It's not really only 25%. It's 25% in federal income tax, and 15.3% in federal payroll taxes, and an average of 4% in state income taxes, and an average of 6% in state and local sales taxes, and excise taxes on gasoline, and property tax for anyone who owns, or that bundled into rent for anyone who doesn't, and ---

Upper middle class Americans and upward pay about 50% of their income in taxes, and other middle class Americans pay about 33% of their income in taxes. The sainted poor pay nothing in income taxes - half of all filers - but do pay payroll if employed and sales when they eat and so forth, for maybe 15% total.