Hi, (not you?) | Member Center | Sign Out

Listen weekdays from 1-3pm ET
(No audio? Try our help)
Recent shows | More media
Listen Live: Mon-Fri 1-3pm ET
Posted: 6:00 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013
comment(5)
By Clark Howard
The ink on the fiscal cliff deal is now dry. But what does the agreement mean to your wallet today, tomorrow, and down the road?
The best guess is about three quarters of us will pay more tax this year than in 2012 as the holiday for the Social Security tax is over. It now goes from 4.2% back to the historic rate of 6.2%.
Let's put that in real numbers, which I've rounded off just to give you a sense:
As far as tax brackets, the 10% and 25% that affect most of us remain the same. Ditto for the 28% and 35% brackets.
Taxes on stocks stay the same on gains and dividends -- except for very high income earners. Meanwhile, the Alternative Minimum Tax is permanently fixed.
Who will get clobbered? Just under 1% of people will pay much higher income taxes. The rate you may hear being talked about is 39.6%. But the effective rate for those folks will be much higher than that because of phase outs that manipulate taxes higher on high income earners. It could in fact be beyond 50%.
Estate taxes were about to snap back to very high rates, but now they don't kick in until you're talking about an estate valued at $5 million for individuals and $10 million for families. Anything above that, and 40% will be taken by Uncle Sam.
On the spending side, unemployment compensation will now be extended for almost the entire calendar year. Tax credits geared toward lower income folks continue, as do those geared toward families with kids.
What also continues is federal spending. That's the big issue. That's what makes the House vote on the fiscal cliff deal like a grain of sand next to a beach ball. It's the beach ball that's the problem!
comment(5)
© 2013 Cox Media Group. By using this website,
you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices
.
Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationForm *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Already have an account? Sign In
{* #registrationFormBlank *} {* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* traditionalRegistration_displayName *} {* traditionalRegistration_emailAddressBlank *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordBlank *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirmBlank *} {* agreeToTerms *}We have sent you a confirmation email. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
We look forward to seeing you frequently. Visit us and sign in to update your profile, receive the latest news and keep up to date with mobile alerts.
Don't worry, it happens. We'll send you a link to create a new password.
{* #forgotPasswordForm *} {* forgotPassword_emailAddress *}We have sent you an email with a link to change your password.
We've sent an email with instructions to create a new password. Your existing password has not been changed.
To sign in you must verify your email address. Fill out the form below and we'll send you an email to verify.
{* #resendVerificationForm *} {* resendVerification_emailAddress *}Check your email for a link to verify your email address.

You're Almost Done!
Select a display name and password
{* #socialRegistrationForm *} {* socialRegistration_displayName *} {* socialRegistration_emailAddress *} {* traditionalRegistration_password *} {* traditionalRegistration_passwordConfirm *}Tell us about yourself
{* registration_firstName *} {* registration_lastName *} {* registration_postalZip *} {* registration_birthday *} {* registration_gender *} {* agreeToTerms *}