The highest federal income tax bracket in 1980, which included those households earning $215,400 or more, had a marginal tax rate of 70%. A marginal tax rate of 70% does not mean that, for example, a person earning $10 million would pay $7 million to the federal government for income taxes. All this nostalgia about the good old days of 70% tax rates makes it sound as though only the highest incomes would face higher tax rates. In reality, there were a dozen tax rates between 48% and ‘You look at our tax rates back in the ’60s, and when you have a progressive tax-rate system, your tax rate, let’s say, from $0 to $75,000 may be 10% or 15%, etc. But once you get to the tippy tops, on your 10 millionth dollar, sometimes you see tax rates as high as 60% or 70%.’.