Sorry, I was very unclear about what kind of tax we are talking (income, payroll, etc.), and even withholding (I only mentioned my withholding, and not my wife's). So I think we're talking apples and oranges, and I was sloppy. My bad.

But it is true that any teen pays virtually nothing in income tax. They don't make enough generally. Or at least jobs *I* had in high school, ie a few thousand.