Trump Tax Plan – Individuals

With the election in our rear view mirror, many people are wondering what financial agenda the Trump team will implement. We are also interested in the total financial package President-Elect Trump will propose, outlines of his tax agenda are already fairly well documented.

President-Elect Donald Trump has proposed the largest tax cuts since Ronald Reagan. The last time there was unified party control in Washington our gift was the Affordable Care Act.  Not only did Donald Trump win the presidency, but the Republicans retained control of the House and the Senate. In spite of Trump’s very public battles with ingrained Republicans, Trump’s tax plan is similar in many ways to the ideas of the rest of the Republican Party.  That means his tax plan could very well happen by the summer of 2017. We offer to you a summary of the most likely outcomes of a Trump tax reform.

Trump’s plan would reduce the number of tax brackets from seven (currently) to three with rates of 12%, 25%, and 33%.  The top tax rate would drop from 39.6 % to 33%.  Also, the Net Investment Income Tax (part of the ACA) of 3.8% on high-income taxpayers would be eliminated.  The alternative minimum tax would also be gone, and to use the president’s words, it’s gonna be huge. Preferential tax treatment of capital gains and dividends would be retained. While we cannot find specific support (since many are split on whether to call it a penalty or tax) we are only to assume that if the ACA is eliminated so to would the responsible party penalty (non-insured penalty).

The Trump tax 2017, would eliminate the current federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes.  Instead, the Trump tax plan would place a special capital gains tax, upon death, for tax payers who have more than $5 million for single filers and $10 million for married couples. We are hoping for more information about this tax to become available in the coming months.

The standard deduction would be increased from $6,300 to $15,000 for single filers and from $12,600 to $30,000 for joint filers. But, this plan would eliminate personal exemptions. Certain taxpayers may still be able to itemize, but specific details are unclear at this point. The head of household filing status (available to single taxpayers with a qualifying child) would be eliminated.  The loss of personal exemptions and the head of household filing status would cause many large families and single parents to face tax increases. President- Elect Trump has also stated that his plan would include some sort of preferential treatment for child care expenses. However, at this time it is unclear as to the exact amounts, caps and limitations of such a tax deduct or tax credit.

We have included a simple table to show how the Trump tax 2017 may affect an average American household.

This is the first part of a two-part examination of the 2017 Trump tax plan. Look for our next installment next week, that examines how changes may affect businesses. As always, feel free to reach out to us as the tax landscape changes. [email protected] or 616-822-2981.