Crucially, this need not be, and should not be, a matter of raising taxes in the aggregate. The proceeds from a gasoline tax ought to be used to finance cuts in other taxesâthis, surely, is the way to present them to a sceptical electorate.
Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates. The current tax rate for social security is 6.2% for the employer and 6.2% for the employee, or 12.4% total. The current rate for Medicare is 1.45% for the employer and 1.45% for the employee, or 2.9% total.
In 2013 the average worker made $44,888 a year, according to the Social Security Administration. This worker and his or her employer will each pay $2,783 this year. Approximately 6 percent of all workers will earn more than the $118,500 tax cap. Earnings above the cap now account for 17 percent of the aggregate pay of all workers who pay into Social Security. An additional tax on workers' earnings pays for Medicare hospital insurance. This is a 1.45 percent levy, paid by workers and employers each on all wages, for a total tax of 2.9 percent.