Ezra Klein correctly points out:
Romney said “Every middle-income taxpayer no longer will pay any tax on interest, dividends or capital gains.” As this graph from the Tax Policy Center shows, few people in the middle-income brackets actually pay capital gains taxes to begin with — most of the burden falls on the wealthy.
and helpfully provides us a pretty chart.
The problem is that if we substitute “middle class” for “middle income” (as Klein does himself at Wonkblog), we run smack into the uncomfortable reality that the vast majority of Americans see themselves as “middle class” even if they have high incomes.
The data shown here are from the 2010 General Social Survey, and while the categories don’t match up to what Klein has posted, 80% still consider themselves “middle class” even among those who earn more than $150,000–only 9.1% of families according to the U.S. Census.
Everyone is middle class in the United States, so Romney’s claims about capital gains may resonate
Ezra Klein correctly points out:
and helpfully provides us a pretty chart.
The problem is that if we substitute “middle class” for “middle income” (as Klein does himself at Wonkblog), we run smack into the uncomfortable reality that the vast majority of Americans see themselves as “middle class” even if they have high incomes.