As we've noted above, it is correct that about 47 percent of Americans don't pay income tax. But Romney, in the leaked video, also referred to the "dependency" of this 47 percent on government benefits. There he is on shakier ground.
According to one analysis, only the very broadest definition of Americans "who are dependent upon government" yields a number approaching 47 percent. If Romney is including anyone who receives Social Security and Medicare – both considered an earned entitlement since Americans pay for them – the percentage of Americans receiving money from the government hits 37 percent. That number is from a study of 2010 Census data by Robert Greenstein, executive director of the CBPP.
