Tax Collections

TAX COLLECTIONS Here is a fuller chart of real tax collections under postwar presidents. The revenues are expressed in billions of nominal dollars. The inflation column measures inflation over the entire presidency indicated. The final column shows the average annual growth of tax collections for that president.

President   Years   #   Prev yr   Last yr  Increase  Inflation  Adjusted
                        Revenue   Revenue                       average

Roosevelt   34-46  13   $   2.0   $  39.3  1865.0%     50.8%     121.3%
Truman      47-53   7      39.3      69.6    77.1%     36.9%       3.7%
Eisenhower  54-61   8      69.6      94.4    35.6%     11.9%       2.4%
Kennedy     62-64   3      94.4     112.6    19.3%      3.7%       4.8%
L Johnson   65-69   5     112.6     186.9    66.0%     18.4%       6.9%
Nixon       70-75   6     186.9     279.1    49.3%     46.6%       0.3%
Ford        76-77   2     279.1     355.6    27.4%     12.6%       6.4%
Carter      78-81   4     355.6     599.3    68.5%     50.0%       3.0%
Reagan      82-89   8     599.3     990.7    65.3%     36.4%       2.4%
Bush        90-93   4     990.7    1153.5    16.4%     16.5%      -0.0%

Here is another chart that combines just corporate and individual income tax revenues for the post-war administrations, and shows the (compound) average yearly increase. Out of nine presidents, Reagan comes in 6th:

Years       Base fed    Last fed    Increase    Inflation    Compounded real
            revenue     revenue                              avg increase

Truman         28.0        51.1       82.5%       36.9%        5.5%
(47-53)

Ike            51.1        62.3       21.9%       12.0%        1.2%
(54-61)

Kennedy        62.3        72.2       15.9%        3.6%        3.9%
(62-64)

Johnson        72.2       123.9       71.6%       18.4%        8.9%
(65-69)

Nixon         123.9       163.0       31.6%       38.7%      - 1.2%
(70-75)

Ford          163.0       212.5       30.4%       12.6%        8.5%
(76-77)

Carter        212.5       347.1       63.3%       50.0%        3.2%
(78-81)

Reagan        347.1       549.0       58.2%       36.4%        2.5%
(82-89)

Bush          549.0       627.2       14.2%       16.5%      - 0.6%
(90-93)

[Sources: Revenue - Historical Table 2.1, Budget for FY 1997. Inflation - Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U. Charts derived by Steve Casburn.] Return to Overview