Did Americans’ Average Tax Bill Increase 41 Percent Over Three Years?

Our weekly check-in with the Texas Truth-O-Meter.

By Alain StephensOctober 4, 2017 1:13 pm,

A Texas congressman says the average tax bill for Americans in 2016 was up 41 percent from three years before. Is that a fact? Gardner Selby of the Politifact Texas fact-checking team has the answer.

In response to a constituent’s inquiry about tax policy, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-San Antonio) mentioned a federal report on taxes which said that the average tax bill for Americans in 2016 was $10,500, an increase from 2013’s average tax bill of $7,400. But Louis Jacobson, a senior correspondent for PolitiFact who investigated this claim, says there are a few more elements to take into account when analyzing the average tax burden.

 

Hear how Rep. Smith’s claim scored in the player above.