I'm in a pretty high income bracket, this year at least. I get income from about five sources, and it adds up. Now I also get lots of Social Security income each year, even though I certainly don't need it. Anyway, when I got a draft of my tax documents back from the accountant, I was surprised to see what appear to be new taxes, things I'd escaped or hadn't noticed in the past. Like $6.5k in Alternative Minimum Tax. Ouch. There were also substantial amounts in Self-Employment Tax, Additional Medicare Tax, Net Investment Income Tax and an Underpayment Penalty. Plus Massachusetts State Tax, of course. My accountant said I was in a Marginal Rate bracket of 33%, but that's just one Federal tax rate, and with all the above-mentioned taxes it looked like it must be higher, so I added it all up. I threw what I paid in town Real Estate Tax and Excise Tax for good measure.
And the bottom line, my full total of all tax payments comes out to 30% of all my income. I enjoy lots of societal benefits from all the branches of government, and that sounds fair to me. But wait, I also get $10k off my tax bill, for my new solar roof, and another $10k off for a retirement contribution, so I'm actually only paying 25% of my income. Frankly, I'd be happy to pay a little more.