In 2022, the U.S. authorities accredited expenditures of $113 billion on assist to Ukraine. The Committee for a Accountable Federal Finances writes:

In complete, CBO estimated that $6.6 billion of the $113 billion could be spent in FY 2022 and one other $37.7 billion in FY 2023. Moreover, CBO estimated greater than half of the accredited funds could be spent by the top of FY 2024 and greater than three-fourths by the top of FY 2026.

How a lot will that price the typical family? There are roughly 131.2 million households in the USA. So the typical price per family is $113 billion divided by 131.2 million, which is $861.

After all, averages are sometimes under-informative. That’s true of this one. In 2018, in line with the Brookings Institute, high-income households, these within the prime 20% of the revenue distribution, paid about 68 p.c of all of the tax income that the federal authorities collected. To be within the prime quintile that 12 months, you wanted to have an revenue of $153,301 or extra.

Assume for simplicity that these numbers, adjusted for inflation, are about the identical at this time. Additionally, I’ll assume, despite the fact that I do know it’s false, that this $113 billion will probably be paid completely out of taxes moderately than new debt. It’s not as dangerous an assumption because it seems. To the extent it’s paid out of recent debt and to the extent future taxes repay that debt, primarily based on a progressive tax construction such because the one we’ve now, it will be a reasonably good assumption.

So the highest quintile would pay 68% of $113 billion, which is $76.8 billion. There are roughly 26 million households within the prime quintile. So the price per top-quintile family is $76.8 billion divided by 26 million, which is $2,956.

That’s so much to struggle another person’s conflict.

Contemplate my spouse’s and my case. In 2018, our revenue put us within the prime quintile, in all probability slightly below the highest 10 p.c. So as a result of we aren’t socked by excessive revenue tax charges to the identical extent as the highest 10 p.c, our price might be nearer to $2,000 than to $2,956. Let’s say it’s about $2,200.

Put it in perspective this fashion. Within the first month of the conflict, my spouse and I wished to “do one thing” to assist Ukrainians. A buddy advisable giving cash to a neighborhood restaurant proprietor who has relations in Ukraine. She trusts him and we belief her. So we gave him $100. I do know that that’s not a lot, however the $2,200 quantity above provides an thought of simply how “not a lot.” We’ll pay in federal tax revenues about 22 instances the quantity we contributed voluntarily.