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    <title>Tax Policy Center: General Tax Policy</title>
    <link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org</link>
    <description>Tax Policy Center reports on: General Tax Policy - The Tax Policy Center is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and Brookings Institution. The Center is comprised of nationally recognized experts in tax, budget, and social policy who have served at the highest levels of government.</description>
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    <copyright>Copyright 2007 Tax Policy Center</copyright>
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Personal savings need a boost]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Washington Times.  America's days of economic  dominance are numbered because we don't save. The government is borrowing like  crazy, and households aren't doing much better. The personal savings rate --  the share of after-tax income that people set aside for a rainy day -- has been  falling like a stone since the early 1980s.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901298&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Considerations in Efforts to Restructure Work-Based Credits]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Internal Revenue Code has replaced traditional means-tested programs as the principal means for transferring income to low earners. The largest vehicle is the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), now supplemented by both the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Making Work Pay tax credit (MWP).
This paper looks at the system's evolution, the important role played by the tax system in assisting low earners, and the complexities presented by the current approach. It offers principles to guide the design of a worker credit and child benefit that would replace the EITC, CTC, and MWP, along with a specific proposal.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001347&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Steve Holt, Elaine Maag)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Opacity of Marginal Tax Rates]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Suppose that a taxpayer earns an additional dollar of
income. How much tax would she owe on that dollar? A
natural way to answer this question would be to look up
the taxpayers statutory tax rate - the tax rate corresponding
to her tax bracket and filing status.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001336&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Jacob Goldin)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001336_opacity.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="477887"/>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Focus on the Tax 'Avoidance' Gap]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[President Obama's tax reform task force has been asked to propose ways to close the $300 billion tax gap, which is the estimated difference between taxes owed and taxes paid either voluntarily or through enforcement. But the amount of money lost to legal tax avoidance - the difference between an income tax without special tax preferences and taxes under current law - at least double that lost to outright evasion. The perpetrators of this second, "avoidance" tax gap are legislators, not taxpayers. The panel's main focus should be on finding appropriate ways to close this second tax gap.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001315&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001315_tax_avoidance.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="37048"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Pyrrhic victory on health reform?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Washington Times op-ed.  Leonard Burman discusses the politics of the health care reform debate.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901281&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Automatic Enrollment in IRAs: Costs and Benefits]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[To encourage better retirement saving, President Obama recently proposed policies that would require firms without retirement savings plans to automatically enroll their workers in IRAs. In addition, the president proposed an expansion of the Saver's Credit to be fully refundable and available to middle-income taxpayers. This report estimates the revenue costs and distributional effects of the president's proposals.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001312&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Benjamin H. Harris, Rachel M. Johnson)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Taxing Adjusted Gross Income Instead of Taxable Income]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The House leadership has proposed to finance health care reform with a surtax on adjusted gross income (AGI) of high-income individuals, while the president's budget would increase the two top marginal tax rates on taxable income.  Income taxed at statutory marginal rates is 58 percent of AGI for all taxpayers but only 46 percent of AGI for taxpayers with income over $1 million.  While personal exemptions and deductions account for most of the difference between the two tax bases for the population as a whole, capital gains and qualified dividends make up most of the difference for very high income taxpayers.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001298&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Jacob Goldin, Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Activist Fiscal Policy to Stabilize Economic Activity]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Facing the most severe recession since the 1930s, and probably the longest as well, the
