It’s been quite a half season for Jay Cutler. His team is still awful, but at least he’s re-writing the Chicago Bears passing record book. You can say without hyperbole that he’s the greatest passer in Bears history, and the Cutty Love is now going national. Seriously, the national pundits are now singing the Jay Cutler praises.
Opening the door to a very different, but still really interesting story pitch I got this week.
Professional football players lead enviable lives as high income earners, but they also face top tax rates at the federal and local level. In SmartAsset’s latest study, we take a closer look at what the Bears pay in taxes.
Chicago is the country’s third largest city, but it ranks nowhere near the top when it comes to income taxes (property taxes are another story). The state income tax rate in Illinois is 5% and the city has no local income tax. Nonetheless, thanks to high federal taxes, Jay Cutler and Matt Forte pay an estimated 45% and 44.6% of their income in taxes respectively.
Details about the study, including full methodology, which NFL players pay the most and what the highest-paid players pay, can be found here.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous television and radio talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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