Principle of equal rights mandates equal tax rates. No government will stay limited if it has the power to confiscate wealth from productive citizens to convey free services to buy votes on Election Day.
"The true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen, in his person and property, and in their management." -Thomas Jefferson
The fundamental principle of the Declaration of Independence, which undergirds our political and legal systems in this country, is that all citizens possess "equal rights under the law." Our whole concept of rights is based upon their being equal for all citizens of the Republic. This was the guiding star of justice that spawned America and which sustained her through the first 125 years of her existence. In 1913, however, there took place a most shameful default on this concept of "equal rights" with adoption of the 16th Amendment, which allowed Congress to enact an income tax with unequal (i.e., progressive) rates.