Fixing the Tax Mess: Prospects and Possibilities
A Tax Policy Center Forum
Tuesday July 13, 2004
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
(light breakfast available starting at 9:00)
Transcript Now Available
The Urban Institute
Katharine Graham Conference Center
2100 M Street, NW
Fifth Floor
Washington, DC
Policymakers from across the political spectrum recognize that the federal tax system needs reform - the tax code is mind-numbingly complicated, the Alternative Minimum Tax is on its way to becoming the dominant income tax, and aggressive tax planning and sheltering have proliferated. This Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center forum featured two distinguished scholars and a leading member of the House of Representatives exchanging new ideas for improving the tax system.
Congressman Steny Hoyer discussed some initial conclusions from his ongoing examination of the tax system, possible ways to reform it, and the political prospects for change. Michael Graetz of Yale Law School described his sweeping proposal to replace the income tax with a value-added tax, while retaining a version of the Alternative Minimum Tax limited to families with more than $100,000 of income. Gene Steuerle of the Urban Institute and the Tax Policy Center explained the need for reforming the tax policy process itself and other key points from his critically acclaimed book, Contemporary U.S. Tax Policy.
Moderator:
Peter R. Orszag
Joseph Pechman Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution; Co-Director, Tax Policy Center
Panelists:
Michael J. Graetz
Justus S. Hotchkiss Professor of Law, Yale Law School; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Policy (1990-92)
The Honorable Steny H. Hoyer (D-MD)
Member of Congress; House Democratic Whip
C. Eugene Steuerle
Senior Fellow, Urban Institute; Co-Director, Tax Policy Center; Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Tax Analysis (1987-89)
