It is understandable that wealthy donors want Congress to support tax cuts, but it is disingenuous to suggest the motivation for such cuts is to create jobs or stimulate growth. What is the real inspiration behind Trump’s tax plan?
Most reputable and responsible economists and tax experts agree — tax cuts do not necessarily trigger economic growth. If they did, we would not have suffered through the recent recession which followed repeated tax cuts enacted almost annually during the President George W. Bush administration. The GDP growth during Bush’s two terms in office averaged 2.0 percent — the lowest rate of growth in 40 years. Conversely, the tax increases during the Clinton years were followed by the highest rate of GDP growth since President Kennedy between 1961 and 1963, averaging 3.9 percent. This performance was greater than that of the Reagan years when “trickle-down economics” was sold as an economic stimulus. Subsequently, the chief economic advisor to President Reagan (Martin Feldstein) and his colleague at the National Bureau of Economic Research (Doug Elmendorf) acknowledged that the growth following these cuts was actually due to monetary policy, not due to the tax cuts.[i]
There is abundant evidence that corporations do not use the proceeds from tax cuts to hire workers. It is more typical that such windfalls are used to buy back corporate stock, increase bonuses and compensation for the CEOs, or declare dividends for their shareholders — none of which creates jobs. The Institute for Policy Studies looked at 92 publicly-traded corporations and found that between 2008 and 2015, the ones that were consistently profitable paid less that 20 percent of net income in federal income taxes.
In contradiction to President Trump’s and Speaker Ryan’s arguments, the study found that lower taxes did not result in job creation. In fact, these 92 companies actually experienced a 1 percent decline in hiring. The Institute’s study also looked at 258 profitable Fortune 500 companies and found their effective tax rate was 21.2 percent. In at least one year between 2008 and 2015, 100 of these companies paid no income tax at all, and eight companies paid nearly zero taxes over the entire seven-year period.
The study concluded that job creation is not tied to the tax rate.
Recent data also challenges the idea that corporate tax rates are so burdensome that American businesses have trouble competing in the world economy. According to a study commissioned by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Tom Colburn (R-Okla.), and conducted by the Government Accountability Office in 2013, the “effective” tax rate was only 12.9 percent. This was taking into account tax credits, exemptions, and offshore tax havens. The GAO also said, “When foreign and state and local income taxes are included, the ETR [effective tax rate] for profitable filers increases to around 17 percent.”
Similar findings were highlighted in a January 2017 report by the U.S. Treasury Department which found that the effective actual tax rate ranged from a low of 10 percent for utilities to a high of 27 percent for construction and retail trade. The actual tax rates for other sectors in our economy were somewhere in between these two extremes. This suggests, of course, that the maximum 35 percent tax rate is rarely applied to corporate earnings and its effect on American business competitiveness is largely overstated.
Our corporate tax rate is not stymieing American business according to a recent Global Competitiveness Report for 2017 and 2018. The report covered 137 economies. The Global Competitive Index measures national competitiveness and it determined that the United States is one of the most competitive in the entire world, ranking second in this index. Switzerland was first, Germany, fifth, Japan, ninth, and Canada, 14th. China came in at 27th.
It appears that the Trump tax plan is attempting to solve a problem that simply doesn’t exist.
Most Americans recognize that questionable activities are going on in Washington and want their representatives to stop these obvious violations of good-government standards. Corruption that usually evolves from nepotism, conflicts of interest and self-dealing is again suspect — this time in Trump’s proposed tax plan. Until he discloses his own tax returns, it is completely irresponsible for this Congress to even consider a tax cut proposal advanced by this administration.
Multiple different press analyses suggest that the Trump family will enjoy a financial windfall of more than $1 billion if his tax cuts are enacted. Should this be attributed to nepotism? To conflicts of interest? Or, is this merely another result of self-dealing which seems to have become the acceptable norm since Nov. 8? It has been reported that the other billionaires in his cabinet will enjoy similar financial rewards. Tax relief should go to middle income earners, not to the wealthy. They need it. They need it for health care, housing, and college expenses for their children. How many young people could go to college or trade schools if the billions in tax relief went to them instead of to the Trump family and his cronies?
