4 ms·

A lot of people in the U.S. don't pay net income taxes either, about 44% accoeding to [1]. [1] https://nypost.com/2017/04/18/almost-half-of-americans-wont-pay

A lot of people in the U.S. don't pay net income taxes either, about 44% accoeding to [1]. [1] https://nypost.com/2017/04/18/almost-half-of-americans-wont-pay-federal-income-tax/ https://nypost.com/2017/04/18/almost-half-of-americans-wont-...

gok 8y ago
But that's because they don't owe anything, not because of evasion
- mikeyouse 8y ago
  That obnoxious statistic always excludes payroll tax as well. Not to mention that the "Lucky duckies" is one of the most rightly ridiculed tropes in recent memory, arguing that poor people in the US have it too good: https://web.archive.org/web/20030626024327/http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=475 https://web.archive.org/web/20030626024327/http://www.tnr.co...
- smudgymcscmudge 8y ago
  No. The 66% includes tax evaders as well as those who legally don’t need to pay.
HillaryBriss 8y ago
44% in the US compared to 98% in China -- that's quite a difference! compared to the US's IRS, China's tax collection agency seems, in effect, less capable because China's workers are so good at avoiding/evading these taxes.
- swuecho 8y ago
  not because Chinese worker are good at avoiding tax. it is because china is not a state with an adequate legal system. It is a tradition that a lot of thing happen under the table.
wavefunction 8y ago
What a weird and artificial statistic to bring up. I don't believe it has any actual meaning given that the individuals have met their legal obligations for income taxes.
jjoonathan 8y ago
How many of those are kids, students, or retired?
greglindahl 8y ago
Payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes on a mobile phone, there are lots of opportunities to pay taxes even for those who earn little enough income to not owe federal income tax.
YokoZar 8y ago
The number is closer to 18%, or 27% if you only look at net tax[1]. Payroll taxes are income taxes in every way except the name. [1] https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/closer-look-those-who-pay-no-income-or-payroll-taxes https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/closer-look-those-who...
- orangecat 8y ago
  Payroll taxes are income taxes in every way except the name. True, but liberals are almost always in favor of maintaining that artificial distinction, to make people think of Social Security and Medicare as "getting back what they paid in" rather than welfare.

gok 8y ago

But that's because they don't owe anything, not because of evasion

mikeyouse 8y ago
That obnoxious statistic always excludes payroll tax as well. Not to mention that the "Lucky duckies" is one of the most rightly ridiculed tropes in recent memory, arguing that poor people in the US have it too good: https://web.archive.org/web/20030626024327/http://www.tnr.com/etc.mhtml?pid=475 https://web.archive.org/web/20030626024327/http://www.tnr.co...
smudgymcscmudge 8y ago
No. The 66% includes tax evaders as well as those who legally don’t need to pay.

HillaryBriss 8y ago

44% in the US compared to 98% in China -- that's quite a difference! compared to the US's IRS, China's tax collection agency seems, in effect, less capable because China's workers are so good at avoiding/evading these taxes.

swuecho 8y ago
not because Chinese worker are good at avoiding tax. it is because china is not a state with an adequate legal system. It is a tradition that a lot of thing happen under the table.

wavefunction 8y ago

What a weird and artificial statistic to bring up. I don't believe it has any actual meaning given that the individuals have met their legal obligations for income taxes.

jjoonathan 8y ago

How many of those are kids, students, or retired?

greglindahl 8y ago

Payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes on a mobile phone, there are lots of opportunities to pay taxes even for those who earn little enough income to not owe federal income tax.

YokoZar 8y ago

The number is closer to 18%, or 27% if you only look at net tax[1]. Payroll taxes are income taxes in every way except the name. [1] https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/closer-look-those-who-pay-no-income-or-payroll-taxes https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/closer-look-those-who...

orangecat 8y ago
Payroll taxes are income taxes in every way except the name. True, but liberals are almost always in favor of maintaining that artificial distinction, to make people think of Social Security and Medicare as "getting back what they paid in" rather than welfare.