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Nov 1, 2022
How many taxes are there in the US?
Most rational individuals acknowledge the need for earners to pay taxes, for the purposes of defense, infrastructure, emergency services and such.
There are those who argue they should have access to all the government benefits but not have to pay taxes.
Also there are those who argue that there are unfunded programs that they want, that should be funded no matter the cost.
However most baseline people wish to pay a fair tax and receive comperable government services for those taxes.
Then comes the question of how much each baseline normal worker should have to pay.
It may seem like the spenders have won out verses the minimalists, as judged by the fact that workers now pay more in tax money than they keep for themselves.
Most people however do not realize this as many of the taxes are hidden. This article is just a hilighting of some of those hidden taxes.
NOTE: These numbers are from examples and valid, but due to the vast complexity of tax rates, these do not apply to all cases.
Tax rates for most of these taxes change based on state of residence, tax year, income, employment status, marital status, property value, etc.
This is just a valid example of one possible medium income individuals tax payments per year, and is not based on a specific individual.
Note that this list, despite it's length, is not complete. There are still more hidden taxes that Americans pay.
Included here are just the most prominent visible (like income) and hidden (like gasoline) taxes in the US.
| TAX | TAX RATE | DETAILS | NOTES | Example Person Pays per Year |
| Federal Income Tax | 10%-37% | Varies by Income | $8,800 | |
| Federal Social Security Tax | 6.2% | 12.4% if self employed | employer matches | $5,456 |
| Federal Medicare Tax | 1.45% | 2.9% if self employed | employer matches | $1,276 |
| Idaho State Income Tax | 6.5% | for income over aprox $8,000 | $2,420 | |
| Idaho Sales/Use Tax | 6% | Varies by State | $1,466 | |
| Property Tax | 1% | aprox 1% of property value, annualy | $3,320 | |
| Federal Excise Tax | 10%-11% | On items life sporting goods and tires | $260 | |
| Gasoline Tax | $0.515 | 51.5 cents/gallon Idaho, Varies by state | $600 | |
| Vehicle Registration | $53-$217 | Idaho per vehicle, per year | includes admin fee $4, EMS tax $1.25, ISP fee $3 | $330 |
| License Fees | varies | Business, drivers, fishing, pets license, etc | $915 | |
| Misc Utility Taxes | 2%-8% | misc phone tax, internet access, power tax, etc | $240 | |
| Hotel Tax | 10%-18% | Varies by State, City | $100 | |
| Airline Taxes | 10%-25% | Multiple security and taxes applied | varies by flight length and destination | $420 |
| Car Rental Taxes | 7%-20% | Multiple taxes applied | varies by state, vehicle | $70 |
| Recreation Fees | varies | Required for access to parks, campgrounds, etc. | $100 | |
| Tariffs | 2%-25% | Imported goods and vehicles | paid by importer, passed on to consumer | $500 |
| Alcohol Taxes | 45%-70% | Beer, Wine, Liquor | multiple federal and state taxes apply | $550 |
| Tobacco Tax | 25%-70% | Mostly cigarettes, also applied to cigars, vapes | $50 | |
| Gambling Tax | 5%-plus | $50 | ||
| Sugar Tax | aprox 50% | Props up US sugar producers | Sugar Act | $30 |
| Many Many More | to many to list | $+++ | ||
| TOTAL | over 50% | Based on Medium Income | Example | $26,957 plus |
Added together, over $26k in taxes for someone who makes slightly less than $50k a year.
Now no one can predict the future, but if the past trend is any indication, both taxes and the deficit will continue to increase.
And of course remember that this list is far from complete.
Another interesting myth to overcome is that registrations and licenses and such are not a tax.
If someone changed the name of income tax to income registration, would it cease to be a tax?
Propery tax is seen as a tax, but vehicle "registration" is seen as not a tax???
If this is true, then lets change every name of every tax to a registration, then call ourselves a "tax free" country...
Some states charge extra vehicle registration tax on electric vehicles to make up for reduced gas tax revenue.
This release is for informational purpose only.
No legal, financial or investment advise is given, just opinion.
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