[lotsofpulp]

It really isn’t worth discussing just federal tax liability in the US, due to how complicated the various taxing jurisdictions are and how diffuse various governing expenses are throughout those jurisdictions.

Especially when comparing to effective tax rates in countries with universal healthcare and different defined benefit pension schemes. For example, health insurance premiums in the US are a tax, due to the myriad restrictions on how premiums can be priced. Just not collected by the government, but it definitely is young and healthy subsidizing poor and sick.

Also, note that most of the reduction in tax liability is due to setting money aside for later use, so it is akin to deferring taxes, rather than just reducing taxes.

Another way to make sense of policy is that the federal US spend is 60% on defined benefit pensions for old people and healthcare for old or poor people, 17% on military, 13% on interest, and the remaining 10% for the rest of the federal government’s operations.

https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/americas-finance-guide/feder...