http://blog.heritage.org/2009/07/30/how-much-more-can-we-redistribute-irs-releases-new-data/

The IRS released data today on the distribution of income taxes. It shows that the highest earning taxpayers shoulder a considerable burden of the federal income tax.

According to the IRS, the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid over 40 percent of all federal income taxes in 2007. That is a higher share than the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined! They paid just over 39 percent.

The top 1 percent, those earning over $410,000, consists of 1.4 million taxpayers, while the bottom 95 percent contains 134 million.

In 2000, before the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts that some claim disproportionately benefited the rich, the top 1 percent paid less than 38 percent of income taxes, while the bottom 95 paid almost 44 percent. Since the tax cuts, the top 1 percent’s share increased over 2 percentage points while the bottom 95 percent’s share decreased 5 percentage points. Those that argue the tax cuts solely benefited the rich are mistaken.

President Obama plans to raise the top 2 marginal tax rates on those making over $250,000 a year, and Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-NY) wants to slap a 6 percent surtax on top of that to partially pay for a government takeover of the health care system. These tax hikes, in addition to damaging the already badly weakened economy, will further shift the burden of the income tax to the highest earners.

In contrast, the bottom 40% of taxpayers pays no income taxes on average. In fact, they get money from the tax code well above anything they paid in because of refundable credits. And President Obama’s Make Work Pay credit, passed as part of the stimulus, will increase the money redistributed to these non-taxpayers.

It’s a dangerous situation when a majority of voters can get services and benefits from the government for no cost, because there is no incentive for them to limit the growth of government. President Obama’s and Chairman Rangel’s redistributive tax policies will further push the burden of income tax to high earners while giving more benefits to non-taxpayers. But as the IRS data show, the economy cannot afford anymore spreading the wealth around

Okay so when we have all the data on sales tax, property tax, revenue tax, etc... to add to this statistic then we will truly know who pays most of the taxes.

Do you realize that the statistics do not include social security tax as part of the equation?

Also here is a list of some of the other taxes that count.

Taxes and fees imposed by federal, state or local laws.

Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
U.S. capital gains tax
Corporate income tax
U.S. estate tax
U.S. excise tax (includes taxes on cigarettes and alcoholic beverages)
U.S. federal income tax

Federal unemployment tax (FUTA)
FICA tax (includes Social Security tax and related programs)
Gasoline tax
Generation Skipping Tax
Gift tax
IRS penalties

Local income tax
Luxury taxes
Property tax
Real estate tax
Recreational vehicle tax
Rental car tax
Resort tax (also known as Hotel/Motel tax, occupancy tax)
Road usage taxes (Commercial Vehicle Operators)
Sales tax and equivalent use tax

School tax
State income tax
State unemployment tax (SUTA)
Tariffs
Telephone federal excise tax
Vehicle sales tax
Workers compensation tax

And of course it doesn't take into account that the Red States with the lowest taxes have the highest percentages of unemployment, poverty, drug use and lowest percentage of people with health insurance.

I read one study stating the Red States get as much as $1.30 in federal largesse for every dollar of Federal taxes they pay, while some Blue States reliably get less than $1.00 for the same amount of Federal tax paid.


-Kerry O.

One thing for sure, they aren't starving. Or being worried being foreclosed or their car repossessed or staring at the ceiling and thinking if they can afford heating oil for the winter.

Yep lets get our priorities straight...

Jobs first then health...

Without your health you cannot work. HMMMMM sounds like it should be health then jobs.

Obama has been working on both at the same time, maybe he knows better still.

is that so...

With what money?

Which generations money?

IF you went to a bank as the US gov they would nix a loan of this size because of the debt ratio...

That is a fact... NO spin and not some parties propaganda.

Well, the majority of people unemployed aren't unemployed because they are sick.

How would you know that?

Assuming you are right, health is an ongoing proactive process that requires check ups and monitoring. How will you know if a health problem is coming if you do not go to the clinic and get checked?

Health of mind is knowing that you can go to the doctor when you need to. Mind health is important too.

So is the health of this nation.

and the world beyond it.

Universal healthcare will provide that.

Not if the infrastructure that supports Health care is broken...

Ugh, you are wasting your time, Dragoness.

Do you realize that Social Security ISN'T A TAX!!!!

It's supposed to be a trust fund that everyone pays into that helps pay for part of the retirement for people that WORKED their entire lives.. but now it's just a general kitty fund for power hungry politicos to dip into and dole out entitlements to those they promise to "help" in exchange for their votes..

Don't you remember AL Gore and his whole "lock-box" promises??

social security tax... you need to get a clue and keep your politicians' grubby hands out of the pockets of American Families..

At lest we had a polite discourse.

With our diverse opinions.

I agree with her on universal health care...

However I see a big picture... The future of this country...

a House (universal health care) built upon sand (our current economy) with paper bricks (our current financial situation)... Will not stand over time...

Need to get the foundation solid first.

OP-your numbers also omit the hidden taxes, such as inflation and inflation tax, which hurt the poor and middle class the most.

you mean like tobacco taxes, which are disproportionately levied against the "poor", income-dollar for income-dollar. But the Obama Administration couldn't get through the Congress fast enough and everyone applauded it as though it were just.

How about the federal gasoline tax? The federal government doesn't lift a finger or spend a dime extracting oil or refining it into the gasoline that you and I depend on daily to go places and to have good delivered to our communities. Yet that tax is, again, levied disproportionately, income-dollar for income-dollar, against the lowest earners..

so explain or justify that..

and yet, no one has refuted the intial premise which is to dispell the myth that the top earners dont "pay their share"

how much more would you have the top earners pay?? they already pay more dollars in federal taxes that the bottom 95%..

Total tax rate for top earners in New York state is rapidly approaching 60%.. how much more can you lean on these people before they say, 'screw this. You can all go to Hell, I'll go to Texas'??

eat the rich