U.S. government has adopted an aggressive countercyclical fiscal policy stance, beginning with the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 in February of that year, shortly after the recessions designated starting date, and followed one year later by the much larger American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009. These two bills, adopted under different presidents, both contained temporary tax rebates for households and temporary investment incentives for firms, indicating at least limited bipartisan acceptance of these approaches to countercyclical stimulus.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001311&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001311_activist_fiscal.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="168734"/>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[The Distribution of Federal Taxes, 2009-12]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Overall, the federal tax system is progressive. On average, households with higher incomes pay taxes that are a larger share of their income. But barring legislative action, the numerous sunsets and phase-ins that Congress has written into the tax code will result in a tax system that is in a state of flux over the next few years. As a result, current law dictates significant changes in the degree of progressivity in the federal tax system between now and 2012. This paper summarizes the Tax Policy Center's latest estimates of the distribution of federal taxes for 2009 through 2012.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411943&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rachel M. Johnson, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411943_distribution_federal.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="485932"/>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[AMT Coverage by State, 2007]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Many taxpayers must calculate their federal income tax liability under two sets of rules: those applying to the regular income tax and those of the alternative minimum tax. If a taxpayer owes more tax under the alternative rules, then the difference is paid as AMT. The AMT hits people in some states harder than it does in others because state and local income and property taxes are not allowed as itemized deductions against the AMT and because income varies across states. This column discusses AMT participation rates by state.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001299&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Carol Rosenberg)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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    </item>


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	<title><![CDATA[Tax subsidies for private health insurance: Who benefits and at what cost?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Policymakers are considering modifications to the tax treatment of employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) as a way to raise revenue to help pay for health reform and provide incentives to reduce health care costs. Understanding how current subsidies work is important to assessing health reform proposals. This brief presents essential information about the structure and distribution of existing tax subsidies for ESI and the implications for policy options.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001297&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman, Sarah Goodell, Surachai Khitatrakun)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001297_tax_subsidies.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="335388"/>
		
    </item>


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	<title><![CDATA[Mitigating the Potential Inequity of Reducing Corporate Rates]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Some tax proposals would reduce the marginal corporate tax rate. Others would boost the top individual rate. Although a differential between corporate and individual rates could reduce the overall tax on distributed corporate income, it could also enable higher-income taxpayers to shelter income from taxation. This paper explains how denying the lower corporate rate to income from services and passive investments combined with provisions that prevent people from permanently escaping tax on retained earnings would mitigate this problem.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411931&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Dan Halperin)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Conversations: Leonard Burman]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax Notes, July 27, 2009. Leonard E. Burman is a fellow at the Urban Institute and director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. He previously served as deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis at the Treasury Department from 1998 to 2000 and as senior analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. This fall, he will become the first Daniel Patrick Moynihan Chair in Public Policy at the Maxwell School of Syracuse University. Burman recently sat down with Tax Analysts' Sam Young to discuss his future plans, the outlook for healthcare reform in Congress, and his proposal to create a VAT to pay for healthcare.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001294&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Sam  Young)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Here Comes the Next Fiscal Crisis]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Los Angeles Times op-ed, July 8, 2009. In the immediate future, policymakers will face a delicate balancing act between encouraging economic recovery and establishing fiscal sustainability. Alan J. Auerbach and William G. Gale examine the economic challenges facing the U.S.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001291&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Who Pays No Income Tax?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Nearly half of all tax units will pay no income tax in 2009. The fraction of non-taxpayers differs widely, depending on income, tax filing status, and whether the unit is elderly or contains children.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001289&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[An Update on the Economic Crisis and the Fiscal Crisis: 2009 and Beyond]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[his paper reviews recent economic events and their impact on U.S. fiscal performance and prospects. We highlight the historic nature of the 2009 budget outcomes, the unsustainability of plausible ten-year budget projections, and the increasingly dire long-term fiscal problem. These conditions leave federal policy makers with difficult choices. Over the next several years, as the recession ends and the economy recovers, policy makers will face a delicate balancing act between encouraging economic recovery and establishing fiscal sustainability. Even if a successful recovery ensues, however, medium-term and long-term fiscal problems have become increasingly urgent.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001284&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001284_economic_crisis.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="222069"/>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Do We Need a Value-Added Tax to Solve Our Long-Run Budget Problems?