U.S. Tax Policy

Donald Marron talked about IRS data on who pays federal income taxes, and he responded to telephone calls and electronic communications. According to the Tax Policy Center 47 percent of Americans paid no federal income tax, but they had payroll tax deducted from their paychecks. Retirees, the working poor, and low income families comprised the 18 percent of citizens who paid neither payroll nor income taxes. Other topics included the reasons behind the 47 percent statistic, and tax policies such as the earned income tax and child credits.

The issue of the percentage of Americans who pay no income tax became newsworthy earlier in the week. Mother Jones magazine released a hidden camera video of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at a Boca Raton campaign fundraiser saying that “47 percent of the people” paid no income taxes and were “dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them.” close