Historical Tax Rates

Ever wonder how much people paid in income taxes in the past? Some of my students have asked about this. Our current federal income tax began in 1913. If you made under $20,000 then, your tax rate was 1%. In 1963, every dollar you made above $400,000 your rate was 91%. In 1980, your rate between $45,800 and $60,000 was 49%. In today's terms, those incomes would be between $100,000 and $120,000. That 49% is higher than even the highest bracket now (35%). The Tax Foundation has all of the historical income tax rates. Click here to go to that site.