According to Tea Party nominee Richard Mourdock, who recently ousted the incumbent Dick Lugar in the Indiana Republican primary, our current tax-code is just like slavery!
MOURDOCK: What he meant by that was that slavery was either going to be totally eliminated from the United States or it was no longer just going to be restricted to the Southern states, it was going to go everywhere. I am here to suggest to you that we are in a house divided. You know this past April, when our federal taxes were paid, 47 percent — 47 percent — of all American households paid no income tax. In fact, half of that 47 percent almost, actually got tax money back from the government that they never paid -– because a few years ago we revised the welfare program to make it part of the tax code. When 47 percent are paying no income taxes — they do pay Social Security — but they are not paying income taxes, and 53 percent are carrying the load, we are a house divided.
You who else doesn't pay income taxes? Mitt Romney. He doesn't pay income taxes. He pays taxes on Capital Gains, which are taxed at a rate of only 15 percent. Romney's actual tax-rate is lower than 15 percent however after accounting for special deductions.
With that factoid out of the way -- it's been repeated here dozens of times but I'll repeat it again, the idea that nearly half of the country doesn't pay taxes is a myth. It's true that a large portion of Americans do not pay federal income taxes, some because they're out of work and some because they don't make enough money to pay income taxes on, however those that don't are also paying property taxes, city taxes, vehicle taxes, payroll taxes, school taxes, and other local taxes. Everyone is paying something.
Many who don't pay federal income taxes are still paying more than they can really afford to, unlike Mitt Romney.