We have all heard the comments from individuals or politicians saying that the rich need to pay their ‘fair share’. On an individual level, income taxes are paid by brackets currently but there are many who see this as insufficient. On a corporate level criticism tends to fall around high executive salaries and corporate loopholes being take advantageous (designed to foster business growth, but seen as unfair accommodation for larger and established corporations).

What does ‘rich’ mean to you on an individual and/or on a corporate level, and what is a fair share? Example to consider: The chart for income tax on a married couple filings jointly is below. Who pays enough? Who doesn’t pay enough? Does it matter if the married couple with a joint income of $300k have it because both individuals make six figures, or is it different if there is a major breadwinner and the partner makes next to nothing? Does it matter where they live and the cost of living they encounter?

I know that is a lot of questions, but at the root of it I am wondering what is rich, and what is the threshold of high income taxpayer vrs not paying a ‘fair share’?