Ain’t been no progressiveness since 1980
In this post, Bruno commented and posted this link to reference this statement:
In 2005, the top 1 percent of tax returns paid 39.4 percent of all federal individual income taxes and earned 21.2 percent of adjusted gross income, both of which are significantly higher than 2004 when the top 1 percent earned 19 percent of AGI and paid 36.9 percent of federal individual income taxes.
I assume that the purpose of reporting the data in this way is to invoke a natural sense of fairness to people. That being that one’s share of B should reflect their share of A. That B became “significantly higher” suggests some unfairness. Oh for the humanity of it.
The report could have reported that the top 1%’s tax burden in dollars was 20% higher, however their share of income was 21.8% higher. Now is this fair? Is this fair of the report to have noted the rise of both income and taxes paid in a manor that makes the top1% look as if they are getting unfair treatment and not show that the bottom 99% ‘s income only went up 6.2% but their dollars paid in income taxes went up 7.9%?
How fair is this? All of it? 1980 to 2005 all? Adjusted incomes all?
Well, it turns out this report had a link to an exel file of their data. Perfect! As a dutiful AB’er I took it as my charge to see what that data was really showing. Turns out since 1980, the messing with the tax rates has had some strange effects. Fairness is missing in all of it, even the vaunted Clinton era.
Look at this chart. Notice how the income for the bottom 99% is continuously falling away from the total income. Of course, you can’t miss the top 1% line. Up, up and away (in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon…)
The next chart is of total taxes paid. Notice the similarity. The rising share of total income that becomes income taxes is certainly a function of one’s rising share of total income.
But, the income going up faster than the rise in taxes paid or the taxes paid rising faster than the income is a function of the rates.
This chart may not be to impressive unless you look real close. Look between 1991 and 2000 at the bottom 99%. Do you see that it is rising? This is a period that we are suppose to be considering a symbol of progressive taxation and yet income taxes paid as a percentage of income is rising for the bottom 99% while it is descending for the top 1%. The actual percentages for the 99%’ers start in 1992 at 10.9 and peaks in 2000 at 12.1%. Where as the top 1% go from 25.05% 1992 to 28.87% 1996 to 27.45 2000. The highest total of income collected as income taxes in this series of data was 1981 at 15.76%. Being that Reagan hadn’t started blowing the budget, this could reasonably be considered the amount of money we have to pay to keep the budget in good shape. (That is assuming all other taxes stay the same as 1981. They didn’t.) But NOOOOOOOOOOO. We see us paying less each year until 1990. Only 23.25% was paid to take care of our house that year. The top 1% paid 25.1% of the house needs out of 14% of the income. The rest of us paid 74.9% of the house needs out of 86% of the income.