The poor pay sales taxes, property taxes (either directly or indirectly through higher rents), social security taxes, gas taxes, etc.
We are just as guilty as the left at playing with statistics. When it serves one argument to lump all taxes together we do that. When it serves another argument to focus on just one tax then we do that.
Bully for us.
Arguments we make so that our ideas sound so much better by pretending there is only one tax (the income tax):
1. The top 1% pay over 50% of the taxes
2. 50% of the people pay no tax at all
Arguments we make so that our ideas sound so much better by including all of the taxes we pay:
1. The average American works until June just to pay all of his taxes.
2. Please don't implement a new national sales taxes. We already pay too many taxes as it is.
And they get it all back (and then some) in “Earned Income Tax Credits.” The “rich” already pay their “fair” share of income taxes. Corporations don’t pay taxes - they just collect them from their customers. The poor need to pay some income tax if they income.
In any case, what we need to do is go over COMPLETELY to a national sales tax - i.e. the Fair Tax.
Tax consumption, not productivity.