Question: how much federal income tax do you pay on $50 000?
Answer: If you have no other income and take the standard deduction, you'll owe $6,250 in income tax, plus $2,825 in payroll taxes, for a federal tax burden of $9,075. If you divide $9,075 by $50,000, you get 18.15% - in other words, 18% of your income goes to the federal government, and your average tax burden is 18%.