federal income taxes (distinct from payroll taxes) are paid overwhelmingly by the highest income taxpayers. for example, in 2014 the top 1% of income earners paid 45.7% of federal income taxes; the bottom 80% of earners paid 15%. therefore, policies that reduce income tax rates, such as the bush tax cuts, dis-proportionally benefit the rich, as they pay the lion's share of the taxes. during president bush's terms, income inequality grew, a trend since 1980. cbo reported that the share of after-tax income received by the top 1% rose from 12.3% in 2001 to a peak of 16.7% in 2007, before ending at 14.1% in 2008. comparing 2001 and 2008, the lowest and highest quintiles of the income distribution had a larger share of the after-tax income, while the middle three quintiles had a lower share.