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Texas Governor and presidential candidate Rick Perry said that he is “dismayed at the injustice that nearly half of all Americans don’t even pay any income tax.”
He should know that Americans pay other types of federal taxes besides just federal income taxes, and that they also pay state and local taxes. A two-page statement from CTJ explains that this is particularly true in Texas, which, despite its reputation, is actually a high-tax state for the poor.
The statement cites a recent ITEP finding that Texas imposes higher taxes on its poorest 20 percent of non-elderly residents than 45 other states. In other words, Texas has the fifth highest taxes for low-income families. Texas also has the 17th highest taxes on the next 20 percent of non-elderly residents. These are the same families that Governor Perry believes should contribute more in taxes.
Photos via Gage Skidmore Creative Commons Attribution License 2.0