POLITICS

Trump's tax cuts worked wonders

January 28th, 2022

Four years ago this month, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act went into effect.

Although the pandemic shutdowns disrupted the economy two years later, it is clear that the 2017 tax law has been a major success for the economy. The law reduced tax rates for workers and businesses, which boosted the economy in 2018 and 2019. It also put people in a better situation to handle the financial hardships that came with the pandemic.

The law lowered the corporate tax rate from one of the highest in the world to a more competitive rate of 21%. This put U.S. businesses on a more level playing field with our global competitors and gave companies the means and the incentive to increase capital investment, expand jobs and wages, and compete around the world. The results are clear : In the two years after the tax cuts went into effect, the economy boomed, with wages, investment, and jobs all increasing.

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Real wages grew 4.9%, the fastest two-year growth rate in 20 years. Real median wages increased $4,400 in 2019, the largest one-year increase in U.S. history. The unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, the lowest level in 50 years, and the poverty rate fell to 10.5%, the lowest level ever. Sadly, the economy today still has 3.6 million fewer jobs than it did in early 2020 before the pandemic began.

Making matters worse, President Joe Biden wants to raise the corporate tax rate back to the highest rate in the world, even though corporate tax revenues are soaring to record high levels. Last year, corporate tax receipts increased 75% to $372 billion , the largest amount ever collected. In the first quarter of fiscal year 2022, corporate tax revenue rose 44%, on track for another record high corporate tax level.

Biden should learn from his predecessor's example: A low-tax economy is a successful one.

Curated By

Maya Gupta
Investigative Journalist | Grassroots Movement Organizer | Economy Consultant/Speaker
Maya Gupta writes from the fault lines of a world that refuses to stay quiet. Focused on the collisions between culture, power, and accountability, her work cuts past polished narratives to expose what’s really moving beneath the surface. From the rise of creator-driven influence to athlete activism and grassroots resistance, she tracks the momentum shaping a generation unwilling to wait its turn. Her reporting doesn’t cater to comfort, it confronts it, challenging institutions that lean on legacy instead of legitimacy. With a voice rooted in urgency and a lens tuned to those often ignored, Maya delivers coverage that reflects the stakes as they are, not as they’re packaged. This is journalism that doesn’t just observe change, it stands in the middle of it, documenting the push, the backlash, and the undeniable shift underway.

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