Dorothy Brown : We live with the myth that we have a progressive tax system . In fact , she says , people like Mitt Romney , Barack Obama pay at lower rates than secretaries . And then there is this from The New York Times's David Leonhardt on how President Obama's plan to raise taxes for wealthy Americans would affect his own family and friends in their retirement years: "... Brown : Getting rid of the progressive tax brackets is a step toward a fairer system .
Dorothy Brown : We live with the myth that we have a progressive tax system . In fact , she says , people like Mitt Romney , Barack Obama pay at lower rates than secretaries . She says the low flat rate on dividends and capital gains protects the wealthy . Brown : Getting rid of the progressive tax brackets is a step toward a fairer system .