There is a giant pendulum that swings ever so slowly. When it gets to one extreme, the gravitational force pulls it back the other direction. Because of the Great Depression and World War II, the pendulum of national debt rose to an astounding 106% of GDP* in 1946.1 The pendulum took until 1974, or 28 years, to swing the other direction and get down to 23% of GDP.
With the back-to-back economic crises of the Great Recession in 2008 and COVID-19 in 2020, the debt to GDP ratio has swung dramatically back in the wrong direction. We now sit at 100% debt to GDP with a projection to get to 106% of GDP by 2023.2
What will be the long-term impact? Undoubtedly, taxes will go up. I recently heard it said, “The politicians that are telling you they can cut taxes are just bad at math.” If you look at history, tax rates shot up to 94% in 1944 for the highest tax bracket.3 That’s right, 94%! This was done with more marginal tax brackets. There were 24 brackets back then compared to just 7 today.
In 1965, the highest rate declined to 70%. It stayed around there until 1982 when the highest rate became 50%. Currently, our highest tax bracket is 37%.
I’m not a doomsday predictor. I don’t believe a new tax bracket will send rates up to 94%. However, I do worry about taxes going up for almost everyone. You can’t tax the “rich” enough to cover the current deficit and make the pendulum swing the other direction.
Thankfully, I believe there are prudent tools we can use to help protect you against future taxes. If you aren’t retired, you can contribute to a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k), depending on your income. If your income is below $139,000 (single) or $206,000 (married), consider a Roth conversion from your IRA or 401(k). If you are over age 70½, you can make tax free donations to a charity from your IRA.
These are just a few options to help protect against future taxes. For our clients, we will continue to review your personal financial plan to make sure you are prepared for the future regardless of what may come. If you want to schedule a review appointment, please contact us.
*GDP or Gross Domestic Product is the total output of the economy for one year. SFS and its representatives do not provide tax advice; it is important to coordinate with your tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
(1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/27/this-is-not-your-grandfathers-debt-problem/
(2) https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2020-debt-and-deficit-projections-hit-records/
(3) https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IITTRHB
