Who Benefits From McCain’s Proposal to Cut Capital Gains Taxes?

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Surprise! It’s the wealthy! Here’s TaxVox:

TPC’s Katherine Lim has crunched some numbers on John McCain’s proposal to temporarily cut capital gains tax rates from 15 percent to 7.5 percent. In 2009, under a plan that lowers taxes on both gains and dividends, those making $1 million or more would get two-thirds of the benefit, and an average tax cut of more than $72,000. Those making less than $50,000 would get, on average, nothing.

The man who stood strong (and largely alone) against the Bush tax cuts because they disproportionately benefited the wealthy is suggesting making our tax code less progressive. Here are the numbers used in the calculations, and here is more on McCain’s newly proposed economic policies.

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Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do.

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