Comments for sursumcorda.salemsattic.com/post/think-you-re-rich-or-poor

Comment #1336

2009-04-20T15:20:57Z

Federal income tax, I'm sure, since it's based on IRS tax returns.

Comment #1335

2009-04-20T14:32:54Z

Is that "average tax rate" the average rate of federal income taxes, all taxes (including payroll, state, local, sales, property, etc.), or some other subset?

Comment #1334

2009-04-19T10:43:04Z

The AGI seems pretty comprehensive to me, including wages, salaries, tips, taxable interest, dividends, alimony, business income, capital gains, IRA distributions, pensions, rental, income, royalties, farm income, social security benefits, unemployment compensation, and the catch-all "other income." True, you get to subtract a few things, like alimony paid, half the self-employment tax, moving expenses, and some other odds and ends, but the AGI is calculated before most deductions and tax credits.

Comment #1333

2009-04-19T02:23:18Z

It isn't really a good (even "loosely") to compare AGI to income is it? I think your bullet points are fine, except for the second one. If all the conspiracy theories are true, then the top 1% (or more) have a greater (percentage and actual) difference in AGI to gross income than us "poor" people...