Metro

Peeling the Apple

Middle-class New Yorkers would take a big hit in the wallet if Congress fails to extend former President George W. Bush’s tax cuts — with some forking over almost double what other middle-income Americans are paying, according to a new study.

On the Upper East Side, for example, families whose salaries are in the middle range would hand over a hefty $3,066 in extra dough to Uncle Sam.

In Brooklyn, where incomes that fall in the middle range are lower, families would pay an extra $1,730 in taxes if the cuts expire. On Staten Island, it’s $1,658 more.

The expiration of the tax cuts — set for the end of this year — is likely to dominate Washington when Congress returns from its summer break.

Republicans, emboldened by the slumping economy and President Obama’s bleak poll numbers, are planning a fight to have all of the cuts stay. Some Democrats, fearful of being called tax hikers in the midst of a recession, have said they want to keep all of the Bush cuts as well.

Obama wants to roll back the tax cuts for families making $250,000 a year or more, but would keep the cuts for the middle class.

Some prominent figures, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, believe the cuts should be completely rolled back, arguing that the deficit is too high to support tax breaks.

If the cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire, the average middle-income American family would wind up paying an extra $1,540 to Uncle Sam, according to the Tax Foundation.

That’s pocket change compared to what many New Yorkers, who typically earn more than their counterparts nationwide, would shell out.

The national average comes from calculating that the middle-income family’s median income is $63,366, according to the foundation.

But when it broke down salaries by region, it found that in some places, families whose incomes are in the middle would be forking over far more — particularly in the New York metro area.

For example, on Manhattan’s East Side, the average income in the middle of the salary spectrum for families is $111,717, according to the foundation.

Their additional $3,066 in taxes if the cuts go kaput would represent the highest hike in the state for middle-income families.

If the tax cuts expire, these New Yorkers would pay $15,042 on average, compared with $11,976 if the cuts are extended.

Bigger burden

Married couple, Upper East Side, 2 children, income: $125,000

Charitable donations: $3,250
State and local income taxes: $8,750
Federal income taxes (with Bush tax cuts): $15,518
Federal income taxes (without Bush tax cuts): $19,726
Extra tax bill if Bush cuts expire: $4,208

Single mom, Forest Hills, 1 child, income: $75,000

Federal income taxes (with Bush tax cuts): $8,515
Federal income taxes (without Bush tax cuts): $10,002
Extra tax bill if Bush cuts expire: $1,487

Married couple, Red Hook, 1 child, income: $44,000

Federal income taxes (with Bush tax cuts): $1,343
Federal income taxes (without Bush tax cuts): $2,980
Extra tax bill if Bush cuts expire: $1,637