This is the all-time stupid comment.

Where did you get this info?   "Rich" Americans like myself paid a tax
rate of 35% or more.  My tax bill for my six figure income is also
well into the six figures.  At its high point, my seven figure income
also incurred a seven figure tax bill.

The only "rich"  people who are not paying in the 30 percentile are
the ones that have long term gains which W got to 15% and is not
eternal.  The others do it by loopholes or whatever illegal means at
their disposal.   If Buffett earned his income through a W-2, his tax
bill would be in the billions.  But he is compensated in ways that
only he can command and avoids most taxes - legally.

On May 27, 12:07 pm, drcee...@insightbb.com wrote:

The top 1% of income earners earn 17% of all income and pay 35% of all
Federal income taxes.  The bottom 50% earn 14% of all income and pay
3.5% of all Federal income taxes.

As far as states are concerned, it depends on the state.  In states
without state income taxes, the states funding is reliant on sales,
excise, and property taxes.  In those cases, the lower income earners
can and do have a higher tax burden though they do not pay more in
taxes.

In the "worst" of all states (Washington) the difference is 12% versus
4% of income.  This is in part reflected in the gasoline and cigarette
excise taxes which are highest in these states.  The number of smokers
in the low income group is reportedly 50% higher than the high income
group.  Translating this to reality - the average non-high school
graduate spends 4X as much on cigarettes than a high school graduate.

In Connecticut, the state excise tax on cigarettes is $2.00.  For a 2
pack a day smoker earning $20K per year, this tax represents over 7%
of their income.  For a $150,000 per annum, less than 1%.

Property taxes are another tax that disproportionately impacts the
poor - that is, for those who actually own a home.  The amount of
income spent on a whom is regressive - that is, as you have higher
levels of income you spend proportionately less on housing - hence the
lower percentage burden on income for property taxes.  This holds true
for sales taxes as well - though in states with liberal exemptions (CT
again) the opposite is true.  When you exempt clothing and food, the
poor end up paying less in percent on sales tax than those at higher
income levels.

What these numbers don't tell you is the other side of the equation.
The amount you pay in taxes versus the amount you get in
benefits....and in the case of low income earners, various programs
intended to offset costs such as health care through Medicaid and
SCHIPS, food costs through various voucher programs, rent subsidies,
etc, should be considered when calculating the net "tax" burden.  This
is rarely of ever done.

At the end of the day, the evidence supports the progressive nature of
tax burden in the US.  The higher income earners pay, on average, a
larger percentage of this earned income in the form of taxes.

al