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The U.S. budget is on an unsustainable path. That is because Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, which together constituted almost one half of noninterest spending before the recent stimulus plan, are all growing faster than tax revenues. If these programs are not reformed, tax burdens raised, or other spending decimated, deficits and the national debt will explode. It is difficult to imagine solving the entire budget problem by slowing spending growth, because benefits would then be far below those previously promised. It is equally unlikely that tax increases could solve the whole problem because the tax burden would then be so far above any ever experienced by Americans. To the extent that tax burdens are to be increased, there are three options. Tax rates could be raised in the existing system, but that would be extremely inefficient. Tax reform might raise revenues more efficiently, but that is excruciatingly difficult politically. That leaves the possibility of a brand new tax and a VAT is a very likely candidate.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411912&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rudolph G. Penner)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411912_vat_budget_speech.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="41922"/>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[The Future of Long-Term Care: What Is Its Place in the Health Reform Debate?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[More than 10 million Americans require long-term care supports and services. Yet the system for delivering and paying for this assistance is deeply flawed. While most of the frail elderly and those with disabilities prefer assistance at home, many must live in nursing homes to receive Medicaid benefits, care coordination for those with multiple chronic illnesses is poor, and the system for financing care impoverishes many middle-income families. The national health reform debate allows policymakers to reconsider long-term care as well. This paper assesses proposals to restructure the delivery and financing of long-term care services.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411908&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Howard Gleckman)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411908_longterm_care.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="350526"/>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Beyond the Storm: New Reforms for 401(k) Plans]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The financial crisis has provoked calls for a fundamental reform of the nation's retirement saving structure. This article argues that rather than dismantle the existing system, policymakers should build on existing reforms and expand the automatic 401(k) to help eligible workers save more and make better investment decisions. In addition, retirees should be given the opportunity to test-drive annuity products to realize the benefits of receiving stable retirement income, and near-retirees should be provided the option of incrementally purchasing annuity units over time to help mitigate the risk associated with varying interest rates.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001279&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Benjamin H. Harris, Lina Walker)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001279_beyond_storm.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="494749"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Different Way to Pay for Health Reform]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Washington Times op-ed, May 19, 2009. Expanding health-care access is a top priority for the Obama administration, and leaders in Congress are on board. Political leaders also agree that any health insurance expansion must not increase the deficit. So how do we pay for health care without sinking the economy? The best option would be to phase in a value-added tax (VAT) dedicated to paying for health care. Packaged with the right bells and whistles, the VAT would help revive the economy, offset the burden on low-income families, and help slow health-care costs.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901254&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/901254_burman_health_editorial.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="42418"/>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[A Blueprint for Tax Reform and Health Reform]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[This paper outlines a plan for a VAT dedicated to paying for a new universal health insurance voucher combined with a vastly simplified and much flatter income tax. Top income tax rates could be cut to 25% or less and most taxpayers would not have to file returns. The health care voucher would offset the inherent regressivity of a VAT, since the voucher would be worth more than the VAT tax paid by most households. Moreover, with the VAT rate tied to health spending, the public would have a vested interest in reining in the growth of health care costs.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001262&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001262_blueprint_reform.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="224545"/>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Taxing Capital Gains in Australia: Assessment and Recommendations]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[One of the most vexing and contentious issues in taxation is the proper treatment of capital gains-the increase in value of an asset such as shares of company stock or a business. In principle, under an income tax, capital gains should be included in the tax base as they accrue. In practice, if they are taxed at all, capital gains are almost always taxed only when an asset is sold (or "realized") and generally at lower rates than other income.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411857&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411857_capgains_australia.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="124572"/>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Proposals in the 2010 Budget]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[President Obama's 2010 Budget contains a number of tax provisions that would cut taxes for low- and middle-income households and raise taxes on wealthier taxpayers. This resource guide describes the tax proposals, offers more detailed commentary on key provisions, and links to tables showing the distributional effects of the overall proposal and various elements of the plan.