According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, “nearly 61% of U.S. households paid no federal income taxes during pandemic-stricken year of 2020, because of declines in income and boosts to government subsidies that wiped away tax liabilities.” Five years before COVID-19 struck the United States, 43.4% of Americans paid no federal income tax.
“The number of households owning nothing came in at 106.8 million, up from 75.9 million in 2019.
“The number of familes owing no federal income taxes is projected to remain high for 2021, at approximately 101.7 million households, or 57.1%, according to the estimates.
“The data underscore how several federal assistance measures, including stimulus payments, tax-free unemployment benefits and expanded child tax credits completely offset the federal tax bills that many families would have otherwise owed during the pandemic.”
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