At 102%, His Tax Rate Takes the Cake

That doesn’t mean Mr. Ross pays more in taxes than he earns. His total tax as a percentage of his adjusted gross income was 20 percent, which is much lower than mine. That’s because Mr. Ross has so many itemized deductions. Since taxable income is what’s left after itemized deductions like mortgage interest, charitable contributions, and state and local taxes are subtracted, it will nearly always be smaller than adjusted gross income and demonstrates how someone can pay more than 100 percent of taxable income in tax.

His tax rate is 102% His total tax on his adjusted gross income was at 20% So…does it make sense to cut his taxes when he rate he actually pays is only 20%?