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411849&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Leonard E. Burman, Howard Gleckman, Dan Halperin, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411849_2010_budget.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="410067"/>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Economic Crisis and the Fiscal Crisis: 2009 and Beyond]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In 2009, the federal deficit will be larger as a share of the economy than at any time since the 1940s.   After 2009, we project an average deficit of $1 trillion per year for the next 10 years, under optimistic assumptions.  The longer-run picture is even bleaker, with a fiscal gap of 7-9 percent of GDP -- between $1 trillion and $1.3 trillion annually in current dollars.  Recent trends in credit default swap markets suggest that although fiscal policy problems are usually described as medium- and long-term issues, these problems may be upon us much sooner than previously expected.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411843&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Tax Stimulus Report Card: Conference Bill]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[This report card evaluates the provisions of the Finance and Ways & Means Committees' conference tax stimulus bill (the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009"). The evaluation is preliminary and does not include all of the provisions in the bill most notably we omit provisions related to state and local debt and recovery zone credits. TPC will update the report card if significant changes occur before Congress passes the bill.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411839&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Leonard E. Burman, Howard Gleckman, Dan Halperin, Benjamin H. Harris, Elaine Maag, Kim Rueben, Eric Toder, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Tax Stimulus Report Card: Comparing the House and Senate Bills]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[This report card compares the provisions of the House and Senate tax stimulus bills (the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Plan of 2009"). The combined evaluation is preliminary and does not include all of the provisions in the bill - most notably we omit provisions related to state and local debt and recovery zone credits. TPC will update the report card as we learn more about specific provisions and as the stimulus bills move through Congress.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411834&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Howard Gleckman, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 03 Feb 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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	<title><![CDATA[Tax Stimulus Report Card: Senate Finance Committee]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Tax Policy Center has graded the key tax provisions of the pending Senate stimulus bill (the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Plan of 2009"). Our grades, which rely on the bill's legislative language, focus on how well these measures would boost the economy in the short run. Accompanying write-ups describe current law, the proposed change, and the short- and long-term effects on the budget, the economy, fairness and tax complexity.  We will update the report card as we learn more about the provisions and as the stimulus bill moves through Congress.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411830&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Leonard E. Burman, Howard Gleckman, Dan Halperin, Benjamin H. Harris, Elaine Maag, Kim Rueben, Eric Toder, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
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    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Stimulus Report Card: House Bill]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Tax Policy Center has graded the key tax provisions of the pending House stimulus bill (the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Plan of 2009"). Our grades, which rely on the bill's legislative language, focus on how well these measures would boost the economy in the short run. Accompanying write-ups describe current law, the proposed change, and the short- and long-term effects on the budget, the economy, fairness and tax complexity.  We will update the report card as we learn more about the provisions and as the stimulus bill moves through Congress.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411827&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rosanne Altshuler, Leonard E. Burman, Howard Gleckman, Elaine Maag, Eric Toder, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411827_stimulus_reportcard.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="145366"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[How Big Are Total Individual Income Tax Expenditures, and Who Benefits from Them?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Analysts often add up tax expenditures to estimate an aggregate cost, but those tallies are inaccurate because they ignore interactions among provisions. We estimate that interactions raise the cost of nonbusiness tax expenditures by 5 to 8 percent, depending on whether an AMT patch is in effect. In 2007, these tax expenditures totaled about $750 billion5.5 percent of GDP. While tax expenditures benefit taxpayers in all income groups, high-income households gain more relative to income than low-income ones. Although the AMT eliminates some tax preferences, it increases overall tax expenditures because most AMT taxpayers face higher marginal tax rates.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001234&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder, Leonard E. Burman, Christopher Geissler)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001234_tax_expenditures.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="154654"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[When Marginal and Statutory Tax Rates Differ]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[From an economic perspective, marginal tax rates play a critical role in determining the consequences of a change in tax policy. In an uncomplicated tax system the marginal rate is simply equal to the statutory rate. For millions of taxpayers, however, marginal tax rates differ markedly from statutory rates. Because of the tax code's wide array of phase-ins and phaseouts the majority of taxpayers face a different marginal rate than their statutory rate. Marginal and statutory rates differ for about two-thirds of married filers and heads of households and for about one-third of single filers.