It Ain’t All That Much Money
by digby
As we head into the debate about the Bush tax cuts expiring, with well-heeled TV celebrities like Jack Cafferty again declaring that “200k ain’t all that much money” it’s a good idea to check out how these tax cuts expiring on schedule will play out in real dollars compared to what they were when Bush pushed them through. The NY Times did that a few months back and it’s instructive:
Given the progressive nature of the federal income tax system, in which tax rates increase with income, even the richest households would continue to pay the four lower rates on up to the first $250,000 of their income, under the approach being pushed by Mr. Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress. The president has vowed to extend the tax cuts for individuals with less than $200,000 in annual taxable income and couples with less than $250,000 — about 98 percent of American households. About 315,000 households report adjusted gross income of $1 million or more. Taxpayers with income of more than $1 million for 2011 would still receive on average a tax cut of about $6,300 compared with what they would have paid under rates in effect until 2001, according to the analysis, which was prepared by the Joint Committee on Taxation at the request of the Democratic majority on the House Ways and Means Committee. That compares, however, with the roughly $100,000 average tax cut that households with more than $1 million in income would receive under current rates. Filers with taxable income of $500,000 to $1 million would still get on average a tax cut of $6,700 compared with pre-2001 rates, according to the data from the tax analysts. But that compares with roughly $17,500 if the top Bush tax rates were maintained. If the president gets his way, in 2011 the top two income tax rates — now 33 percent and 35 percent — would revert to the levels before the Bush administration, 36 percent and 39.6 percent, respectively. But the four lower rates would remain 10 percent, 15 percent, 25 percent and 28 percent. For some taxpayers earning up to $250,000, the top marginal rate would remain 33 percent.
These wealthy people will still be paying less than they did during the go-go years of the 90s so it’s a little bit disingenuous to say that the economy will crumble if they are forced to go back to it. I know they all feel that they are above paying taxes, but it’s the patriotic thing to do.
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