The Congressional Budget Office's midyear update of the economic and budget outlook, released in late August, provides an opportunity to glean new perspectives on the fiscal status of the federal government. In a prior article, we adjusted the baseline projections to provide more appropriate...
This note considers four options to raise approximately enough revenue to finance the additional $87 billion that the President has requested to finance the war and reconstruction costs in Iraq. Commentators and some members of Congress have expressed an interest in options to offset these...
The CBO's new budget update provides the opportunity to reassess fiscal prospects and reconsider policy options. This paper examines the baseline CBO projections and adjusts the official data in ways that we believe more accurately reflect the current trajectory of tax and spending policies and...
An individual's marginal tax rate--the additional tax that would be owed on an additional dollar of income--is an important indicator of how the tax system affects incentives to work, save, and comply with the tax system. It is natural to think of marginal tax rates as identical to the statutory...
A person's marginal tax rate, the tax rate on their last dollar of income, may influence their decision to work and save. As marginal tax rates increase, the after-tax reward from working an additional hour or saving more decreases. Although the actual effect on economic decisions is uncertain,...
Several nonprofit groups such as the Tax Policy Center and Citizens for Tax Justice as well as several governmental entities provide tables on the distributional effects of tax changes. Analysts then suggest that these tax cuts are progressive, proportional or regressive by comparing such...
The effects of income tax changes on the economy and the distribution of after-tax income depend in part on the population that does not file a tax return or that does file a return but owes little or no net income tax liability. These types of tax units featured prominently in the debate over...
A variety of recent studies have found that the United States faces a substantial fiscal gap -- that is, a sizable imbalance between projected federal outlays and receipts. A recent study by Boskin (2003) suggests these findings are overstated because they largely or entirely omit projected...
Before enactment of the Tax Reform Act on 1986, the individual tax code included 25 marginal tax rates. No more than 10 percent of tax filers were in a single bracket and eight brackets included less than 1 percentage of filers. Read this article to learn more about the history of Income Tax...
The testimony discusses current statistics on tax evasion, the argument for trying to stem it, and why IRS efforts so far have been disappointing. It then focuses on specific issues related to the earned income tax credit (EITC). The testimony concludes that, while deterring system-wide tax...
The Budget Outlook: Analysis and Implications
The Congressional Budget Office's midyear update of the economic and budget outlook, released in late August, provides an opportunity to glean new perspectives on the fiscal status of the federal government. In a prior article, we adjusted the baseline projections to provide more appropriate...
Options to Finance the Additional War Costs
This note considers four options to raise approximately enough revenue to finance the additional $87 billion that the President has requested to finance the war and reconstruction costs in Iraq. Commentators and some members of Congress have expressed an interest in options to offset these...
The Budget Outlook
The CBO's new budget update provides the opportunity to reassess fiscal prospects and reconsider policy options. This paper examines the baseline CBO projections and adjusts the official data in ways that we believe more accurately reflect the current trajectory of tax and spending policies and...
Hidden Taxes and Subsidies
An individual's marginal tax rate--the additional tax that would be owed on an additional dollar of income--is an important indicator of how the tax system affects incentives to work, save, and comply with the tax system. It is natural to think of marginal tax rates as identical to the statutory...
A Brief History of Marginal Tax Rates
A person's marginal tax rate, the tax rate on their last dollar of income, may influence their decision to work and save. As marginal tax rates increase, the after-tax reward from working an additional hour or saving more decreases. Although the actual effect on economic decisions is uncertain,...
Can the Progressivity of Tax Changes Be Measured in Isolation?
Several nonprofit groups such as the Tax Policy Center and Citizens for Tax Justice as well as several governmental entities provide tables on the distributional effects of tax changes. Analysts then suggest that these tax cuts are progressive, proportional or regressive by comparing such...
Nonfilers and Filers With Modest Tax Liabilities
The effects of income tax changes on the economy and the distribution of after-tax income depend in part on the population that does not file a tax return or that does file a return but owes little or no net income tax liability. These types of tax units featured prominently in the debate over...
Reassessing the Fiscal Gap
A variety of recent studies have found that the United States faces a substantial fiscal gap -- that is, a sizable imbalance between projected federal outlays and receipts. A recent study by Boskin (2003) suggests these findings are overstated because they largely or entirely omit projected...
Income Tax Brackets Since 1985
Before enactment of the Tax Reform Act on 1986, the individual tax code included 25 marginal tax rates. No more than 10 percent of tax filers were in a single bracket and eight brackets included less than 1 percentage of filers. Read this article to learn more about the history of Income Tax...
Tax Evasion, IRS Priorities, and EITC Precertification
The testimony discusses current statistics on tax evasion, the argument for trying to stem it, and why IRS efforts so far have been disappointing. It then focuses on specific issues related to the earned income tax credit (EITC). The testimony concludes that, while deterring system-wide tax...