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001230&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Benjamin H. Harris, Ruth  Levine)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001230_marginal_rates.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="486379"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Taxes under Obama and McCain]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax policy has been a major issue in the Presidential election campaign, with both candidates proposing extensive changes. The candidates take very different approaches to tax policy. The main differences are two: first, McCains plans would reduce revenues by significantly more than Obamas; and second, McCains would be substantially less progressive, especially among very high income taxpayers. From the standpoint of growth or simplicity, both plans disappoint. It is hard to believe that either set of changes would have significant growth effects on the economy.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001223&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( William G. Gale, Benjamin H. Harris)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001223_taxes.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="176897"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Automatic 401(k): Revenue &amp; Distributional Estimates]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[One promising aspect of retirement saving policy in recent years is the "automatic" or opt-out features in 401(k) plans. Automatic 401(k)s enable saving even if the worker makes no effort to participate in their 401(k) plan. Prior research has shown that automatic enrollment increased participation in 401(k) from 75 percent to as high as 90 percent of newly eligible employees; with the highest change among lower-income and minority workers. This paper provides estimates of the effects - on federal revenue and the distribution of after-tax income - of a policy under which all 401(k) plans are converted to automatic 401(k)s.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001221&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Christopher Geissler, Benjamin H. Harris)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001221_automatic_401.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="229445"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Presidential Candidates' New Tax Proposals - October 27, 2008]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In response to the deterioration of the economy and the decline in asset values, Senators McCain and Obama have offered new proposals related to unemployment compensation, retirement savings, taxation of capital gains, and job creation. Although the proposals would provide some benefit, they have significant shortcomings.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411781&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411781_candidates_october.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="50149"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Back from the Grave : Revenue and Distributional Effects of Reforming the Federal Estate Tax]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In this paper we review the current wealth transfer tax rules and the changes introduced in 2001. We offer an overview of the methodology underlying the TPC's estate tax model and then use the model to estimate the number of estate tax filers, taxable returns, and the distribution of burden under current law. Finally, we investigate the revenue and distributional effects of several proposals to reform the estate tax, including those put forth by the presidential candidates.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411777&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman, Katherine Lim, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 20 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411777_back_grave.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="655716"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Sales Tax Holidays]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[For the past 11 years, a growing number of states have held sales tax holidays, during which they exempt certain items from state - and often local - sales tax for a few days. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have scheduled 25 tax holidays in 2008, most of which occurred in August. Holidays most frequently exempt clothing and school supplies, but some exempt computers, energy-efficient appliances, or hurricane preparedness items..]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411772&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Carol Rosenberg, Kim Rueben)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411772_sales_tax_holiday.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="517115"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Impact of the Presidential Candidates' Tax Proposals on Effective Marginal Tax Rates]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[A taxpayer's effective marginal tax rate (EMTR) is the percentage of an additional dollar of income that would be paid in federal income tax. An individual's EMTR could affect the decision to work or save more, or avoid income tax. We use the TPC's microsimulation model of the federal tax system to calculate EMTRs under current law and under the presidential candidates' proposals. The Obama plan would lower EMTRs for the majority of households in 2009. Close to 80 percent of the population would see no change in their EMTR under Senator McCain's plan; most others would face lower rates.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411759&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Katherine Lim, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411759_candidates_tax_proposals.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="180377"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Executive Summary - Revised September 15, 2008]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years, according to a newly updated analysis by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Compared to current law, TPC estimates the Obama plan would cut taxes by $2.9 trillion from 2009-2018. McCain would reduce taxes by nearly $4.2 trillion. Obama would give larger tax cuts to low- and moderate-income households and pay some of the cost by raising taxes on high-income taxpayers.  In contrast, McCain would cut taxes across the board and give the biggest cuts to the highest-income households.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411750&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Roberton Williams, Howard Gleckman)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411750_updated_candidates_summary.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="67994"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Refundable Credits Have Cut Taxes for Low-Income Households]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In 1979, federal taxes claimed 8 percent of the income of households in the lowest quintile of the income distribution.1 Over the following three decades, the average
