Putting a Face on America’s Tax Returns

What is often missing from the federal tax debate is a real sense of who America’s taxpayers are and how different policies impact their lives. Our Putting a Face on America’s Tax Returns series aims to address that.

How do today’s taxpayers compare to yesterday’s and what shifts should we be aware of? Who really bears the burden of federal taxes? Who benefits from credits and deductions and by how much? How progressive is our current tax system and what role do taxes play in the debate over income inequality?

The posts below are designed to provide taxpayers and legislators with the facts and data necessary to better understand federal tax policy and have an open and productive debate.

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the payroll tax is regressive, while the income tax is progressive
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New Report Shows the Burdens of Payroll and Income Taxes

The tax burden for most Americans in 2019 –67.8 percent—will come primarily from payroll taxes, not income taxes. While the income tax is progressive, with average rates rising with income, the payroll tax is regressive, with the highest average rate falling on Americans with the lowest incomes.

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Income changes over the course of an individual's life, average incomes rise with age, average income age income inequality
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Average Income Tends to Rise with Age

Average income tends to rise dramatically as someone ages and gains education and experience. Viewing just one year of income tax data without digging any deeper misses some crucial context.

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Who Benefits from Itemized Deductions? High income taxpayers tax breaks
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Who Benefits from Itemized Deductions?

While some tax preferences like the earned income tax credit (EITC) and child tax credit benefit lower- and middle-income households, others, like itemized deductions, benefit high-income households.

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marginal tax rates, taxes on the rich. top 1 percent tax rates, effective tax rate
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The Top 1 Percent’s Tax Rates Over Time

In the 1950s, when the top marginal income tax rate reached 92 percent, the top 1 percent of taxpayers paid an effective rate of only 16.9 percent. As top marginal rates have fallen, the tax burden on the rich has risen.

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Income and payroll taxes make up a growing share of federal revenue, income tax, payroll tax, corporate tax, tax revenue, federal revenue
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The Composition of Federal Revenue Has Changed Over Time

The federal income tax and federal payroll tax make up a growing share of federal revenue. Individual income taxes have become a central pillar of the federal revenue system, now comprising nearly half of all revenue.

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