Trump tells wealthy donors he wants to extend his 2017 tax cuts. Here’s why they’d benefit the most

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By Tami Luhby, CNN

(CNN) — Wealthy donors forked over a record $50.5 million at a recent fundraising dinner for former President Donald Trump, but they could also reap big benefits if he returns to the White House.

At the dinner, hosted by billionaire investor John Paulson, Trump told the crowd that one of his core issues for a second term would be extending the sweeping tax cuts that congressional Republicans approved in 2017. While the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced taxes for most Americans, the rich benefited far more than others.

The speech outlined yet another divide between Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden, who is campaigning on raising taxes on the wealthy to fund his social and other priorities while protecting those who earn less than $400,000 a year from tax hikes. Biden’s campaign wasted little time attacking Trump for “promising tax giveaways to billionaire donors.”

“Now, Trump is making it clear to his billionaire buddies that he’ll take his first chance to double down on tax giveaways for the ultra-wealthy – all while he fights to rip away Americans’ health care, gut Social Security and Medicare, and raise costs on working families,” Sarafina Chitika, a Biden campaign spokesperson, said in a statement.

The fate of the 2017 law’s individual tax provisions, which are set to expire at the end of next year, will depend on which party wins control of the White House and Congress in November.

More than 60% of the benefits were expected to go to those whose incomes are in the top 20%, according to a 2018 analysis by the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan research group. More than 40% of the benefits were expected to go to those in the top 5%.

Those making between $500,000 and $1 million were expected to get an average tax cut of about $21,000, lifting their after-tax incomes by 4.3%, according to the center’s estimates. Those who earn $1 million or more would enjoy an average tax cut of about $70,000, raising their after-tax incomes by 3.3%.

Only a little more than a quarter of those in the lowest-income households would see their taxes reduced. Their tax cut would be about $200, on average. However, most would see little or no benefit.

If the tax cuts are extended, the pattern of who benefits is likely to be similar, according to the center.

The wealthy have already been served well by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which also included multiple corporate tax changes.

“Most everybody in every income group got a tax cut, but the highest-income people got by far the biggest tax cut,” said Howard Gleckman, a senior fellow at the center.

The law reduced individual and corporate income tax rates, repealed personal exemptions, increased the standard deduction and child tax credit, limited or restricted certain itemized deductions and doubled the estate tax exemption, among other provisions.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect the correct information from the Tax Policy Center about the distribution of tax benefits from the 2017 law.

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