Bernie Sanders on taxes: what the evidence says · JRE #2341
SUBJECT: TAXES
Not a true/false call. Every claim is logged with its sources; read the exhibits below.
I mean, you know, on the Eisenhower, the very rich paid at their upper levels 90%, you know.
What the evidence says 01 / RECORD
During Dwight Eisenhower's presidency (1953 to 1961) the top marginal federal income tax rate was 91 percent, and 92 percent in the year he took office, so the very rich did face a roughly 90 percent rate on their highest income. PolitiFact rated a nearly identical Bernie Sanders claim as True, confirming that top earners paid a top rate of 91 percent. Two caveats matter for context: the rate was marginal, so it applied only to income above a very high threshold (about 200,000 dollars, roughly 1.7 million in 2015 dollars), and effective rates actually paid by top earners were far lower due to deductions and avoidance. On the specific statement that the very rich paid 90 percent at their upper income levels, this is accurate.