If you are upper middle class it is possible to pay zero taxes. Between tax loss harvesting, 401ks, opportunity zones, and LLC formation, a citizen can legally pay no taxes some years. It's a bit of a learning curve but none of the mechanics are particularly difficult.
"Once income and spending exceed this level, taxes must be paid. Unless…
Unless that income comes from qualified dividends or long-term capital gains. In this case, a married couple can have $24,400 a year in income AND $78,750 in investment income, TAX-FREE"
If you can get 78k$ yearly investment income from index funds, you already have a net worth of several million $, and you're thus already among the people that don't need to work (or you had some incredible luck for smaller investments)