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In reply to the discussion: FAIL. Obama LOWERED Capital Gains Tax from 40% to 20%! [View all]W_HAMILTON
(10,246 posts)Last edited Thu Jan 3, 2013, 07:09 PM - Edit history (1)
...I've been reading up on for quite some time now.
The "top" payers did not "effectively go off the cliff." Their taxes are now the same or lower than would have been had we gone off the cliff.
- The income tax rate for "top payers" is the same post-deal / no-deal (although there are fewer "top payers" impacted due to the deal's $400/$450k threshold).
- The tax rate on capital gains and dividends is lower post-deal than with no-deal.
- The estate tax is lower post-deal than with no-deal.
Why do you think the markets reacted favorably to this deal? Why do you think you had Republicans voting for this deal? It's because it either reduced the tax burden or kept it the same as had there been no deal. You honestly think Republicans would vote against "Plan B" (with a threshold around $1m) but then vote FOR this deal, with a threshold of $400k/$450k?
The chart takes into account all tax aspects if we had gone off the cliff, including the EITC you claim it doesn't factor in. It then converts the amount of taxes that would be paid into an average federal tax rate. Here is another chart breaking down by category (e.g., payroll tax cut, estate tax, income tax cuts, etc.) that is underlying the percentages in the first chart.
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Regarding your claims about the impact on capital gains, again, you are wrong. I don't know where you are getting the 18% number from. Maybe you should read up on http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/412666-toppling-off-the-fiscal-cliff.pdf , particularly page four that refers to the taxes you are talking about. Long-term capital gains are not being taxed 2% higher by virture of this deal than they would have been had no deal been reached.
As for your final comment, please humor me by once again by "repeating" all this additional revenue created the deal that would not have already been in place had no deal been reached.