The Republican party has railed against deficit spending. The party expressed alarm at the size of the national debt during the entire eight years of the Obama administration. U.S. taxpayers must not fall for the exaggerated claim by the president that his tax cuts are going to lead to a growth in the GDP of 6 percent. That is not going to happen. Also, they should not be fooled by Gary Cohn’s or Steve Mnuchin’s statements that the $2 trillion to $3 trillion loss of revenue will be made up through growth in the economy. It will not. This loss in tax revenue will simply be added to the deficit that all Americans ought to be alarmed about.
These issues should be raised as part of any consideration for this massive tax cut advanced by this administration. If approved we will likely see another disastrous economic slide like we endured in 2008 and 2009.
Dave Ferrari, 73, is a lifelong Republican and a former statewide elected official, having served as the 17th Auditor for the State of Wyoming from 1990 to 1998. He was Wyoming Deputy State Auditor for 12 years and before that was Wyoming’s top budget official for Republican Gov. Stan Hathaway. He was also Director of Finance and Accounting for the Wyoming Department of Education. He was on the transition teams for three Wyoming governors, including Gov. Ed Herschler, Gov. Mike Sullivan, and Gov. Dave Freudenthal. Ferrari was a volunteer member of Gov. Freudenthal’s campaign staff, serving as Campaign Treasurer and as one of the candidate’s chief strategists. As a consultant from 1988 to 1990, the author directed a study of the reorganization of Wyoming’s government structure. Most of the study’s recommendations were implemented by the Legislature. He is the author of the non-fiction book, “Trumped Up and Dumbed Down in America,” which will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Archway Publishing in late 2017.
[i] Martin Feldstein and Douglas W. Elmendorf, “Budget Deficits, Tax Incentives and Inflation: A Surprising Lesson From The 1983-84 Recovery,” Tax Policy and the Economy, Volume 3, 1989.
Barasso will follow Trump off a cliff. Common sense budgeting doesn’t exist with our federal government. Thanks Dave. But this will fall on deaf ears with the Wyoming Congressional delegation.
Thank you, Dave Ferrari, for reminding us…
If Mr. Ferrari believes there are problems with this plan, I take that to the Bank. He is (obviously) experienced, smart and a true concerned citizen of our state and country. Ignore him at your peril…especially you, Senators Enzi and Barrasso.
Thank you for speaking up. I cannot wait to read your book.
Kindest regards, Linda
Thank you for this informative and well-thought out editorial.
Well said and true to American values, Dave! Thank you for a common sense, well documented and economically sound response to the insanity that abounds in the actions of our Congressional delegation.
Well researched and well articulated. Yes, it would be helpful if Wyoming’s Congressional delegation was representing the people of Wyoming — the headline used the right words: cronyism, nepotism and self-dealing. More of the people of Wyoming should be outraged at the conduct of their elected Senators. Shame on them!
Well researched and well articulated. Yes, it would be helpful if Wyoming’s Congressional delegation was representing the people of Wyoming — the headline used the right words: cronyism, nepotism and self-dealing. More of the people of Wyoming should be outraged at the conduct of their elected Senators. Shame on them.
Thank you, Dave. Most media resources limit their coverage to each day’s kerfuffles. I appreciate your coverage of basic economic facts that are based on historic observation. I like how you have tested the current tax reform proposals with those facts before you speculate about what might be really going on.
Thanks Dave.
What is even more distressing than the fact that the proposed tax reduction will add $1.5 TRILLION to the national debt, is that Wyoming’s two senators are facilitating this action. Senator Enzi as Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee created a bogus budget act that will never be enacted, passed by the House of Representative, (Cheney-aye) in order to bring the tax reduction bill to the Senate floor as a bill only requiring 51 votes. Therefore there will be no discussion of the bill on the Senate floor.
Senator Barasso as the fourth ranking member of Senate leadership is bound by McConnell’s policy to bring at least one of Trumps promises to fruition continues to promote this bill as a benefit to all Americans when in fact the middle class will pay the penalties.
I thought we elected fiscal conservatives to the U.S. Senate but it appears this is not the case. There appears to be a rising tide by Wyoming voters that nothing has changed in Washington. I would urge you to be thoughtful in light of all the facts concerning the impacts of this tax reduction effort on all citizens of our country.
Thank you, Dave Ferrari. Could someone please find a way to convince Senators Enzi and Barrasso to at least read this article? I have recently received letters from both of them that made it clear that they do not understand these basic economic facts. Or if they do, they want the wealthy and corporations to pay even less in taxes than they already do anyway. On my cynical days I wonder if some in power want to repeat the 2008-9 crisis because it was so very profitable for some.