"Romney's untaxed '47 percent' of Americans shrinks, center says"

[applegrove]

Romney's untaxed '47 percent' of Americans shrinks, center says

Reuters

http://www.newsdaily.com/us-politics/b6973fcd5c5dc08bdee6e47b336cf37b/romneys-untaxed-47-percent-of-americans-shrinks-center-says

"SNIP............................


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The "47 percent" of U.S. households who owe no federal income tax, memorably disparaged last year by former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, has shrunk to 43 percent, said the research group that produced the original estimate.

New data on Thursday from the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center said 43 percent of households will owe no federal income tax in 2013, down from an estimated 47 percent in 2009.

Looking further ahead, the center forecast that by 2024, about a third of households will owe no federal income tax.

Republicans for years had cited the center's figures, but the 47 percent estimate took on a life of its own after Romney was surreptitiously videotaped at a fundraising event during the presidential campaign saying that he would never win votes from that proportion of Americans, who he said relied on government

..........................SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. So the 47% was Romney using data from right after the recession. What a bozo.

[Skittles]

2. a recession created by republicans

yes indeed

[hfojvt]

3. but the bigger issue

was that he conflated "not paying federal income taxes" with "being dependent on the government".

Uhm, Mr. Romney, I work for a living. Myself and lots of people who paid no federal income taxes are working for a living - not getting hand outs, not being supported either by charity nor by the government. You, on the other hand made multiple millions in UNEARNED income.

[applegrove]

4. So true. I did not in any way mean to

imply that Romney ever had any legitimacy in his complaint about half the nation. I only meant to point out that his bullshit sits on top of even more bullshit.

[Art_from_Ark]

5. I hate it when people equate "paying no Federal income tax"

with "paying no tax". There are lots of taxes that many if not most most low-income people pay, including sales taxes, state and local income taxes, gasoline taxes, property taxes. In Arkansas when I was a student earning a whopping $380/month, I had to pay property tax every year on a klunker car and a cheapie cheapie apartment furnished in Early American Flea Market.