• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI

2

Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Leadership

Why Hillary Clinton Called Out the ‘Trump Loophole’

By
Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Ian Salisbury
Ian Salisbury
and
Money
Money
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 12, 2016, 11:40 AM ET
Democratic Presidential Nominee Hillary Clinton Delivers Speech On The Economy
Hillary Clinton, 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during a campaign event in Warren, Michigan, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016. On Wednesday, the Clinton campaign launched "Together for America," an initiative to recruit GOP endorsements, and announced support from nearly 50 Republicans, including George W. Bush's former Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte. Photograph by Sean Proctor — Bloomberg via Getty Images

This article originally appeared on money.com.

When Hillary Clinton attacked Donald Trump’s tax plan on Thursday, she painted it as unfair and tilted toward the rich.

But the Democratic nominee, speaking at a Michigan manufacturing company, didn’t focus on top marginal income tax rates, or corporate tax rates, or even crowd-pleasers like the estate tax, which she mentioned only in passing.

Instead, she directed her fire at what might seem like a pretty obscure part of Trump’s plan: a proposed tax cut on business income that is reported on personal income tax returns.

Were that proposal to became law, Clinton argued, income that Trump derives from his own businesses would be taxed at a lower rate than the incomes of millions of middle-class families, likely cutting his tax bill in half. “In his speech Monday, he calls for a new tax loophole,” she said. “Let’s call it the Trump loophole.”

At issue is the way many businesses pay their taxes.

 

The biggest corporations like the ones in the Fortune 500 are typically taxed separately from the people that own them, as what are called “C-corporations.” If you own dividend-paying stocks, you might be familiar with this practice. Such companies pay corporate income tax rates of up to 35% (though often much less) on their profits. Then when they pay out those profits as dividends, the shareholders pay again, at rates that typically top out at 23.8%. At the same time, these companies employ workers who earn wages and pay tax on those wages at regular marginal income tax rates of up to 39.6%.

But most small businesses—and many large ones that are privately held—get a different treatment. The owners of these so-called “pass-through” corporations report profits of their businesses directly on their personal income-tax returns, much like the rest of us report our wages.

This provision, which applies to millions of Americans, from law partners to restaurateurs to freelancers to owners of private companies like Donald Trump himself, is a mixed blessing. Instead of paying taxes on business profits twice like stock-market investors, these business owners pay just once. But like their employees and other wage earners, they pay at what is often a higher income-tax rate.

It’s well known that Trump wants to cut the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%. That’s a steep reduction, but the current nominal rate is among the highest in the world, and the idea of lowering the corporate tax rate has a degree of bi-partisan support.

The more novel—and controversial—aspect of Trump’s proposal would be to apply that lower 15% rate not just to C-corporations, but to all business income. In other words, many business owners and other self-employed workers like freelancers would no longer pay tax at the same rates as their wage-earning employees. They would pay a top rate of 15%, the same as other businesses.

Trump argues the change would encourage small employers to add jobs. “All of our policies should be geared towards keeping jobs and wealth inside the United States,” Trump said Monday. “Under my plan, no American company will pay more than 15% of their business income in taxes. Small businesses will benefit the most from this plan. Hillary Clinton’s plan will require small business to pay as much as three times more in taxes than what I am proposing.”

While Trump’s proposal didn’t initially draw much attention, that’s changed in the days since his speech in Detroit. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities sharply criticized it. And others have also weighed in, with Clinton herself citing another Washington think tank Thursday.

While some small business groups heartily approved of Trump’s proposal, it’s not hard to see why it might have political shortcomings. For one thing, it could dramatically grow the federal deficit. When the Tax Policy Center ran the numbers last year, they estimated it would cost the Treasury nearly $1 trillion over the next decade.

And, as you might have guessed, the bulk of the new tax break would go to the wealthy. Under the current system, roughly 70% of pass-through income goes to the top 1% of earners.

Another potential problem is the unintended consequence that emerged when the state of Kansas adopted a similar policy. In 2012, Kansas changed its tax code to eliminate taxes on certain kinds of business income in 2012. The results included widespread tax dodging, as Kansans scrambled to classify themselves as businesses—not to create jobs, but simply to lower their tax bills.

About the Authors
By Ian Salisbury
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Money
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

This community college student is America’s entrant in the Olympics of skilled trades. ‘I always wanted to be the first female to do something’
Future of Workthe future of work
This community college student is America’s entrant in the Olympics of skilled trades. ‘I always wanted to be the first female to do something’
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
11 hours ago
murdochs
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI paid $100 million for a talk show. James Murdoch is eyeing an even bigger deal. The hot new asset class is humanity
By Lin CherryMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
dennis
CommentaryAI agents
Freshworks CEO: why agile enterprises are winning the AI race — and what they did differently
By Dennis WoodsideMay 17, 2026
13 hours ago
A man with a headset sits at a desk in a call center.
EconomyAutomation
The AI boom hasn’t stopped U.S. companies from hiring cheap offshore labor, and overseas call center employment is still skyrocketing
By Sasha RogelbergMay 17, 2026
14 hours ago
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
Workplace Cultureremote work
Zillow CEO doubles down on remote-work model: ‘There is talent everywhere in this country’
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezMay 17, 2026
14 hours ago
Stressed job seeker
SuccessGen Z
Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh-faced grads frozen out of the workforce
By Emma BurleighMay 17, 2026
14 hours ago

Most Popular

Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
AI
Microsoft AI chief gives it 18 months—for all white-collar work to be automated by AI
By Jake AngeloMay 16, 2026
2 days ago
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
Politics
Former top Russian official admits the country is over Putin and can 'imagine a future without him' — even elites bail as Kremlin seizes their assets 
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
5 days ago
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
Innovation
SpaceX heads into a record-shattering IPO with the 'deepest moat that exists today' as investors vow to 'never bet against Elon'
By Jason MaMay 16, 2026
1 day ago
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
Success
'No one was coming to save me': How Reese Witherspoon built a $900 million company from a problem Hollywood wouldn't fix
By Sydney LakeMay 17, 2026
15 hours ago
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
Economy
The top foreign holders of U.S. debt may soon dump Treasury bonds and bring their money back home, potentially spiking borrowing costs
By Jason MaMay 17, 2026
8 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.