Half of American households pay no income taxes

Sound bytes from politicians often promote class warfare... citing how evil "tax cuts for the wealthy" are and pressing for more tax relief for the lower and middle classes. Listening to them, you would think that the lower and middle classes are carrying a disproportionately high share of the tax burden, wouldn't you?

Well it's time to debunk that myth with a little dose of reality. The Tax Foundation puts American income taxes in perspective with these facts. The organization's analysis of the tax laws and rates indicates that have of American households pay no income tax at all.

In fact, many millions of households actually get far more money from the federal government than they have ever paid in income taxes. A study released last year by the Tax Foundation compared the amount of taxes paid by individuals versus the value of government spending received.