Do higher taxes on the rich increase unemployment?

yes because it makes you more expensive to hire, so they will do more with fewer employees, which is not a good thing when you're doing 4 jobs instead of one.

It's been proven many times that increasing taxes on business owners INCREASES jobs.

Here's how it works. If you own a business, and have little tax on your income, you are free to take money out of your business and spend it on fun... Parties, overseas trips, diamonds, whatever. Spending this money does little for the American economy. And in the meantime, the business, which is not updated with new equipment or larger buildings, is becoming less valuable.

But, if the income over a certain level is taxed, why take it out of the business? So, those owners who are taxed more put the profits back into the business. They improve their buildings, update equipment, pay enough to retain good employees. This benefits them by increasing the value of the business without creating taxable income, and it also benefits employees, builders, equipment manufacturers. It's a smart, long term solution.

No, they do not.

Want proof? Look no further than the Reagan Administration.....at one point the tax rate on "business owners" under Reagan was 90%.....the POINT of punitive business taxation is to FORCE the wealthy to do something productive with their money rather than just sitting on it....so you give them tax BREAKS for starting new businesses, hiring people, giving to charity, buying Muni Bonds, etc.....

Only the very lazy or very stupid who own businesses would "get rid of employees" because of tax rates, and THOSE are the very same morons we need to chase out of the commercial world!

You are either a troll or an idiot!

the proposed tax increase on the highest earners is 3%, which would mean the richest paid more tax under eisenhower, nixon, ford, reagan and ghw bush.

the thing which creates jobs in our economy is demand for goods and services - meaning middle class wages - which pay for most of those goods and services.

if low taxes on the rich result in low unemployment - then why is unemployment so high right now?

No. Historic fact supports the rich being tax much higher then Obama's proposal. Pee on economics were the cause of the vast number of job loss.

If the rich have less money because of higher taxes, then they lay off people.

My wife works in hotel where the rooms are £120 - £220 a night. Without people who have silly amounts of money to waste, she'd be unemployed.

true, the more $ they have to pay in taxes the less $ they have to hire more people.

The only thing I know for certain is that the rich get richer and the poor poorer.