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| For more than 99% of those classified as living in poverty, yearly cash income comprises the vast majority of each household's disposable income. |
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| While the government’s calculation method indicated a 12.5% poverty rate in 2003, the same calculation method indicated anywhere from a 9% to a 16% poverty rate during the preceding decade. |
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| Most established research studies conducted by the private sector indicate that the number of people truly living in poverty in the U.S. is less than that indicated by the government’s calculation method. |
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| Several prominent economists endorse an alternate calculation method which incorporates all income, not just cash income, and adjusts for taxes paid and other core expenses. |
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| The government’s calculation method also erroneously counts those who do not earn income in a given year but who have substantial assets on which to live during that year. |