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.
As far as that 44% figure is concerned, that is the percentage reduction you get when you reduce the top marginal rate from 50% down to 28%. That works out to a 44% reduction. If the rate had been reduced from 50% down to 25%, then it would have been a 50% reduction.