effective tax rate (ETR)  taxes as a percentage of income  fell by nearly half to 4.3 percent in 2005. Most of the decline resulted from a sharp drop in the individual income tax, primarily due to expansion of the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit (CTC). Because the EITC is refundable and the CTC is partially refundable, they can reduce a households tax liability below zero and generate a net payment.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001208&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001208_refundable_credits.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="1505688"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Who Pays Capital Gains Tax?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Fewer than one in seven individual income taxpayers reported taxable capital gains in 2006. Over half of taxpayers with gains had incomes below $75,000, but most capital gains were reported by very high income taxpayers. The 3 percent of returns with AGI over $200,000 reported 31 percent of AGI and 83 percent of capital gains; the 0.3 percent with AGI over $1,000,000 reported 15 percent of AGI and 61 percent of capital gains. Many more Americans accrue capital gains on corporate shares they hold within tax-deferred employer-sponsored retirement plans, but they do not pay capital gains tax on these gains.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001201&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001201_Capital_gains_tax.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="477120"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Deficit: What Caused It, Why It Matters]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[CNNMoney.com op-ed, July 30, 2009. William Gale and Alan Auerbach explain that the government is spending more than it's bringing in, resulting in a deficit. They explain why that gap must be brought under control.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001295&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alan J. Auerbach, William G. Gale)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax and fiscal policy will loom large in the next president's domestic policy agenda. Nearly all of the tax cuts enacted since 2001 expire at the end of 2010 and the individual alternative minimum tax (AMT) threatens to ensnare tens of millions of Americans. While a permanent fix palatable to both political parties has proven elusive, both candidates have proposed major tax changes. This report describes how we performed our modeling and analysis, outlines the major tax proposals, and discusses the implications of their policies for the revenue raised, taxpayer economic activity, and the distribution of the tax burden.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411741&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman, Surachai Khitatrakun, Greg Leiserson, Jeff Rohaly, Eric Toder, Roberton Williams)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411741_updated_candidates.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="310886"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[An Updated Analysis of the 2008 Presidential Candidates' Tax Plans: Executive Summary]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next ten years, according to an updated analysis by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center. Compared to current law, TPC estimates the Obama plan would cut taxes by $2.8 trillion from 2009-2018. McCain would reduce taxes by nearly $4.2 trillion. Under current law, the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts would expire in 2010 and the Alternative Minimum Tax would remain in full force.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411742&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Roberton Williams, Howard Gleckman)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411742_updated_candidates_summary.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="59390"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Weathering Job Loss : Unemployment Insurance]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Low-wage jobs are often characterized by uncertainty and unpredictable gaps in employment. A majority of workers in these jobs do not have access to the temporary income of unemployment insurance to tide them over when they suffer a job loss. This summary outlines recommendations for updating the program by extending benefits to more workers through changes in eligibility rules and establishing more uniform periods of benefit receipt.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411730&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Margaret Simms)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411730_job_loss.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="210573"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Making Work Pay Enough : A Decent Standard of Living for Working Families]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[One-third of America's families with children are low income, meaning their incomes fall below twice the federal poverty level. Although four in five of these families work, many don't bring home enough to cover the everyday costs of living. In this essay, Acs and Turner outline their proposals to enhance low-income families' purchasing power and reduce unusually high housing costs through a package of reforms and policy initiatives that tackle both the income side and expenditure side of family budgets.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411710&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Gregory Acs, Margery Austin Turner)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411710_work_pay.