One of the greatest lies, one of the most common talking points on the right, is that "nearly half of Americans pay no taxes." I don't know how many times I've heard it, even from people who should know better.
Of course, what they are talking about is net federal income taxes ONLY, not including payroll taxes, state and local taxes, and so on. The federal income tax is one of our few progressive taxes, and even so it is much less progressive than it used to be (and of course, the economy did much better back when taxation was more progressive).
State and local taxes are quite regressive with respect to income, and everyone with employment pays payroll taxes, which are very regressive. With respect to total taxation, our whole tax system is barely progressive, and it is regressive at the highest income levels.
All this is with respect to income. But why do we measure regressivity against income alone? What about wealth or net worth, which is also a factor in ability to pay?
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