Paying a Non-Existent Tax

The last paychecks of the year are in, and looking at the withholding, it appears a non-existent tax absorbed more than 3 percent of our income. The NYC local income tax. How is that tax non-existent? It is non-existent politically, when people talk about who is and who is not overtaxed, and complain about their property taxes. Last time the Independent Budget Office looked, however, the total tax burden was higher for NYC residents than for residents of the rest of the state.