This claim depends entirely on what “fair” means — and the numbers rarely get cited. In the US, the top 1% of earners paid 42% of federal income tax in 2021 while earning 22% of total income. The top 10% paid 76% of federal income tax while earning 52%. By almost any measure of progressivity, they pay more than proportionally.
The standard pushback is “yes, income tax — but what about capital gains, payroll, and corporate taxes?” Fair question. Including all federal taxes, the top 1% pays roughly 25% of the total. Include state and local taxes and the curve flattens further. Even after every adjustment, effective tax rates still rise with income — not dramatically, but consistently.
The real debate isn't whether the rich pay more. It's whether they should pay even more — and that's a political question about preferences and incentives, not a factual one about who carries the load today.
Treating it as settled by a single statistic, in either direction, hides what the argument is really about.