[Los Angeles Times] If you thought this year's tax bill was a burden, wait until you see your "share" of government spending in 2050. Tax Policy Center codirector Len Burman looks into the future according to CBO and sees a number of doomsday scenarios looming. Among them are a doubling...
Stories of abuses by both donors to charities and by charitable organizations have once again filled newspaper headlines recently. The types of abuse are multiple, stretching from overvalued donations of easements (restrictions on certain uses of land to protect it, say, for conservation...
Perhaps the most significant and divisive tax debate of the past three decades has been over whether taxes on income ought to be replaced with taxes on consumption. Almost all of the large-scale reform efforts proposed during that period have sought that goal, even though the methods vary widely...
The EITC represents a considerable investment in immigrant neighborhoods, totaling $6.7 billion in tax year 1999. This study finds that these communities access the credit at significant rates, but that their low-income taxpayers appear more likely to use commercial tax preparers. To further...
On January 1, 2001, Russia introduced what has frequently been called a "flat tax." In this report, we examine the limited research and information available on the effects of Russias personal income tax reform and reach five principal conclusions: The change in the personal income tax was not a...
An important characteristic of many countries is that they exhibit, to greater or lesser degrees, some "asymmetry" in the way in which different regions are treated by their intergovernmental fiscal systems. This paper explores some of the varied extents and manners in which such asymmetrical...
In this commentary, Len Burman argues that if Congress can't reform the tax system, the next best thing would be to just leave it alone. Constant tinkering just adds to complexity.
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), administered through the federal income tax system, is the largest cash assistance program for low-income families. Data from the 2001 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) show large disparities in who knows about the EITC amongst families with income...
Social Security's original mission was to protect society's most vulnerable from poverty. Figuring out who needs protection and how much, however, is not so simple. There are many sources of redistribution in Social Security, from rich to poor, from shorter lived to longer lived, and across...
The "automatic 401(k)" is a simple concept with enormous potential. An automatic 401(k) plan would have intelligent defaults at each phase of the 401(k) savings cycle: participation, contribution levels, investment allocations, rollovers, and withdrawal options. Workers would be free to opt out...
If You Think Taxes Are a Pain Now...
[Los Angeles Times] If you thought this year's tax bill was a burden, wait until you see your "share" of government spending in 2050. Tax Policy Center codirector Len Burman looks into the future according to CBO and sees a number of doomsday scenarios looming. Among them are a doubling...
A Win-Win Option for Charity and Tax Policy
Stories of abuses by both donors to charities and by charitable organizations have once again filled newspaper headlines recently. The types of abuse are multiple, stretching from overvalued donations of easements (restrictions on certain uses of land to protect it, say, for conservation...
Taxing the Capital Income of Only The Poor and the Middle Class
Perhaps the most significant and divisive tax debate of the past three decades has been over whether taxes on income ought to be replaced with taxes on consumption. Almost all of the large-scale reform efforts proposed during that period have sought that goal, even though the methods vary widely...
Tienes EITC?: A Study of the Earned Income Tax Credit in Immigrant Communities
The EITC represents a considerable investment in immigrant neighborhoods, totaling $6.7 billion in tax year 1999. This study finds that these communities access the credit at significant rates, but that their low-income taxpayers appear more likely to use commercial tax preparers. To further...
Demythologizing the Russian Flat Tax
On January 1, 2001, Russia introduced what has frequently been called a "flat tax." In this report, we examine the limited research and information available on the effects of Russias personal income tax reform and reach five principal conclusions: The change in the personal income tax was not a...
Fiscal Federalism and National Unity
An important characteristic of many countries is that they exhibit, to greater or lesser degrees, some "asymmetry" in the way in which different regions are treated by their intergovernmental fiscal systems. This paper explores some of the varied extents and manners in which such asymmetrical...
Time for the IRS to Quit Tinkering with the Tax Forms
In this commentary, Len Burman argues that if Congress can't reform the tax system, the next best thing would be to just leave it alone. Constant tinkering just adds to complexity.
Disparities in Knowledge of the EITC
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), administered through the federal income tax system, is the largest cash assistance program for low-income families. Data from the 2001 National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) show large disparities in who knows about the EITC amongst families with income...
Whichever Way We Go, Some Get Left Behind
Social Security's original mission was to protect society's most vulnerable from poverty. Figuring out who needs protection and how much, however, is not so simple. There are many sources of redistribution in Social Security, from rich to poor, from shorter lived to longer lived, and across...
The Automatic 401(k): A Simple Way To Strengthen Retirement Saving
The "automatic 401(k)" is a simple concept with enormous potential. An automatic 401(k) plan would have intelligent defaults at each phase of the 401(k) savings cycle: participation, contribution levels, investment allocations, rollovers, and withdrawal options. Workers would be free to opt out...