Ramit Sethi argues that paying high taxes signals financial success and should be celebrated, not resented. He says wealthy people choose high-tax states for better public services and culture, and calls the anti-tax narrative propaganda that ignores what taxes actually fund.
I love paying a fat tax bill. You know why? Because it means I did really well that year. It's become really popular in America to sit around complaining about taxes. I can't believe it. I would be happy to pay if they just use my money the way I wanted it to. Yeah, whenever people say that, I go, when was the last time you were happy about paying your taxes? And they go, oh, it's not about what's happening temporarily. It's about you. And too many people have swallowed this anti-tax propaganda without realizing, number one, where their tax money goes, and number two, what it would be like if they actually lived in a low tax country. Hell, go to a low-tax state right now and see what life is like there. It's not that great. That's why millionaires and billionaires live in high-tax states. They like the services, they like the people, they like the businesses, they like the culture. You can spend the rest of your life complaining about taxes, or you can completely reframe it and say, wow, when I pay a lot of taxes, that means I was incredibly successful. I am thankful to be able to pay my taxes. Sure, I may not like where all that money is going, and that's why I'm going to fuck vote some of these right-wingers out of office. But I like paying my taxes because it It means I was successful and I am set up in a country where I can generate wealth and create safety and security for my family and for the people around me. Rethink the way that you think about taxes. Trust me, you will never be able to live a very rich life if you hate paying 30, 40, 50% of your income every single year.
