[quote=pri_dk]Still don’t have an answer to a very relevant question:
50% of people, or 50% of households?
Veritas didn’t answer. He sent me a PM with some profanity and then ran off whimpering (I see him hiding behind Rush Limbaugh though – you’d think someone could easily hide behind an object that big…)
So can we get some genuine ‘truth’ ?
50% of people, or 50% of households?[/quote]
The new one I’m seeing seems to go by people, ie 151.7 million american citizens paid no federal income taxes. Of course, this lumps in children, the disabled, and the elderly. It was also above 40% during the GW Bush years, partially due to lowering everyone’s tax rates. The study I’m seeing online that seems to be bouncing around the conservative blogosphere also is looking at 2009, when the recession was at its worst.
It’s a pretty meaningless number taken by itself. It’s also not a great talking point for those who favor lower taxes and smaller government overall. In fact, if you really want smaller government, that percentage ought to be *higher*.
