As the midterm elections approach, Republicans are touting President Donald Trump's "big beautiful bill" to voters. Here's who benefited from the tax cuts.
As the midterm elections approach, Republicans are touting President Donald Trump 's " big beautiful bill " to voters as they fight to keep slim majorities in Congress.
But certain Americans have benefitted more from Trump's tax breaks than others, policy experts say.
Trump's legislation, also known as the "Working Families Tax Cuts," made permanent his 2017 tax changes while adding new tax breaks, including deductions for tip income , overtime earnings , seniors and auto loan interest , among others. The bill also added a bigger federal deduction limit for state and local taxes , or SALT, for filers who itemize.
In prepared remarks before the House Committee on Financial Services this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told lawmakers the legislation delivered tax relief "directly to millions of low- and middle-income Americans."
More than 64 million tax returns claimed at least one of Trump's "signature new tax cuts" - the deductions for tips, overtime, auto loan interest or the enhanced senior deduction, Bessent said this week.
Trump's tax cuts were also a popular theme throughout the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas this month.
However, these tax provisions, and others, "hit households differently," which means the impact varied based on a family's unique situation, Joseph Rosenberg, a senior fellow with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, told CNBC.
White House spokesman Kush Desai told CNBC in an email that "tens of millions of Americans have taken advantage of at least one of these signature provisions, and President Trump will continue to tout this historic achievement for the American people."
Here's a breakdown of who benefited most from Trump's tax breaks, according to policy experts.
Trump's legislation made permanent his changes in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, which included lower tax brackets, bigger standard deductions, a more generous child tax credit and a higher estate and gift tax exemption, among other provisions.
Without extensions, some 62% of Americans would have seen tax increases in 2026 when these provisions were scheduled to expire, according to the Tax Foundation.
"A clear majority of the benefit across the board" came from making these tax breaks permanent versus the new deductions, said Garrett Watson, vice president of federal tax policy with the Tax Foundation.
But this was "extending the status quo," so many taxpayers won't feel the difference, he said.
Floated on the 2024 presidential campaign trail, Trump's new deductions included tax breaks on tip income, overtime earnings, auto loan interest and an enhanced deduction for seniors. These cuts phase out, or get smaller, based on certain income thresholds.
"Those all go toward specific taxpayers," the Tax Foundation's Watson said. "For certain taxpayers, that may have made a big difference in their year-over-year tax liability."
Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via CNBC Top News.
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