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Should people without kids pay higher taxes?

Posted at 2:25 PM, Apr 11, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-11 14:26:42-04

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – The chat-o-sphere has been abuzz lately about a proposal by Slate columnist Reihan Salam: The childless should pay higher taxes so that lower- and middle-income parents can pay less.

“The willingness of parents to bear and nurture children saves us from becoming an economically moribund nation of hateful curmudgeons. The least we can do is offer them a bigger tax break,” writes Salam, who has no children himself.

And by “we” he specifically means any nonparent who makes more than the U.S. median income of roughly $51,000. They should bear a heavier tax burden, he argues.