Election 2020: Trump vs. Biden on Tax Policy
Article from Accounting Today – August 2020.
While the coronavirus pandemic may have moved the u
pcoming presidential election off the front burner for much of the spring and summer, it’s bound to move back as the fall approaches.
As the 2020 Presidential election move closer, Crowe LLP has produced a summary of the candidates’ proposed policies for individual tax payers:
Individual tax rate
Current law: The top marginal tax rate
is 37 percent for income over $518,400 for individuals and $622,050 for married
couples filing jointly.
Rates are scheduled to increase to pre-Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 amounts
after 2025.
Donald Trump: Enact a 10 percent middle-class tax cut, which
reportedly could include lowering the 22 percent marginal tax rate to 15
percent. For 2020, the 22 percent marginal tax rate applies to income over
$40,125 for individuals and $80,250 for married couples filing jointly.
Extend the individual rates enacted by the TCJA that are scheduled to expire
after 2025.
Joe Biden: Raise the top marginal tax rate to the pre-TCJA rate of
39.6 percent for income over $400,000.
Capital gains
Current law: The top tax rate for capital
gains and qualified dividends is 20 percent for income over $441,450 for
individuals and $496,600 for married couples filing jointly. In addition, there
is a 3.8 percent net investment income tax.
Donald Trump: Index capital gains for inflation.
Reduce the capital gains tax rate.
Enact a capital gains tax holiday that eliminates capital gains taxes for a
yet-to-be-identified period.
Joe Biden: Remove the preference for capital gains and qualified
dividends for income over $1 million by taxing them at ordinary rates.
The net investment income tax remains.
Deductions
Current law: The basic standard deduction
for married couples filing jointly is $24,800 ($12,400 for single taxpayers or
for married taxpayers filing separately, and $18,650 for heads of household).
After 2025, the basic standard deduction is scheduled to revert to pre-TCJA
amounts.
The TCJA suspended the personal exemption and most individual deductions
through 2025.
Donald Trump: Extend the higher basic standard deduction and other
deductions enacted by the TCJA that are scheduled to expire after 2025.
Joe Biden: Limit total itemized deductions so the reduction in tax
liability per dollar of deduction does not exceed 28 percent, which means
taxpayers in tax brackets higher than 28 percent will face limited itemized
deductions.
Phase out the 20 percent pass-through deduction for income over $400,000.
Tax credits
Current law: A child with an individual
taxpayer identification number cannot be claimed for the Child Tax Credit but
can be claimed for the $500 other dependent credit. A taxpayer with an
individual taxpayer identification number is eligible to claim the Child Tax
Credit and the $500 other dependent credit.
The maximum CTC is $2,000. This amount is scheduled to revert to the pre-TCJA amount
of $1,000 after 2025.
The maximum child- and dependent-care credit is $1,200.
Workers older than 65 who do not have a qualifying child are not eligible for
the Earned Income Tax Credit.
There is no tax credit for first-time homebuyers.
There’s also no tax credit for renters.
Donald Trump: Require a dependent to have a Social Security number
to be eligible to be claimed for the $500 other dependent credit. Require a
taxpayer to have a Social Security number to claim both the CTC and the $500
other child dependent credit.
Extend the $2,000 CTC enacted by the TCJA that is scheduled to expire after
2025.
Joe Biden: Raise the CTC to $8,000 for one child and $1,600 for two
or more children for taxpayers with income up to $125,000 per year. The credit phases
out for income between $125,000 and $400,000 per year.
Expand the EITC to workers older than 65 who do not have a qualifying child.
Enact a $5,000 tax credit for family caregivers of people who have certain
physical and cognitive needs.
Enact a refundable, advanceable tax credit of up to $15,000 for first-time
homebuyers.
Enact a renter’s tax credit, designed to reduce rent and utilities to 30
percent of income for low-income individuals and families who make too much
money to qualify for a Section 8 voucher.
Education
Current law: There’s no tax credit for contributions to state-identified not-for-profit scholarship-granting organizations, though some amount might be deductible as a charitable contribution.
Forgiven student loan debt generally is included in taxable income.
Donald Trump: Enact the Education Freedom Scholarship tax credit, which would provide up to $5 billion worth of income tax credits annually for individual and corporate donations to state-identified not-for-profit scholarship-granting organizations.
Joe Biden: Exclude forgiven student loan debt from taxable income.
Estate and gift tax
Current law: For 2020, the estate and gift
tax exemption is $11,580,000. This amount is scheduled to revert to the
pre-TCJA indexed amount of approximately $5.8 million after 2025.
Transfers of appreciated property at death get a stepped-up basis.
Donald Trump: Extend the higher estate and gift tax exemption
enacted by the TCJA that is scheduled to expire after 2025.
Joe Biden: Eliminate stepped-up basis on transfers of appreciated
property at death.