# Trump's tax cuts benefited lower-income people the most

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-tax-cuts-benefited-lower-income-people-the-most/955531>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [December 5, 2021, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-tax-cuts-benefited-lower-income-people-the-most/955531 "2021-12-05T02:31:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\
**Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-tax-cuts-benefited-lower-income-people-the-most/955531/41 "2021-12-15T16:31:24Z")

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> [@Sam\_Stone](#):
>
> In reality, it’s not about screwing over the poor - it’s about fooling the voters into supporting something you want or think they need but they won’t accept if you tell it straight.

It can be both, you know.

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**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2021, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-tax-cuts-benefited-lower-income-people-the-most/955531/42 "2021-12-16T20:16:02Z")

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> [@Drum\_God](#):
>
> Here are the only numbers that matter to me. I fit into the lower end of the $86K-300K group. Our gross income is in the 80s.
> 
> 2017 total tax owed: $5446  
> 2018 total tax owed: $6936
> 
> That doesn’t look like a tax cut to me.
> 
> A couple of other fun numbers. Because of a brief period of unemployment in 2018, our gross income decreased by about $2000. In other words, we made LESS in 2018 than we did in 2017, yet our taxes INCREASED. Even though our gross income dropped a bit, our TAXABLE income increased by $20,000.
> 
> These are real numbers from a real middle class couple, both with college degrees and professional jobs.
> 
> Trump can shove his “tax cut” up his ass.

Can confirm. I’m an upper-middle-class blue-state liberal, and the limits on SALT meant the difference – without modifying my withholding – between getting a modest refund, and writing a big check. Rude awakening.

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**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-tax-cuts-benefited-lower-income-people-the-most/955531/43 "2021-12-18T00:26:06Z")

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It really grinds me gears when I hear Trumpists claim that I got a tax cut. No I didn’t. And neither did you. Of course, Trumpism was formed from the Tea Party movement. The Tea Partiers named their movement after a tax protest, yet had virtually no understanding of actual tax policy – in the 18th century or the 21st century.

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