According to a 2021 White House study, the wealthiest 400 billionaire families in the U.S. paid an average federal individual tax rate of just 8.2 percent. For comparison, the average American taxpayer in the same year paid 13 percent.
Currently billionaires effectively pay far less personal tax than other taxpayers of more modest means because they can park wealth in shell companies sheltering them from income tax, the group said in its 2024 Global Tax Evasion Report.
One recent study, for instance, found that income taxes take, on average, nearly 10 percent of family earnings from high earners in the Golden State, but just 1.2 percent from middle-income residents. Even high taxes elsewhere, such as on gasoline, don't offset these advantages.
The highest-earning Americans pay the most in combined federal, state and local taxes, the Tax Foundation noted. As a group, the top quintile — those earning $130,001 or more annually — paid $3.23 trillion in taxes, compared with $142 billion for the bottom quintile, or those earning less than $25,000.
High-Income Taxpayers Paid the Majority of Federal Income Taxes. In 2020, the bottom half of taxpayers earned 10.2 percent of total AGI and paid 2.3 percent of all federal individual income taxes. The top 1 percent earned 22.2 percent of total AGI and paid 42.3 percent of all federal income taxes.
The lowest tax bracket is 10%. The highest tax bracket is 37%. If you're in the middle class, you're probably in the 22%, 24% or possibly 32% tax brackets.
Key Takeaways. The states with the highest income tax for 2023 include California 13.3%, Hawaii 11%, New York 10.9%, New Jersey 10.75%, District of Columbia 10.75%, Oregon 9.9%, and Minnesota 9.85%.
Their wealth derives from the skyrocketing value of their assets, like stock and property. Those gains are not defined by U.S. laws as taxable income unless and until the billionaires sell.
In contrast to the 99% who earn most of their income from wages and salaries, the top 1% earn most of their income from investments. From work, they may receive deferred compensation, stock or stock options, and other benefits that aren't taxable right away.
Because rich Americans are taxed at lower marginal rates and tend to earn more of their income from sources other than work, they face lower payroll tax rates than poorer Americans.
Currently, wealthy households can finance extravagant levels of consumption without even paying capital gains taxes on the accruing wealth by following a “buy, borrow, die” strategy, in which they finance current spending with loans and use their wealth as collateral.
Depreciation is one way the wealthy save on taxes. So, what exactly is it? “For federal income tax purposes, depreciation is a deduction that allows you to recover the cost or other basis of certain property,” tax expert Kelly Phillips Erb wrote in a post for Forbes.
Rather than selling off investments for cash and incurring capital gains tax, you can borrow against your assets instead. There's a double tax benefit here since you're not on the hook for capital gains tax and the loan proceeds are not counted as taxable income.
What Credit Card Do the Super Rich Use? The super rich use a variety of different credit cards, many of which have strict requirements to obtain, such as invitation only or a high minimum net worth. Such cards include the American Express Centurion (Black Card) and the JP Morgan Chase Reserve.
Tesla explains its avoidance of federal taxes by insisting that all of the company's profit comes from overseas. It's U.S. operations, the company says, lose money.
The amount a person receives in Social Security benefits is not directly affected by their current income or wealth. Therefore, even if someone is a millionaire or billionaire, they can still receive Social Security benefits if they have a qualifying work history.
Meet the world's secretive billionaires who give stealth wealth a whole new meaning, from Ike Perlmutter to Philip Anschutz. Stealth wealth is all the rage when it comes to fashion, but for some billionaires, it's a way of life. These mega-rich personalities are notorious for avoiding the public eye.
Warren Buffett Has a 0.1% Tax Rate — How To Stop Paying So Much More Than He Does. Warren Buffett is one of the richest people on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $115 billion, according to Bloomberg. Despite (and, alas, because of) his massive fortune, Buffett pays relatively little in taxes.
The specifics of that billionaire tax were revealed in this budget: a 25 percent tax on all wealth over $100 million, estimated to apply to just 0.01 percent of Americans. With a Congress that's no longer controlled by Democrats, much of the budget, including substantial tax hikes for the wealthy, isn't likely to pass.
Rich people don't flex their wealth to avoid taxes and suspicion, often recording private assets as company assets. Rich people don't flex because they are too busy with their businesses and find happiness in their work rather than showing off their wealth.
How do profitable corporations get away with paying no U.S. income tax? Their most lucrative (and perfectly legal) tax avoidance strategies include accelerated depreciation, the offshoring of profits, generous deductions for appreciated employee stock options, and tax credits.
The biggest reason is pretty simple. When companies pay their employees with restricted stock, as Amazon does, the tax code allows them a deduction for the value of the restricted stock when the employees have full access to that stock, and can actually sell it (on the vest date).
Which states have the highest income tax burden? New York has the highest state income tax burden out of any other state. In 2020, the state collected income taxes that amounted to 4.7% of per capita personal income, or nearly $3,500 per person. Not far behind are Maryland and Washington, DC.
MoneyGeek's analysis found that Wyoming is the most tax-friendly state in America, followed by Nevada, Tennessee, Florida and Alaska. States that received a grade of A all share something in common: no state income tax.
In 2020, the average American contributed 8.9% percent of their income in state taxes. Alaska had the lowest average overall tax burden – measured as total individual taxes paid divided by total personal income – at 5.4%, followed by Tennessee (6.3%), New Hampshire (6.4%), Wyoming (6.6%) and Florida (6.7%).