Fact check: How has the percentage of Americans who pay federal income tax changed since 2015?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, there is insufficient data to answer the specific question about how the percentage of Americans who pay federal income tax has changed since 2015. The sources analyzed do not contain the historical comparison data needed to track this trend over the requested timeframe.

The most relevant information available comes from 2022 data, which shows that the top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97 percent of all federal individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 3 percent ^[1]. However, this data point alone cannot establish whether the percentage of Americans paying federal income tax has increased, decreased, or remained stable since 2015.

The Tax Foundation source provides current federal income tax data for 2022, including tax returns filed and income taxes paid, but does not explicitly state the percentage of Americans who pay federal income tax or provide historical trends ^[1]. The IRS sources focus on current tax updates and inflation adjustments for 2025 rather than historical participation rates ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several critical pieces of context are missing from the available analyses:

• Historical baseline data from 2015 showing what percentage of Americans paid federal income tax at that time
• Year-over-year trend data between 2015 and the present that would reveal the direction and magnitude of any changes
• Economic factors that might influence tax participation rates, such as changes in income distribution, employment levels, or tax policy modifications
• Demographic breakdowns that could show how different population segments have been affected differently over this period

The question also lacks important definitional clarity about whether it refers to:

• Americans who owe any federal income tax after deductions and credits
• Americans who have federal income tax withheld from paychecks
• Americans who file tax returns regardless of final tax liability

Organizations like the Tax Foundation would benefit from highlighting data that demonstrates tax burden concentration among higher earners, as this supports arguments for tax policy reforms that could reduce their influence on policy discussions.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation, as it is posed as an inquiry rather than making factual claims. However, the framing assumes that there has been a measurable change in the percentage of Americans paying federal income tax since 2015, which cannot be verified based on the available source analyses.

The question's focus on a specific timeframe (since 2015) may reflect an underlying assumption about policy changes or economic shifts during this period, but without access to the actual historical data, it's impossible to determine whether any significant changes have occurred ^{[1] [2] [4] [3]}.

The analyses reveal a significant gap in available information, as none of the sources examined provide the longitudinal data necessary to answer this straightforward but important question about American tax participation trends.