As a result of this and other tax acts in the 1980s, the top 10% were paying 57.2% of total income taxes by 1988, up from 48% in 1981, but the bottom 50% of earners share dropped from 7.5% to 5.7% during the same period. The total share borne by middle-income earners of the 50th to 95th percentiles decreased from 57.5% to the 48.7% between 1981 and 1988. Much of the increase can be attributed to the decrease in capital gains taxes. Also, the ongoing recession and high unemployment contributed to stagnation among other income groups until the mid-1980s.