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Comment by wireprotocol | Hacker News Reader

A lot of people in the U.S. don't pay net income taxes either, about 44% accoeding to [1].

[1] https://nypost.com/2017/04/18/almost-half-of-americans-wont-...

The number is closer to 18%, or 27% if you only look at net tax[1]. Payroll taxes are income taxes in every way except the name.

[1] https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox/closer-look-those-who...

Payroll taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, gas taxes, excise taxes on a mobile phone, there are lots of opportunities to pay taxes even for those who earn little enough income to not owe federal income tax.

But that's because they don't owe anything, not because of evasion

That obnoxious statistic always excludes payroll tax as well. Not to mention that the "Lucky duckies" is one of the most rightly ridiculed tropes in recent memory, arguing that poor people in the US have it too good:

https://web.archive.org/web/20030626024327/http://www.tnr.co...

No. The 66% includes tax evaders as well as those who legally don’t need to pay.

What a weird and artificial statistic to bring up. I don't believe it has any actual meaning given that the individuals have met their legal obligations for income taxes.

44% in the US compared to 98% in China -- that's quite a difference!

compared to the US's IRS, China's tax collection agency seems, in effect, less capable because China's workers are so good at avoiding/evading these taxes.

not because Chinese worker are good at avoiding tax. it is because china is not a state with an adequate legal system. It is a tradition that a lot of thing happen under the table.

How many of those are kids, students, or retired?

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