Sunday, May 29, 2011

Taxation and Lower-income people

One of the more annoying things I hear some conservatives claim (especially talk radio hosts like Jason Lewis) is that lower income Americans don't pay taxes.  In my opinion, this is about as stupid as the liberal notions about how only the rich should be taxed.  Everyone pays payroll, gas taxes and other excise taxes, plus state and local taxes.   It would be nice if folks could at least agree that everyone pays taxes, and it would even be better if conservatives would acknowledge the tax burden on the poor is greater than they like to admit.  Via Clive Crook at the Atlantic, this report on who pays taxes in the US.