In 2008, the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers, ranked by income, paid an average tax rate of 2.59 percent.
One percent of the population paid 38.02 percent of the tax burden in 2008, and reported an average tax rate of 23.27 percent.
In 2008, the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers, ranked by income, paid an average tax rate of 2.59 percent. The median taxpayer reported an income of $33,048 on his tax return that year -- meaning that half of all filers reported income above that point and half reported income below it. All told, the bottom 50 percent of taxpayers paid 2.7 percent of the total income tax revenue received in 2008. Conversely, the top 50 percent of taxpayers paid 97 percent of the tax burden in 2008.
