ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Monday, April 15, 1996                 TAG: 9604150075
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL   PAGE: A-1  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON

GOVERNMENTS OWN ALL YOU EARN BEFORE LUNCH

A typical American works almost until lunch to pay federal, state and local taxes before earning a penny for food, clothing or shelter.

The tax bite in an eight-hour day will amount to two hours and 47 minutes this year, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research organization. That means a worker arriving at his or her desk at 9 a.m. would have earned enough to pay federal taxes by 10:50 and enough to pay state and local taxes by 11:47.

That year's tax bite work period ties last year's bite for the longest on record. And it's 15 minutes longer than the work time needed to pay for food, clothing and shelter.

Fifty years ago, the tax bite work period was 50 minutes shorter, and a decade ago it was nine minutes less.

- Associated Press

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