How is Obamacare the "largest tax increase in US history"?

[Darth_Panda]

@lance_strongarm

Yep. They said that about Clinton’s tax increase.

The actual largest tax increase in history, though, came under…Ronald Reagan.

This seems unlikely, I would think that the largest tax increases would be related to WWII - just because it was such a huge endeavor. Politifact seems to confirm that suspicion:

As a percent of GDP, here are the top five tax increases from 1940-2006, according to Tempalski:

1. Revenue Act of 1942: 5.04 percent of GDP;

2. Revenue Act of 1961: 2.2 percent of GDP;

3. Current Tax Payment Act of 1943: 1.13 percent of GDP;

4. Revenue and Expenditure Control Act of 1968: 1.09 percent of GDP;

5. Excess Profits Tax of 1950: .97 percent of GDP;

PolitiFact - Limbaugh, GOP have it wrong: Health care law is not the largest...

[lance_strongarm]

@Darth_Panda

This seems unlikely, I would think that the largest tax increases would be related to WWII - just because it was such a huge endeavor. Politifact seems to confirm that suspicion:

Using that method, I guess so.

[Really_Not_All_That_Bright]

What method did you mean? Comparing aggregate Reagan-era increases against those of the other administrations?

[lance_strongarm]

@Really_Not_All_That_Bright

What method did you mean?

Tempalski’s.

[Gangster_Octopus]

I just read that Forbe’s article and while I understand the logic of what they are saying, I think that saying it is a large tax increase is of course a lie in the sense that it will not be an increase of anything for most people. And it isn’t like folks who purchase insurance aren’t getting anything, they are getting insurance.