Bush & Cheney Release Tax Returns
President Saved $30,858 from his tax cuts. Vice-President paid only 13.1% tax rate President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney released
their 2003 tax returns today. Each of them reported extremely high incomes, placing each among the best-off one percent of Americans. Details of the
tax filings include:
President Bush saved $30,858 from his tax cuts:
# President & Mrs. Bush reported total income of $822,126.
# They paid $227,490 in income taxes, equal to 27.7 percent of their income.
# The President�s tax cuts lowered the Bushes� 2003 tax bill by $30,858.
# The President�s reduction in the top rate on dividends saved the Bushes
$2,696
in taxes on their $10,959 in reported dividends (which were taxed at 15
percent rather than 39.6 percent). The rest of the Bushes� tax cut stemmed
from the President�s reduction in tax rates on their other income.
Vice-President Cheney paid only a 13.1 percent income tax rate:
# Vice-President & Mrs. Cheney reported 2003 total income of $1,900,339.
# The Cheneys� income tax was $241,392, equal to only 13.1 percent of their
reported income.
# The Cheneys� total income included $627,005 in tax-exempt interest,
$279,012
in long-term capital gains and $84,132 in dividends. None of the capital gains
were eligible for the new 15 percent tax rate, however, because they were
realized prior to the May 6, 2003 effective date for the capital gains tax cut.
# The Bush tax cuts saved the Cheneys $10,937 in taxes in 2003.
# The Cheneys� tax cut would have been much larger�$36,623�except that
the
alternative minimum tax disallowed 70 percent of the tax cut they would
otherwise have received.
Note: tax comparisons are between 2003 tax law under the Bush tax plan
versus the tax law as
it would have been without the Bush tax cuts.
More details on the President and Vice-President�s tax returns follow on the
next page.
MORE . . .
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�000�
Bush & Cheney 2003 Current law Prior law Tax cut
vs. pre-Bush law Bush Cheney Bush Cheney Bush Cheney
Taxable income $ 727,083 $ 813,266 $ 727,083 $ 813,266
Tax before credits reported 227,494 248,369 na na
Capital gains (long-term) � 279,012 � 279,012
Dividends (eligible) 10,959 84,132 na na
CG & div at special rates 10,959 363,144 � 279,012
Taxable w/o cg & div 716,124 450,122 727,083 534,254
Tax before cg & div tax 225,850 132,749 258,352 181,991
CG & div tax 1,644 68,422 � 55,802
Tax before AMT 227,494 201,171 258,352 237,794 �30,858 �36,623
AMT adds � +47,198 � +21,512
Net tax before credits 227,494 248,369 258,352 259,306
Less: credits (FTC) 4 6,977 4 6,977
Total tax after credits $ 227,490 $ 241,392 $ 258,348 $ 252,329 $ �30,858 $
�10,937
% cut in income tax �12% �4%
Reported income:
Tax-return total income $ 822,126 $ 1,273,334 $ 822,126 $ 1,273,334
Tax-exempt interest � 627,005 � 627,005
Total income (w/ TEI) $ 822,126 $ 1,900,339 $ 822,126 $ 1,900,339
Effective tax rate 27.7% 13.1% 31.4% 13.6% �3.8% �0.6%
AMT calculations
AMT taxable 1,018,753 1,018,753
w/o cg/div 655,609 739,741
tax at 28% 180,071 203,627
cg & div at 15% &/or 20% 68,422 55,802
total 248,493 259,430 �10,937
Less credit (FTC) 7,101 7,101
AMT 241,392 252,329 �10,937
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AMT adds to regular tax +47,198 +21,512 +25,686