Tax Returns 2012: Anatomy Of The Average American [GRAPHIC]

INFOGRAPHIC: Anatomy Of The Average American Taxpayer

Though they've received a ton of attention, the tax returns of billionaire investor Warren Buffett, as well as Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney, don't exactly look like the average American's IRS form.

So what does the typical American taxpayer look like?

For one, they make a whole lot less than those guys listed above, all of whom have made their returns public in recent months. John Q. Taxpayer made an average of $49,000 in 2009, compared to $1.1 million for Santorum in the same year and an estimated $6.47 million for Romney, according to the infographic from H&R Block below. That's nothing compared to billionaire Buffett's 2010 tax bill , which almost exceeds the value of both returns combined.

While John Q. Taxpayer may represent the average taxpayer, he isn't indicative of the typical American. In fact, less than half of the U.S. population pays income tax, according to HR Block.

With such a small share of Americans paying their taxes, the IRS is hoping that offering programs to make filing taxes easier will encourage more Americans to dos. This year, the government agency is offering several programs to provide free tax filing services for Americans making around $50,000 or less, in addition to its free online filing services, such as Where's My Refund?

How do you stack up? See below for HR Block's "Anatomy of a U.S. Taxpayer infographic":

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