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Has 83% of the money from Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts gone to the top 1%?

By Tom Kertscher
NO

Higher-income Americans have received the largest savings from the 2017 tax cut law signed by President Donald Trump, but the top 1% have not received 83% of the savings.

The 83% claim was made Nov. 10, 2024, by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisconsin. He alluded to the expectation that Trump will aim to get Congress to renew the cuts, most of which expire after 2025.

The law cut individual income tax rates across the board.

In 2025, the top 1% of income tax filers will receive about 25% of the total benefits, the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center projected.

In 2027, the share for the wealthiest 1% rises to 83%.

However, that's because most individual tax cuts would have expired, but corporate tax cuts, which benefit higher-income people, would remain.

If the tax cuts are extended, their 2026 value would be about $400 billion, with the top 1% receiving $100 billion.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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