Let’s clear up all the nonsense coming from the far left about who really pays federal taxes in this country. The “progressives” spout the claptrap that the rich get richer on the backs of the poor, and that Republican administrations push for income tax rates and rules that are giveaways to millionaires and billionaires. What’s the truth?
When it comes to total federal income taxes paid, the top 1% of wage earners pay a notably huge share, and this remains true for the top 10% as well. The facts demonstrate that income taxes in this country are highly progressive already, and the wealthy pay much more than a fair price.
In the most recent data from the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, the IRS and the Cato Institute, the top 1%– defined as those with income over $663,164– paid 40.4% of all federal tax revenue. The top 10% of wage earners– those with income above $178,611– accounted for about 72% of all federal income taxes paid. That same group earned 49.4% of all Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Thus, while they earn about half of all taxable income, they pay significantly more taxes– roughly 72% of the nation’s total income tax burden, obviously a disproportionate share.
The current top marginal federal income tax rate is 37%. This rate applies to the income of the highest earners for the 2025 tax year. The left, including socialists like Bernie Sanders, claims tax rates are a “giveaway” to the rich, who don’t pay their “fair share”. They never mention that 40% of tax revenue comes from one tax filer out of every 100! The top 1% of people with AGI income over $663,164 make up 22.3 percent of this nation’s reported earnings, yet their share of taxes paid was almost double that amount. Since when is paying two times more in taxes than their share of income a “fair” deal?
What about people at the other end of taxpayer payments? The Wall Street Journal says this about the bottom 50% of taxpayers, many of whom enjoy a negative net share in income taxes due to “refundable credits”: There are “about 76.9 million returns (in this category) with earnings under $50,000. Share of income: 11.5%. Share of tax: 3%.”
If we look at all taxpayers, the top ¼ of earners reported 70% of all income but paid 87% of all income taxes. The net result is that the rich and the upper middle class get soaked. Many Americans have no tax liability and receive “refundable credits”. “This means tens of millions of Americans have income tax rates that are effectively negative—that is, they get what amounts to a welfare check from the government”, says the Journal.
So shut your ears to any more rubbish language from the left about the top 1% or 10% not paying their fair share or getting a “free ride”. This sounds good and polls well. But if they could get away with it, leftists would make the wealthy pay 100% of income taxes.
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