US Income Tax Rate History

In 1913, Congress passed the Income Tax Act. It had a modest start with a 7% top rate, but moved to 15% in 1916, 67% in 1917, 77% in 2018 and settled back to 73% in 1919.

The top rate lowered to 58% in 1922, 44% in 1923 and 25% in 1925. It jumped to 63% in 1932 and 79% in 1937, 81% in 1940, 88% in 1942 and 94% in 1944. It settled back to 86%, then 82% and rose to 91% in 1951.

Kennedy reduced to 77% in 1964 and 70% in 1965. It remained at 70% until Reagan reduced it to 50% in 1982 and 28% in 1988. Clinton raised it to 40% and offshored middle class jobs in 1993. Bush II lowered it to 35% in 2000 and doubled the National Debt from $5 trillion to $10 trillion. Obama raised it to 40% in 2008, quadrupled the cost of health insurance and doubled the National Debt from $10 trillion to $20 trillion. Trump lowered it to 34% and raised the Standard Deduction in 2018 and is lowering the flow of welfare immigrants.

Tax Rates went up to pay for wars including World War I 1917, World War II 1941, Korean War 1950, Vietnam War 1965, Gulf War 1990, Afghan War 2001, Iraq War 2003 and Syrian War 2015.

High Tax Rates went to pay for Social Security 1935, Medicare, Medicaid and Welfare 1964 and Obamacare 2009.

The US Income Tax Top Rate by Year since 1913 is listed below.

1913 7% Wilson

1914 7%

1915 7%

1916 15%

1917 67% WWII

1918 77%

1919 73%

1920 73%

1921 73%

1922 58% Harding

1923 44%

1924 46%

1925 25% Cooledge

1926 25%

1927 25%

1928 25%

1929 24% Hoover

1930 25%

1931 25%

1932 63% Depression

1933 63%

1934 63%

1935 63%

1936 79% Roosevelt

1937 79%

1938 79%

1939 79%

1940 81%

1941 81%

1942 88%

1943 88%

1944 94%

1945 94%

1946 86%

1947 86%

1948 82%

1949 82%

1950 84%

1951 91% Truman

1952 91%

1953 91%

1954 91%

1955 91%

1956 91%

1957 91%

1958 91%

1959 91%

1960 91%

1961 91%

1962 91%

1963 91%

1964 77% Kennedy

1965 70%

1966 70%

1967 70%

1968 75% Johnson

1969 77%

1970 72%

1971 70% Nixon

1972 70%

1973 70%

1974 70%

1975 70%

1976 70%

1977 70%

1978 70%

1979 70%

1980 70%

1981 69%

1982 50% Reagan

1983 50%

1984 50%

1985 50%

1986 50%

1987 39%

1988 28% Reagan

1989 28%

1990 28%

1991 31%

1992 31%

1993 40% Clinton

1994 40%

1995 40%

1996 40%

1997 40%

1998 40%

1999 40%

2000 40%

2001 39% Bush II

2002 39%

2003 35% Bush II

2004 35%

2005 35%

2006 35%

2007 35%

2008 35%

2009 35%

2010 35%

2011 35%

2012 35%

2013 40% Obama

2014 40%

2015 40%

2016 40%

2017 40%

2018 37% Trump

https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/statistics/historical-highest-marginal-income-tax-rates

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader