Some economic experts are saying it should be 70% http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/08/where_does_the_laffer_curve_be.html
If you believe that it's the government's job to squeeze every last penny out of every person in the country this might be important.
Why should taxes be maximized? Pol Pot in Cambodia had a 100% tax rate, and everyone was forced to work. Whatever value you generated from your labor belonged to the government, and the government decided how to spend the money and on whom. I would prefer a flat tax that is based on taking all government expenditures, dividing that grand total figure by the population of the US, and every American getting a fair proportionate tax bill. If you can't pay the tax bill for your family, it will be up to the Feds to come to your house/apartment and confiscate your property, or take you away to prison. If the government over-spends, and a good proportions of Americans can't foot the bill for our national spending, then our citizens will have an incentive to go to DC, well-armed, and demand the politicians stop spending beyond our means.
The "ideal" tax rate would be zero, but that's not practical. We need to have a government and it has to be paid for in some manner, so taxes are a necessity. The ideal practical tax rate would be that amount required to fund the government. That raises a big thorny question: How big should government be? Some people believe that government should be large and powerful. Others, like myself, believe it should be small and stay out of peoples' lives. The size of government ultimately determines the taxes, not anybody's opinion about taxes rates.
In my experience across many countries and continents people will pay 10% fully. Between 10-20% they start to look for legal ways to reduce the taxes payable (reducing the tax base, getting reimbursements, etc.) Above 20% they will start using gray and black methods. Again, every country I've observed is the same in this regard. Except the US. There people don't mind paying 30%+ fully... It's funny, but still, it's true...
You meant. of course, the rate on the top bracket. We must be paying even more now as government has grown along with deficits. But of course few recognize how great their total tax burden is, because what they are not paying in direct taxes is being effectively confiscated via inflation. This indirect method of "collecting" taxes is favorable to politicians and to the wealthy, who spend a smaller fraction of their total wealth on inflated goods and services than do the poor. The wealthy can hedge what they don't spend against inflation. The poor, and those with low fixed incomes, do not hedge. They spend virtually all their income. This is the main reason that indirect taxation via inflation, over time, damages the fabric of society, and why direct taxation is a better means of financing government. If low tax rates are wanted, the best way to achieve them is through a combination of high average individual productivity and government frugality.
and welfare would be workfare a'la gleaning... and there would be a jubilee year every 50th where all debts were cancelled and properties returned to their original owners too...