The WSJ is practicing some masterful manipulation of thy data.
The income tax is progressive- if you make more, you pay more (both as a percentage and in total). FICA (your SS tax) is, oddly enough REGRESSIVE- the poor pay more proportionally than the rich. You pay 6% of your income BUT only the first $60,000 of EARNED INCOME is taxed. So if you make $60K you pay $3600. If you make $100K, you pay $3600. And if you have a trust fund that pays you $60K a year in dividends, you pay $0. Is it a coincidence that the republican party fought tooth and nail to preserve a tax break for the wealthiest Americans and insisted this break for the regular folks expire? You tell me.
Just to be clear. I'm not hating on the pretty Asian girl making the 230k a year. She's truly blessed to be earning that kind of income. But I would like to know how these "increases" are affecting a single mother of 2 with a yearly income of $70,000.
I looked at it again- the WSJ is (surprise) incorrect.
The "retired" couple is apparently working since they made $180K and only $52K was investment income- if so they would be paying that extra $3600 in FICA (maybe more if both are working- since these cases are made up it's hard to tell where that $128K came from.