

The capital gains tax is due when you sell your investment. For example, if your home appreciates in value, you will not owe a capital gains tax during the years that you own it. Michael Gwin, a spokesman for the Biden campaign, confirmed with Reuters via email that Biden’s plan to tax capital gains in the same as ordinary income applies only to those earning over $1 million annually. As stated /two-tax-policies/ on the former vice president’s campaign website, Biden’s tax plan includes “asking those making more than $1 million to pay the same rate on investment income that they do on their wages.”Īs explained here by The Balance, a personal finance website, the capital gains tax is a fee the government imposes on a profit made from selling assets like real estate or stock investments. A capital gain is when an asset’s total sale price is greater than the asset’s original cost (a capital loss, on the other hand, is when the total sale price is less than the original cost). REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoĮxamples of posts making this claim can be found here , here , and here . We estimate the plan would reduce federal revenues by $98.6 B over the budget window 2021 - 2030.FILE PHOTO: Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks about his plans to combat racial inequality at a campaign event in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., July 28, 2020. Table 1 shows fiscal year budgetary changes as a result of the rate cut.

PWBM modeled this scenario as a permanent rate cut set to begin in 2021. This plan eliminates the top bracket under current law, and any single (married) filers with taxable income over $441,450 ($496,600) would face the 15 percent rate on capital gains and dividend income. Single (married) filers with taxable income between $40,000 ($80,000) and $441,450 ($496,600) face a 15 percent rate while income above that amount faces a 20 percent rate. Under current law in 2020, no tax is owed on capital gains or dividend income if taxable income is below $40,000 for single filers ($80,000 for joint filers). The tax brackets that set the tax rates for capital gains and dividends are determined by level of taxable income. For our purposes here, “capital gains income” refers to income from long-term capital gains (those assets held for over a year). Capital gains income from assets held for less than a year is included in ordinary income and is taxed at ordinary rates. Income from both capital gains and dividends qualifies for “preferential treatment” if the asset is held for longer than one year. The profit made on the sale of this asset is called the capital gain and is included in an individual’s taxable income. In August, White House National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow confirmed these intentions, citing the aim of a top 15 percent rate.Ĭurrent Law Treatment of Capital Gains and Dividend IncomeĪ capital gain is realized when a capital asset is sold at a price higher than its purchase price. Over the past year, President Trump has mentioned nonspecific intentions to reduce the tax rate on capital gains. This tax cut will only benefit tax units in the top 5 percent of the income distribution, with 75 percent of the benefit accruing to those in the top 0.1 percent of the income distribution.Īnalyzing President Trump’s Proposed Capital Gains and Dividend Tax Cut

Summary: PWBM estimates that reducing the top preferential rates on capital gains and dividends from 20 percent to 15 percent will cost $98.6 billion dollars over the ten year budget window.
