"Mitt Romney continued and claimed that his "job is not to worry about those people" and that he will "never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives." Mitt Romney's message about 47 percent of Americans not paying income taxes is misleading. While 47 percent of Americans pay no federal income taxes, they do pay taxes. The 47 percent pay sales tax, a payroll tax, a gas tax and in many cases, state and local taxes. According to a study by the Tax Policy Center, many of these Americans come from low-income families who don't make enough money at their job to pay federal income taxes. The 47 percent also includes seniors who rely only on their Social Security check and young Americans who are only working part-time to balance with their studies.
What is ironic about Romney's statement is that the majority of Americans who don't file for income taxes live in conservative states. According to the Tax Foundation, 9 out of the top 10 states with the highest percentage of Americans who don't file for income taxes are considered "red states." The remaining state, Florida, is a swing state that went overwhelmingly Republican in the 2010 midterms."
http://www.examiner.com/article/a-quick-guide-to-why-mitt-romney-s-47-percent-claim-is-misleading-and-wrong-1