High-Income, No-Tax Returns Almost Doubled in 2008, IRS Says

The number of people who reported incomes of at least $200,000 and paid no U.S. income taxes jumped 79.5 percent in 2008 from 2007, according to an Internal Revenue Service study.

In all, 18,783 people filed U.S. tax returns with adjusted gross incomes of at least $200,000 and used legal deductions, exemptions and credits to avoid owing any U.S. income taxes. That represents 0.43 percent of high-income taxpayers, the biggest percentage of non-payers in an IRS study released yesterday that includes data going back to 1977.