[vbmoneyspender]

It was the 1982 cuts that brought the top rate down from 50% to 25%

I think you are wrong about this. Here is what the Prentice Hall Documents Library says, in part, about the Tax Reform Act of 1986:

Other features of the Tax Reform Act of 1986:

Tax cut. The top marginal tax rate on wealthiest individuals was reduced 44% (from 50% percent to 28%). The marginal rates for leass wealthy individuals were also reduced, but not by as high a percentage. Tax reductions were said by some critics to underly the massive mushrooming of the federal deficit during the Reagan administration.

Here is the link.

[Texasforever]

One other thing, the Reagan tax bill stopped all personal interest deductions other than on real estate, limited medical deductions and greatly reduced deductions for employee business expenses.

[LS]

I don't know how anyone can write this when the top rate in 1985 was 25%. Care to explain to me how an increase from 25% to 28% is a cut? I don't know where they get the 44%. That was the rate prior to the 1982 Economic Recovery Act, but NOT prior to 1986.

Also, the more you keep posting on this, the more I keep recalling the other "hikes" involved. Note the end of the investment tax credits, which DRAMATICALLY increased the real tax in investments.