By Laura Davison From Bloomberg News Nearly 61 percent of U.S households paid no federal income taxes during pandemic-stricken year of 2020, because of declines in income and boosts to government subsidies that wiped away tax liabilities, according to data from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. The number of households owing nothing came in at 106.8 million, up from 75.9 million in 2019, the study, released Wednesday, showed. The 60.6 percent proportion for last year compares with 43.3 percent over the five years before the pandemic struck. The number of families owing no federal income taxes is projected to remain high for 2021, at approximately 101.7 million households, or 57.1 percent, according to the estimates. The data underscore how several federal assistance measures, including stimulus payments, tax-free unemployment benefits, and expanded child tax credits completely offset the federal tax bills that many families would have otherwise owed during the pandemic. …