Bobby Jindal in OnTheIssues Fact Checking


On Tax Reform: FactCheck: JFK lowered top income tax rate from 91% to 65%

Gov. Jindal quoted JFK as saying "paradoxically, lowering tax rates now is the best way to produce higher government revenues later." Jindal asserted that the same paradox would apply today, so we should "cut taxes, shrink government, grow the American economy. Kennedy said it to the Democratic Party. Why can't we say it in the Republican Party in 2015?"

Jindal was referring to a 1962 speech in which JFK pledged "across-the-board, top-to-bottom cut in personal and corporate income taxes" for the purpose of stimulating the economy. So is Jindal making a fair analogy?

No, because the top marginal tax rate in 1962 was 91% and JFK proposed lowering the top rate to 65% (compared to a top rate of 37% today). In the context of much higher rates in 1962, cutting tax rates meant something very different than today--Jindal knew that context, and hence was lying about JFK's proposal. No politician of any party today would even consider RAISING tax rates to the LOWER 65% levels proposed by JFK in 1962!

Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on GOP 2015 CNBC debate Oct 28, 2015

The above quotations are from Presidential Primary Fact Checking by OnTheIssues.org.
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Page last updated: Nov 03, 2024