The other sequence of events is when the government puts in a tax "only on rich people," then they don't get as much money as they thought because people respond to incentives and disincentives, so they extend the tax down to the middle class. The middle class gets to pay because, like WIllie Sutton answered when asked why he robbed banks, "That's where the money is."
(I think that's actually more legend than fact, but it gets repeated often enough...)
(I think that's actually more legend than fact, but it gets repeated often enough...)