How many Americans pay NO Federal income tax?
142 million.
For more numbers see here.
Now, in fairness, there are other forms of taxation which hits those who do not pay income taxes and the article points that out.
So what is the big deal?
Well, as a matter of principle, I think if something benefits all people than most if not all should help pay for it even if only very modestly for the lower income folks. I realize there are some people's income that is really low and they should have no Federal income tax burden. However, 142 million in a nation of 300 million seems like a lot of people!
And that is the point the article ends with:
As the number of refundable tax credits continues to grow, more and more tax filers are seeing the IRS as a source of income, not as a feared tax collector. That may be OK for the public relations department at the IRS, which now pays for ads nationwide touting its giveaways, but the nation needs the IRS to be a tax collector, not a welfare dispenser.
The real issue is that millions of Americans no longer have any skin in the game and are becoming inoculated from the basic cost of government. To them, government seems free and politicians can easily convince them to support more and more spending because someone else is going to pay the tab. This trend deserves a broader national discussion than either party in Washington seems willing to engage in. [ed. note - emphasis mine]
Full disclosure: I do pay Federal Income taxes and I am not in the upper brackets.
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