> The top 1 percent of taxpayers (AGI [Adjusted Gross Income] of $663,164 and above) paid the highest average income tax rate of 26.1 percent—seven times the rate faced by the bottom half of taxpayers.
> In all, the top 1 percent of taxpayers accounted for more income taxes paid than the bottom 90 percent combined. The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid $864 billion in income taxes while the bottom 90 percent paid $599 billion.
The first paragraph is the nominal tax rate and the claim that OP is offering is based on the idea that the ultra wealthy find ways to avoid that tax rate and end up paying less than middle class income earners as a percentage of their income. I believe that this is true.
The second paragraph is the actually relevant stat, though: for all that they avoid the nominal tax rate, they still pay the majority of all taxes.
> The top 1 percent of tax payers pays the most tax" is a tautology.
What does "the most tax" mean? If you mean "most of the tax" how is that a tautology? If everyone paid $1 the top 1 percent would pay 1% of the total - which is far from "most".
Also, the language can be ambiguous in some places but it says "by Income Group" so the top 1 percent of tax payers probably refers actually to the top 1 percent of (adjusted) earners.
> GP talked about the uber wealthy.
And GGP talked about how "a minority of taxpayers finance the government".
> GP says that the (uber)rich pay a lower tax rate than the middle class so he wouldn't necessarily agree that the top earners pay the highest tax rate.
The uber-rich aren't the top earners.
Capital holdings and labor income aren't the same thing.
> In all, the top 1 percent of taxpayers accounted for more income taxes paid than the bottom 90 percent combined. The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid $864 billion in income taxes while the bottom 90 percent paid $599 billion.
https://taxfoundation.org/data/all/federal/latest-federal-in...