At some point, the war against Iran is going to be paid for. The military has expended billions of dollars of very expensive ammunition, jet fuel and other military resources. The Pentagon says it needs over $200 billion to cover its costs. The total price of the war will depend on how it progresses and requests to Congress may come in smaller chunks, or be delayed as long as possible, or rolled into broader funding requests. Disagreeing with the war, Democrats can resist approving the funding, try to attach conditions related to how the war is waged and how long it lasts, or make other demands but, in the end, the bill will almost certainly be paid. One question then is who is going to pay it.
The answer to that question, and a demand that should be insisted on, is that those who can most afford to pay for the war be the ones who pay for it. Americans of modest incomes have been hit hard enough by tariffs and the fuel prices the war has caused. Let’s have the rich and corporations pay the direct, out-of-pocket, costs. If the cost is $200 billion, a temporary tax effective for 2026 of 3.5 percent, applied to adjusted gross income in excess of $1,000,000 on the personal income tax, plus the same rate applied to corporate taxable income would cover it. If 3.5 percent is too jarring for some, a 1.7 percent rate applied for two years or a 1.1 percent rate applied through 2028 would cover the bill.
The war is widely unpopular. Whether the cost of the war ends up being $200 billion, more than that amount, or less, let’s at least have it paid for by those who can most afford it.
