FTI: Is a wealth tax a good or bad idea?

**Exploring Fairness, Freedom, and the Future of Prosperity** Should societies tax large accumulations of wealth to reduce inequality — or does doing so risk punishing success and innovation? The debate around a wealth tax touches not just economics, but the deeper question of what truly drives human well-being. Research shows that happiness tends to rise with the logarithm of income — meaning that as wealth grows, each extra dollar contributes less to overall life satisfaction. This insight raises an intriguing moral and practical question: if the wealthiest experience only slight decreases in happiness from higher taxes, could a well-designed wealth tax improve overall societal well-being without major personal sacrifice? Join the Free Thinker Institute for a balanced conversation that goes beyond ideology to explore: * The ethical trade-offs between fairness, freedom, and collective prosperity * How taxation affects innovation, investment, and opportunity * What happiness research can teach us about designing an economy that serves human flourishing In the spirit of the Five Intentions, we’ll approach this dialogue with openness, curiosity, and respect — seeking understanding rather than victory. **A little about our host:** Garrett is a programmer turned award-winning software inventor turned entrepreneur ([http://platerate.com/](http://platerate.com/)) is his company. His hobby is writing and discussing practical philosophy, and he does life coaching on request to help people live happy, moral lives. He is also the executive director of The Free Thinker Institute ([http://freethinkerinstitute.org/](http://freethinkerinstitute.org/)), which aims to create a community that helps members increase happiness and decrease harm for themselves and those they can influence. **Format:** Lecture and discussion **Note:** social time for our community 15 minutes before the presentation. To get familiar with our past events, feel free to check out our YouTube channel: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmixGB9GdrptyEWovEj80zg) After registering via zoom, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. We publish our event recordings on our Youtube channel to offer our help to anyone who would like to but can’t attend the meeting, so we need to give this clause. If you don’t want to be recorded, just remain on mute and keep your video off. Here’s our legal notice: For valuable consideration received, by joining this event I hereby grant Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns, the irrevocable and unrestricted right to use and publish any and all Zoom recordings for trade, advertising and any other commercial purpose, and to alter the same without any restriction. I hereby release Free Thinker Institute and its legal representatives and assigns from all claims and liability related to said video recordings.