we have a graduated tax system for a reason. this was the policy put in place a long time to equate to fairness. look at when the top tax rate was 91%. we paid for the interstate highway system and saw a huge amount of wealth created. look at what happened under Clinton. the GOP claimed raising the top tax rate would cripple job creation, when in fact is created millions of jobs and the wealthy made more money as well.
And what you forget to mention, as anyone who pines for the good old days of a 90% bracket does, is that everyone was paying significantly higher taxes then not just the so called rich.
in 1954 when the top bracket was 91% the lowest was 20% and someone earning 40K was in the 56% bracket.
So be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.
yet $40k in 1954 is equal to $343k today. and the 56% tax bracket is not for all income, it is a graduate system. this it the current graduated tax rate system:
10% on taxable income from $0 to $8,700, plus
15% on taxable income over $8,700 to $35,350, plus
25% on taxable income over $35,350 to $85,650, plus
28% on taxable income over $85,650 to $178,650, plus
33% on taxable income over $178,650 to $388,350, plus
so if the top rate was 56% today, it would only apply to income over $178,650. they would still pay the lower rates on all income below that according to the tax tables.