• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
LeadershipDonald Trump

Donald Trump’s Tax Plan Would Make the Rich Richer, Uncle Sam Poorer

By
Jonathan Chew
Jonathan Chew
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Chew
Jonathan Chew
Down Arrow Button Icon
December 23, 2015, 12:28 PM ET
US-POLITICS-TRUMP
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump announces his tax plan during a press conference at Trump Tower in New York on September 28, 2015. AFP PHOTO/DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Dominick Reuter — AFP/Getty Images

An analysis of Donald Trump’s tax plan by a research institute reveals two interesting points: the U.S. government would get a lot poorer, and the wealthy would get a lot richer.

In the Tax Policy Center’s analysis of the Republican candidate’s proposal, the institute said that Trump’s plan would reduce federal revenues by $9.5 trillion over its first decade, and an additional $15.0 trillion over the next 10 years. Including interest costs, the Center said, the proposal would add $11.2 trillion to the national debt by 2026.

To put that into perspective, Trump’s tax plan would cause the debt to GDP ratio to hit 180% by 2036, the Center found.

Most of the revenue loss from Trump’s plan – which you can read here – stems from individual income tax cuts, the Center said in its study released Tuesday. While the plan cuts taxes for all income levels, the biggest cuts involve the highest-income level, both in dollar terms and as a percentage of income. By 2017, the highest-income 1% of taxpayers would receive a tax cut of 17.5% of after-tax income, and the top 0.1% — those with incomes of over $3.7 million in current dollars — would experience an average tax cut of more than $1.3 million, nearly 19% of after-tax income.

In contrast, the lowest-income households would receive an average tax cut of $128, or 1% of after-tax income, in Trump’s plan. Overall, on average, the proposal would would cut income taxes by around $5,100 per person, or about 7% of after-tax income.

Trump’s tax plan, released in September, also aims to simplify the tax code into four brackets from the current seven, and would also seek to lower the corporate tax rate. One of the stated goals of his tax proposal is that it “doesn’t add to our debt and deficit, which are already too large.”

Fortune has contacted Trump’s campaign for comment and will update this story if they respond.

About the Author
By Jonathan Chew
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

Head coach Mike MacDonald
SuccessCareers
Seahawks head coach turned down a job offer at KPMG for a football internship—12 years later, he just won the Super Bowl at 38
By Emma BurleighFebruary 10, 2026
25 minutes ago
Chuck Robbins
SuccessThe Promotion Playbook
Cisco’s CEO Chuck Robbins slams ‘stupid’ interviews for internal promotions—instead, he cares more about whether your peers think you deserve it
By Preston ForeFebruary 10, 2026
51 minutes ago
SuccessOlympics
U.S. Olympians earn just 5% of what Singapore pays—many are forced to juggle jobs as baristas, brokers, and dentists just to get by
By Sydney LakeFebruary 10, 2026
3 hours ago
abhas
CommentaryCloud
I’m Cloudera’s chief strategy officer and here’s why your $1 billion AI budget just became obsolete
By Abhas RickyFebruary 10, 2026
3 hours ago
chapman
CommentaryGender Issues
Sam Altman told me AI should be ‘an equalizing force in society.’ That’s why I’m working on the $1.6 trillion AI gender gap
By Valerie ChapmanFebruary 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Photo of Colin Kaepernick
SuccessCareers
A decade after his NFL kneeling controversy, Colin Kaepernick has a message for Gen Z: Don’t let the fear of backlash silence you
By Orianna Rosa RoyleFebruary 10, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Meet Jody Allen, the billionaire owner of the Seattle Seahawks, who plans to sell the team and donate the proceeds to charity
By Jake AngeloFebruary 9, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
As billionaires bail, Mark Zuckerberg doubles down on California with $50 million donation
By Sydney LakeFebruary 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervous about overexposure to American assets
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk warns the U.S. is '1,000% going to go bankrupt' unless AI and robotics save the economy from crushing debt
By Jason MaFebruary 7, 2026
3 days ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, February 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerFebruary 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of February 9, 2026
By Danny BakstFebruary 9, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.