In this episode of The Tom Dupree Show, host Tom Dupree draws from his 47 years of investment experience to explore the historical development of US taxation systems and examine how different tax approaches affect economic growth, investment opportunities, and consumer behavior.

Tom begins with a fascinating historical overview of US income tax rates:

“My dad told me that the personal income tax rates got as high as 91% in the US in the 1950s, but I didn’t believe him. I did the research and saw that from 1945 to 1963, the highest marginal tax rate was 91%. So that means if your income got up to a certain threshold, the government was taking away from you nine out of $10 you were earning.”

He then traces the gradual reduction of these rates:

Tom explains the critical distinction between income taxes and consumption taxes:

The discussion highlights how political and professional interests influence tax policy:

“The tax code is complicated intentionally because it keeps people busy doing stuff. Why would a smart attorney, i.e., congressman, vote against business for his peeps, his old law firm, or him or her if they ever get out of practice and go back into practice in law? They don’t want to simplify the tax code. That’s not good for business – for their business.”

Tom explores the complex question: Would Americans prefer higher prices on consumer goods if it meant eliminating income taxes?

Potential Benefits:

Potential Drawbacks:

Tom suggests that current tariff discussions may be more strategic than permanent policy shifts:

“I happen to believe that the tariff is kind of a bluff, and that there’s gonna come a point where they say, ‘Okay, we’re gonna quit doing all this and there’s not gonna be any tariffs on anything.’ This is about getting China, and mainly China, to stop charging us on stuff we build and could sell to them.”

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“I have been in the investment business for 47 years. My Dad was in the business for approximately 62 years and my Granddad for 50 years.

Income tax rates affect how much money people have left over for investment purposes. My Dad told me that the personal income tax rates got as high as 91% in the US the 1950s, but I didn’t believe him. I did the research and saw that from 1945-1963 the highest marginal tax rate was 91%. It dropped to 70% in the 70s and 80s, then 50%, then down to 37% where it is today. This is an income tax, not a consumption tax. Which is generally what a tariff is.

Some have said the tariffs could replace income taxes. For years, there was a debate that the US should replace its income tax with a value added tax, also known as a VAT. It’s basically a sales tax. Which is what tariffs are, although they extend to capital goods as well. The VAT idea has been seemingly dead for awhile, probably because the income and estate tax planning political lobby is very strong. After all, many of our politicians are attorneys.

Would you be willing to pay more for a pair of Nikes if you didn’t have to pay the IRS every April 15? That may be a slight oversimplification, but it’s the general direction in which the tariffs debate heads If we did our taxes based on consumption, a lot of tax experts might be out of a job.

This idea didn’t originate with the current occupant of the White House. It’s been around quite awhile

The flow of money and capital is generally apolitical. It’s simply based on ideas, good or bad. A healthy society debates ideas on their merits, not on which political party they originate from.”

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