As the title suggests why do rich people have to pay more tax than folk who earn less money ? Why do the super rich have to pay even more again. Aristocricy and 'old' inherited money bags obviously deserve to get hammered ( vive la revolution ... :D ) . However top show biz stars , footballers , etc, only got to their present position by mostly hard work, dedication and a bit of luck sometimes. BTW, the idea of this thread isn't intended as a platform for folk to show off how rich, affluent and successful they are, it's just a general, Why ? What was the original reason that differerent tiers of taxation became into being..... From my own personal point of view when i started my current job i was employed as a 'Mechanic'. When i saw how much more money the engineers got paid i decided to start studying, take some exams and increase my (proffessional) Qualifications to become an 'Engineer'. This took about 3 years of hard graft, all in my own time outside of work. I duly passed all of my exams (and failed plenty along the way) and got promoted & a pay rise. So if somebody has made the decision to better themselves why should they then have to be punished by paying a higher rate of income tax when they get paid more.