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="261016"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax: Historical Data and Projections : Updated June 2008]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Congress enacted a minimum tax in 1969 to guarantee that high-income individuals paid at least some tax. The AMT now threatens to grow from a footnote in the tax code to a major component affecting tens of millions of taxpayers. Although most lower- and middle-income taxpayers will remain unaffected by it, policymakers need to deal with the explosive growth of the AMT from an obscure tax affecting only 20,000 filers in 1970 to one affecting more than 33 million-a third of all taxpayers-by 2010. This document provides updated estimates of AMT participation, revenue, and distribution.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411703&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Greg Leiserson, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411703_individual_amt.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="89231"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Budgeting for Capital Investment : Testimony Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The unified budget of the U. S. government is, in most respects, a cash budget. It is somewhat biased against public investment, because the benefits of such investments accrue over a period of time whereas the cash outlay is immediate. This testimony looks at options for directing more funds to highways, mass transit, and other public investments. It examines higher fuel taxes, tolls and congestion fees; capital budgeting; infrastructure banks; a capital revolving fund; public-private partnerships; and approaches to improving the efficiency of current grants and subsidies. It concludes that tolls and congestion fees are very promising as are public-private partnerships. A capital revolving fund would be useful for agencies that only invest occasionally. A capital budget and infrastructure banks are less desirable.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901178&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Rudolph G. Penner)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/901178_Penner_capital_investment.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="36058"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Distribution of Federal Taxes, 2008-11]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Overall, the federal tax system is highly progressive. On average, households with higher incomes pay taxes that are a larger share of their income. The tax cuts passed since 2001 have reduced progressivity with the notable exception of the 2008 stimulus package. Almost all provisions of the tax cuts are set to expire by the end of 2010. Barring legislative action, effective tax rates will rise across the income spectrum in 2011 with the largest increases in the upper income classes. This paper summarizes the Tax Policy Center's latest estimates of the distribution of federal taxes for 2008 through 2011.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001189&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001189_federal_taxes.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="98905"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Book Probes Tax issues Facing the Next President and Congress, Offers Policy Lessons]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Eugene Steuerle's Contemporary U.S. Tax Policy, second edition, details how federal tax policy since the 1950s has evolved and trains an expert's eye on its considerable successes, shortfalls, and problems. He prefaces his account with an explanation of important tax policy principles and an overview of the main actors and their changing roles. Steuerle closes his engaging narrative with a perceptive analysis of President George Bush's unsuccessful second-term efforts to use commissions to reform Social Security and to rewrite the tax code.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901169&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( The Urban Institute)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[McCain's Gas-Tax Plan is On Empty]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain wants to suspend the federal gas tax for the summer travel season. Truckers say they like the idea. In this Marketplace commentary, Len Burman, Director of the Tax Policy Center explains why Senator McCains proposal wont get us where he wants to go.

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/17/burman_commentary/]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411652&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411652_mccain_gas-tax.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="42422"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[How the Income Tax Treatment of Saving and Social Security Benefits May Affect Boomers' Retirement Incomes]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Income tax provisions affect the buildup of retirement assets during workers' careers and after-tax income following retirement. This paper uses the Urban Institute's DYNASIM model to simulate how potential changes in the tax treatment of retirement saving, Social Security benefits, and income from assets outside retirement accounts may affect boomers' retirement incomes. Changes in the income thresholds for taxing Social Security benefits have the largest impact on middle-income boomers, while changes in contribution limits for retirement saving plans and tax rates on capital gains and dividends have the largest impact on the highest-income boomers.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411629&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Barbara Butrica, Karen E. Smith, Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411629_retirement_income.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="391425"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Does the Federal Income Tax Favor Small Business?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Small business is the source of our entrepreneurial genius, creativity, and productivity. Nonetheless, a substantial portion of our economic activity occurs within large corporations, non-profits and public enterprises. This paper discusses how the federal income tax treats firms of different sizes. It reviews specific provisions favoring small businesses and more general aspects of the federal income tax that may differentially affect firms of different sizes and also discusses how opportunities for tax avoidance and costs of complying with the tax law affect businesses of different size.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411606&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411606_income_tax_favor.