Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403
 Phone (202) 842 0200
Fax (202) 842 3490
 Contact Us
Support Cato
Briefing Paper No. 15 April 15, 1992

Briefing Paper

A Consumer Guide To
Taxes:
How Much Do You Really Pay In
Taxes?

by George Nastas and Stephen Moore

George Nastas is a marketing and financial consultant in Haslett, Michigan. Stephen Moore is director of fiscal policy studies at the Cato Institute.

Executive Summary

Most Americans complain that taxes are taking a larger bite out of their incomes than ever before. During the month of April, tax-filing time, they complain most bitterly.

This study calculates how much additional money middle- income workers must earn to purchase various goods and ser vices--a new car, a computer, or a year's college tuition for their children--after all taxes are fully taken into account. For instance, a wage earner in an average-tax state must earn $17,038 to purchase a $10,000 car. That means that the work er pays $7,038 in income, payroll, and sales taxes on a $10,000 car. The study finds that in some high-tax states, such as California and New York, the "true" price to consum ers of goods and services is twice the retail price because of taxes. Self-employed workers, who must pay a self-employ ment tax, routinely must also earn double the retail price of an item to have the after-tax income to buy it. That is the "rule of two on taxes."

Full Text of Briefing Paper No. 15 (HTML)

© 1992 The Cato Institute
Please send comments to webmaster