UCGal, you bring up another subject, one’s total taxes, of all types, relative to one’s income. To add up all taxes paid in a year in order to compare to that year’s income is kind of scary. It includes a lot of hidden taxes we often ignore and shows the full burden of government. If you do this exercise, include sales taxes paid (an estimate), property taxes (tenants need to estimate their share of the landlord’s taxes, since it is reflected in rent), corporate income taxes (reflected in prices paid, so incidence is largely on consumers), those pesky little items on your phone, el, and water bills, etc.
