Courtesy of the Tax Policy Center, here is a complete historical record of the top U.S. marginal tax rates for individuals since the origin of the modern income tax 99 years ago:
1913 7.0% 1947 86.45% 1981 69.13%
1914 7.0% 1948 82.13% 1982 50.00%
1915 7.0% 1949 82.13% 1983 50.00%
1916 15.0% 1950 91.00% 1984 50.00%
1917 67.0% 1951 91.00% 1985 50.00%
1918 77.0% 1952 92.00% 1986 50.00%
1919 73.0% 1953 92.00% 1987 38.50%
1920 73.0% 1954 91.00% 1988 28.00%
1921 73.0% 1955 91.00% 1989 28.00%
1922 56.0% 1956 91.00% 1990 31.00%
1923 56.0% 1957 91.00% 1991 31.00%
1924 46.0% 1958 91.00% 1992 31.00%
1925 25.0% 1959 91.00% 1993 39.60%
1926 25.0% 1960 91.00% 1994 39.60%
1927 25.0% 1961 91.00% 1995 39.60%
1928 25.0% 1962 91.00% 1996 39.60%
1929 24.0% 1963 91.00% 1997 39.60%
1930 25.0% 1964 77.00% 1998 39.60%
1931 25.0% 1965 70.00% 1999 39.60%
1932 63.0% 1966 70.00% 2000 39.60%
1933 63.0% 1967 70.00% 2001 38.60%
1934 63.0% 1968 75.25% 2002 38.60%
1935 63.0% 1969 77.00% 2003 35.00%
1936 79.0% 1970 71.75% 2004 35.00%
1937 79.0% 1971 70.00% 2005 35.00%
1938 79.0% 1972 70.00% 2006 35.00%
1939 79.0% 1973 70.00% 2007 35.00%
1940 81.10% 1974 70.00% 2008 35.00%
1941 81.00% 1975 70.00% 2009 35.00%
1942 88.00% 1976 70.00% 2010 35.00%
1943 88.00% 1977 70.00% 2011 35.00%
1944 94.00% 1978 70.00% 2012 35.00%
1945 94.00% 1979 70.00%
1946 86.45% 1980 70.00%
Even in the Coolidge years, when the top rate was only 25%, the income tax was highly progressive, since in those days (and indeed for the entire twentieth century history of the income tax until World War II) it only applied to high-income individuals, due to the exemption amounts that took most Americans entirely outside the system.
Does anyone still care to defend Romney's ludicrous and false claims that the entire concept of redistribution is "foreign," and that it has "never been a characteristic of America"?
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