Conservatives claim that progressive taxation in America is unfair to the more affluent because it punishes them for working hard and redistributes their income to less affluent people who are lazy, and therefore don’t deserve it. It is true that some of the revenue collected from corporations and the more affluent pays for programs for the less affluent. But this ignores that even poor people pay taxes. It ignores that most people who receive government transfer payments are children, elderly, disabled, and working people, not slackers. And it ignores the many tax breaks, loopholes, subsidies, and bailouts that the affluent and corporations receive from government – a hidden welfare state – that costs taxpayers billions of dollars annually. In fact, cutting taxes and therefore spending on social programs can exacerbate inequality and undermine social cohesion and political stability, none of which is good for the economy or society. These arguments are supported by cross-national and US historical data.