The Zero-Tax Liability Myth

(10 am. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

The GOP pundits and operatives continue to push the “Americans aren’t paying taxes” meme.

Rick Santorum told Fox News viewers on April 7, 2010, “[W]hen you reach the point where people feel like they don’t have to pay anything and they’re getting money out of the Treasury for nothing, then there’s no end to the amount of government that people want.”

Drudge was on it; “Rob Thy Neighbor: Half of Households Pay No Fed Income Tax.”

Fox Nation’s headline; “Fair? Half the Country Doesn’t Pay Income Tax.”

The GOP makes its living on demonizing people, usually minorities, as living on government welfare. So, why are these headlines not screaming about “welfare queens driving Cadillac cars”?

Well, the reason they aren’t screaming “welfare queen” is because of just who comprises the majority of people that have a zero tax liability. 44% of federal income tax filers had zero tax liability in 2004.

So, who were these welfare queens? 90% made less than $20,000 per year. 52% were either college age or senior citizens. 78% were white. 58% were female. 43% were single with an additional 27% that were heads of the household, meaning, that 70% were single mothers or single women that cared for another dependent. 54% worked part-time.

The 2009 statistics aren’t much better. 56% of households made $50,000 or less per year. Of that 56%, not all of the households had zero liability, either. 17% of people that made between 10-20 thousand per year still had a tax liability. 38% of people that made between 20-30 thousand per year still had a tax liability. 52% of people that made between 30-40 thousand per year still had a tax liability. 65% of people that made between 40-50 thousand per year still had a tax liability.

So, wait, just how did they determine that 43% of filers in 2009 held no tax liability? They took the percentage of ALL income tax levels that held no liability, including those that made over $50,000 per year that had no tax liability.

A whopping 36% of those who made over $50,000 per year held zero tax liability. Almost 10% of those that made over $100,000 had zero tax liability. 1.5% of people that made over a million dollars per year had no tax liability. What welfare queens!!!!

So, when you hear someone touting how Americans aren’t paying “their fair share”, be sure to point out the facts to them.