The Tax Policy Center recently calculated most working Americans didn’t pay federal income taxes in 2020. According to the chart below, supposedly 106.8 million out of 176.2 million total income tax filers did not pay federal income taxes. That amounts to 60.6%.

Given there are roughly 332 million Americans, what happened to the other 156 million “tax units”? Well, the other 156 million are either children, retired, or too old to work.

Have a look at the data for yourself and tell me if you’re seeing what I’m seeing.

The Tax Policy Center also estimates that 57.1% of working Americans in 2021 won’t have to pay federal income taxes either. The reasons for the surge in non-federal income taxes payers are obviously COVID and the many tax credits the government introduced to help rescue our workers.

More than 20 million workers lost their jobs in 2020 with low-income workers hardest hit. When you add on refundable tax credits, such as the Child Tax Credit (CTC), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), and stimulus checks, it’s easier to understand why 40% more working Americans in 2020 paid no federal income taxes.

ProPublica published an article highlighting how 25 of the wealthiest Americans paid a tiny fraction of their wealth in taxes. This makes sense because the type of tax that is often discussed is levied on income, not wealth. If you pay yourself a low income and never sell assets, then your tax bill won’t be high relative to your wealth.

According to Forbes, 25 of the wealthiest Americans saw their net worth rise a collective $401 billion from 2014 to 2018. They paid a total of $13.6 billion in federal income taxes in those five years based on IRS data. However, $13.6 billion only amounts to a “true tax rate” of only 3.4%.

The article goes on to say Warren Buffet is a hypocrite for encouraging the rich to pay more taxes. Yet he only paid a true tax rate of 0.1% of the wealth he garnered over the 4-year period. We all know that actions speak louder than words. Given Warren is an ultra-capitalist, his actions shouldn’t come as a surprise.

President Biden’s proposal to increase the capital gains tax from 20% to 39.6% for people making over $1 million a year sounds aggressive. Add on the Net Investment Income Tax of 3.8%, and we’re talking a total long-term capital gains tax rate of 43.4%.  

If this new long-term capital gains tax gets approved to pay for the American Families Plan, qualifying residents in California would pay a 56.7% combined state & Federal tax rate. New Jersey residents would pay 54.1%. New York residents would pay 58.2%. At the margin, people in these states with such means will relocate or find other ways to avoid taxes. 

No matter how much you make or where you stand politically, I think most people agree we should keep the majority of our income and wealth (50.1%+) given we worked for it. Do you really think it’s fair if the government gets to keep more of your money than you do? I don’t. Maybe if the government managed our money better. But the government is inefficient and sometimes corrupt.

Given only about 0.3% of Americans make more than $1 million a year, this potential capital gains tax hike won’t affect the vast majority of us directly. However, it could cause rampant selling of assets by those who are affected, which would ultimately end up hurting most investor’s portfolios.

Want to learn how to pay no taxes? Read on. I’ve been studying up on tax laws since 1999. You might not be able to pay no taxes. However, this post should help you pay less taxes.

Ever since I was 25, I paid more than $100,000 a year in taxes. You don’t get a thank you card if you pay over $1 million dollars in taxes in case you’re wondering. Instead, you get the government hooked on your juice with fishing letters from the IRS asking for more!

I didn’t mind paying my fair share of taxes when I was in my 20s because I was excited to progress in my career. I felt lucky to just have a job that allowed me to save like crazy and help others financially through charitable donations. As I grew older, my views on income taxes changed.

Since the turn of the century, we’ve witnessed a devastating war in Iraqistan that by some estimates has taken over 1 million lives. We’ve observed Congress do nothing to pass a balanced budget since 2008 while giving themselves pay raises every single year.

During the 2009-2010 financial crisis, the government doled out massive bailouts to institutions such as AIG while allowing executives to pay themselves millions of dollars. AIG even had the audacity to contemplate suing the federal government this year for wrongful terms! What the hell.

I felt sick to my stomach supporting such atrocities by a government who also discriminates against certain citizens while displaying no fiscal discipline. Why can’t we all be treated equally? Why is there a marriage penalty tax? How come your Social Security benefits go back to the government if you die without a surviving spouse? I don’t know.

The maximum amount of earnings subject to the 6.2% Social Security payroll tax climbed to a record $142,800 in 2021, up from $132,900 in 2019. Your goal should be to increase your investment income so you can earn more tax efficiently.

In other words, those lucky enough to have jobs and earn $142,800 or more will have to pay $8,853.60 a year in Social Security tax. This tax would be fine if Social Security was fully funded. However, at the current rate, retired citizens will only get about 75% of the expected payout by 2040.

But of course, you can’t forget about Medicare, which is 1.45% of all income earned. And Medicare doesn’t have an income cap. So the reality is that a $142,800 a year laborer will have to pay $8,853.60 in Social Security tax plus $2,070.60 in Medicare tax for a total of $10,924.20 in 2021. The maximum income for FICA tax will continue to go up each year.

If you are “unlucky” enough to be your own boss, you’ve got to pay the 6.2% Social Security tax + 1.45% Medicare tax times two (employer plus employee)! In other words, a self-employed individual making $142,800 will now have to pay over $21,848.40 a year in Social Security + Medicare tax.

And the great irony is, good luck trying to collect unemployment benefits if your business goes bust.

Social Security Is Not In Good Shape

Out of the estimated 173 million workers who will pay Social Security taxes in 2021, about 12 million (7%) will be paying more. But as I’ve shown you before, anybody who makes between $100,000 – $200,000 and lives in a large city is considered middle class. Therefore, we can conclude the middle class is getting punched in the face even harder.

Don’t forget, there’s also the 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on employees that went into effect in 2013. If you make more than the below thresholds, you’ve got to pony up 2.35% in Medicare taxes (1.45% standard + 0.9% additional).

The semi good news is if you’re self-employed, the employer Medicare rate stops at 1.45% and is exempt from the additional 0.9% even if you make more than these thresholds. The bad news is these income amounts aren’t being adjusted for inflation, so more and more people are getting subject to the additional 0.9% every year.

• $250,000 for married taxpayers who file jointly.
• $125,000 for married taxpayers who file separately.
• $200,000 for single and all other taxpayers.

Related: The Best Time To Take Social Security