- The Progressive Pulse - http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org -

Who Pays Taxes

Today, we released an updated analysis of who pays taxes [1].  While the answer is that everyone pays taxes [2] whether that be federal or state income tax, state or local sales tax, property tax, payroll tax, or gas tax, the reality is that many low- and moderate-income households pay more as a share of their income in total state and local taxes than higher income households in North Carolina.  It is for this very reason that the federal income tax system has been designed to be progressive so that taken together the system can achieve greater equity.

And even here, as this additional state-level data for North Carolina shows, those North Carolinians not paying federal income taxes are overwhelming working households who did pay payroll taxes, the elderly who paid taxes in their lifetime and students who are very likely to pay taxes when they enter the workforce.