keep the country where all this wealth accrued safe. These are the people who desire safe food supplies free from dangerous pesticides, grown in fertile soil without polluted water,.....These are the very people who should be paying for the government, not the people with a net wealth of zero. When the government dumps dollars into this group {corporate welfare} they simply reduce the tax burden on the already wealthy.
