The principle is: Pay according to ability, receive according to need. Simple.
Yeah, that doesn't work for two reasons:
(1) You tax the hard workers heavily based on their "ability", then they work harder to make up the short-fall, in which case you tax them more based on their "ability", then they work harder, and that cycle continues until they're burnt out and realize no matter how hard they work they can't get ahead because the government will just extract the extra.
(2) What defines need? As anyone who's currently hiring can attest, there are a plethora of jobs available, but workers don't want to do them. They'd rather sit and collect unemployment and pandemic benefits. Those people are
not in need. So I would agree with the principle "receive according to need", but the way we assess that has to be radically different. Such benefits should be going to people
truly in need, and not to people who simply don't want to work.
I agree with you that the current tax code is slanted in favor of the wealthy. It's also slanted in favor of the lazy. It's the middle class, and the hard working lower class, that are getting screwed.