--- title: Hillary Clinton Proposes 4% Tax Increase on Super Wealthy description: Hillary Clinton proposed a 4% tax on individuals making more than $5 million a year canonical: https://time.com/4176273/hillary-clinton-tax-super-wealthy/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-11T23:30:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:59:07.479Z article:section: Politics og:title: Hillary Clinton Proposes 4% Tax on the Super Wealthy og:description: It would impact people making more than $5 million a year og:url: https://time.com/4176273/hillary-clinton-tax-super-wealthy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c5e3b6ba3171132/698878a50a4a22e04f9c7d9f/hillary-clinton4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa January 11, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RTX21X9X og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Hillary Clinton Proposes 4% Tax on the Super Wealthy twitter:description: It would impact people making more than $5 million a year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c5e3b6ba3171132/698878a50a4a22e04f9c7d9f/hillary-clinton4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hillary Clinton Proposes 4% Tax on the Super Wealthy ## Video: TIME Raw: Clinton Addresses Bullying in Iowa Campaign Stop [Watch (HLS stream): TIME Raw: Clinton Addresses Bullying in Iowa Campaign Stop](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/VIbeQH6X.m3u8) (1:24)  _Published 2015-12-23_ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 11, 2016 11:30 PM UTC  Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2016. Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa, on Jan. 11, 2016.Aaron Bernstein—Reuters by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jan 11, 2016 11:30 PM UTC Hillary Clinton proposed a 4% tax on individuals making more than $5 million a year, following her campaign promise to tax the wealthy at higher rates to pay for federal spending. Dubbed the Fair Share Surcharge, Clinton’s plan, announced Monday, would raise approximately $150 billion over 10 years, an aide to the campaign said. The measure would affect .02% of taxpayers, according to her campaign. The 4% surcharge would be in addition to any other income tax and is intended to prevent high-income earners from avoiding taxes through other means. “It’s outrageous that multimillionaires and billionaires are allowed to play by a different set of rules than hard-working families, especially when it comes to paying their [fair share of taxes](http://time.com/4143070/hillary-clinton-tax-inversion/),” said Clinton at an organizing event in Waterloo, Iowa. **Read more:** [_Hillary Clinton’s Middle-Class Tax Pledge Divides Democrats_](http://time.com/4126685/hillary-clinton-middle-class-tax-pledge/) Clinton aims to follow the so-called Buffett Rule introduced by President Obama in 2011, which would apply a minimum tax rate of 30% on individuals making more than $1 million a year. The Buffett Rule is named after billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who has for years said the wealthy should pay higher taxes. Clinton has promised not to raise taxes on the middle class, which she defines as families making less than $250,000 per year. [Democrats have criticized the pledge](http://time.com/4156619/bernie-sanders-middle-class-tax-pledge/), saying it would limit the scope of a progressive agenda. Clinton counters that she can pay for expansive initiatives through tax hikes on the rich. **Read more:** [_Why Bernie Sanders’ Tax Pledge Matters_](http://time.com/4156619/bernie-sanders-middle-class-tax-pledge/) The Democratic front runner will roll out more plans this week that will raise taxes on the wealthy. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4176273/hillary-clinton-tax-super-wealthy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4176273/hillary-clinton-tax-super-wealthy/"},"headline":"Hillary Clinton Proposes 4% Tax on the Super Wealthy","datePublished":"2016-01-11T23:30:11.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:59:07.479Z","description":"She's promised not to raise taxes on people making less than $250,000 a year","url":"https://time.com/4176273/hillary-clinton-tax-super-wealthy/","keywords":["2016 Election","Hillary Clinton","2016 Election topic","Bernie Sanders"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c5e3b6ba3171132/698878a50a4a22e04f9c7d9f/hillary-clinton4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sam Frizell","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3c5e3b6ba3171132/698878a50a4a22e04f9c7d9f/hillary-clinton4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton addresses supporters at the Electric Park Ballroom in Waterloo, Iowa January 11, 2016. 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