It’s always good to maintain a little perspective as we discuss things like deficits, budgets and … taxes. For a variety of reasons, about 46 percent of all people with incomes will pay ZERO income tax on 2011 earnings. Most of them are poor and middle-class, but among those not paying a nickel in income taxes are:
78,000 tax filers with incomes of $211,000 to $533,000.
24,000 households with incomes of $533,000 to $2.2 million.
3,000 tax filers with incomes above $2.2 million.
And who bleats loudest as Washington try to get people to cough up a little dough?
This data are well-documented by tax experts and summarized by New York Times analyst Bruce Bartlett, who’s held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul.