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POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS

A Guide to Understanding U.S. Taxes in One Place

| By CBPP

As we approach the April 17 tax filing deadline, we have highlighted the following pieces that take big-picture look at the U.S. tax system.

  • We discussed how federal income taxes on middle-income families remain near historic lows.
  • We examined where our federal and state taxes go.
  • We pointed out the misconceptions and realities about who pays taxes.
  • We showed the strikingly misleading impression of tax burdens represented by the Tax Foundation’s annual “Tax Freedom Day” report.
  • We examined states that continue to tax working-poor families deeper into poverty rather than supporting their efforts to climb into the middle class.

And, finally, in our blog series Thinking About Tax Policy, we looked at the current state of the U.S. tax system and opportunities for reform.