“I made $10 million. If I make another $1 million I’ll only keep $700 thousand. I will not would rather not have that $700 thousand so I’ll stop earning money.”
I just have trouble believing that a businessman would have that perspective. If they did, don’t those free-market people realize that if there is $1 million to be made ($700k after taxes), that someone else will step into that void?
If I had to pay 75% taxes for a system (infrastructure) that lets me make a million, I’d be better off than making nothing.
I think the “work hard to pay for people who don’t” is a bit of a red herring. There are people who want to live off of society but unless someone can show me good statistics I don’t think it is significant.
One website puts it at about 1% on welfare, about 12% get food stamps, 4% get unemployment.