There's a lot not to like about Paul Ryan. Sure, he might be able to energize the Republican base, but the last time a Vice Presidential candidate did that, it didn't turn out too well for the GOP. And, in terms of policy, his budget would only further hurt the working poor and middle class by effectively scrapping Medicare as we know it, cutting Head Start, and raising taxes for the bottom 30% of income earners (to be fair, that's somehow better than Romney's own proposal, which raises taxes for the bottom 95% of American families).
However, how much would Romney pay in taxes if Paul Ryan's budget were implemented? According to the Atlantic, he would pay a 0.82% tax rate. Yep, you read that right. 0.82 percent.
You may be wondering how this is even possible, considering Romney pocketed over $21 million in 2010. It's actually relatively simple. Ryan's budget eliminates all taxes on capital gains, interest, and dividends -- the main sources of Romney's income. Therefore, the only income of Romney's that would be taxed would be his speaking fees and book sales, leading to a total tax of $177,650 out of $21,661,344 in taxable income -- 0.82%. Now I can see why Mitt Romney supports Paul Ryan's budget.
Granted, that still may be 0.82% more in taxes than Romney has been paying in the past few years.