I&#x27;m not sure I&#x27;m reading the chart correctly, and welcome some insight.<p>It seems right to use the taxes as percent of GDP as a measurement. However, GDP as a whole was, I believe, more evenly spread across the population. Is that a correct view to the problem? So if the costs of running the country have increased as a whole, because fewer people are earning the most, and therefore cost of welfare and other social needs increases, does the need for higher taxes as a percentage of GDP not increase?<p>Please don&#x27;t flame, I&#x27;m asking this as a question. I have no horse in this race, not being an American or living in the US.