Americans generally believe that higher income households should pay a greater percentage of their incomes in taxes than lower income households. Yet the exact opposite occurs. The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) finds the nationwide average effective state and local tax rates by income group are 10.9% for the poorest 20% of individuals and families, 9.4% for the middle 20%, and 5.4% for the top 1%. This means the poorest Americans are paying two times more of their income in taxes than the top 1%.
Quoted Staff Member
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