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="91903"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Dire Future for Local Governments If Revenue-Raising Powers Are Not Fixed]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The existence of local governments will be in jeopardy without a significant change in the way they are financed, David Brunori warns in the new edition of his Urban Institute Press book "Local Tax Policy: A Federalist Perspective."]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901135&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( The Urban Institute)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Distributional Effects of the Major Individual Income Tax Provisions of H.R. 3970]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[On October 25, 2007, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) unveiled H.R. 3970, The Tax Reduction and Reform Act of 2007, sweeping tax reform legislation that would provide for a revenue-neutral repeal of the individual alternative minimum tax (AMT). This paper describes the proposal and provides distribution tables that analyze the impact of the major individual income tax provisions in the bill.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411564&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Greg Leiserson, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 26 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411564_tax_provisions_hr.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="152872"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[What is the Tax Gap?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In this paper Toder addresses issues related to measurement of the tax gapthe difference between tax liability under the current Federal tax law and taxes paid. He discusses how the tax gap is defined, reviews the main components of the tax gap, and describes how the IRS estimates it, as well as some of the major methodological issues in and weaknesses of current estimates. Toder concludes with some brief observations on the use and potential misuse of tax gap estimates and how compliance data might lead to better tax law administration.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001112&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001112_tax_gap.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="511649"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Code and Health Insurance Coverage : Before the House Committee on the Budget]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In this testimony Burman argues that there are limitations to using tax credits to expand health insurance coverage. A program of health insurance tax credits combined with reforms of the market for nongroup health insurance could significantly expand coverage, but at a very high cost. The testimony summarizes the current tax treatment of health insurance, the effects of tax subsidies on coverage and health care costs, and discusses ways that tax credits might affect health coverage. Burman offers recommendations and adds that the most cost-effective approach to expanding health insurance coverage may not be a tax subsidy at all, but an expansion of an existing public program, such as Medicaid, S-CHIP, or Medicare.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901121&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/901121_tax_code.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="133470"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Reform, Tax Arbitrage, and the Taxation of "Carried Interest" : Testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[C. Eugene Steuerle gave testimony on the taxation of carried interest before the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. He notes among his findings that as a matter of both efficiency and equity, capital gains relief is best targeted where tax rates are high, as in the case of the double taxation of corporate income. The case for providing capital gains relief for carried interest is relatively weak, resting primarily upon whether the administrative benefits of the simple partnership structure needs to be maintained in this arena; it does not rest upon arguments for favoring capital income, entrepreneurs, or risk.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901112&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/901112_steuerle_carried_interest.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="41425"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Reforming the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The child and dependent care tax credit (CDCTC) is a nonrefundable tax credit designed to help offset the expenses of providing care for children under the age of 13 or disabled dependents as long as a parent or caretaker is working or searching for work. In theory, a low-income family can qualify for a maximum $2,100 credit. The credit is not refundable, however, and families with low incomes generally owe little or no income tax. Thus, the theoretical maximum rarely applies in practice. This paper examines the revenue and distributional implications of making the CDCTC fully refundable.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411474&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411474_child_tax.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="982171"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Eliminating Tax Expenditures with Adverse Environmental Effects]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax expenditures are provisions in the U.S. federal tax code that provide special tax benefits for selected economic activities or taxpayers. A number of tax expenditures add to greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging production and consumption of fossil fuels. This policy brief examines four tax expenditures that increase consumption of fossil fuels. Eliminating or scaling back these and other tax expenditures that promote production and consumption of fossil fuels would reduce the budget deficit, promote economic efficiency, and be a first step toward making the tax law more environmentally friendly. However, the effects of the proposed tax reforms on greenhouse gas emissions would be smallso addressing tax expenditures can be only one part of a broader strategy to reduce climate change.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001080&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 31 May 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001080_tax_expenditures.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="743755"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Energy Taxation: Principles and Interests]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Energy policy is an important subject these days, as Americans become increasingly aware of the costs of what President Bush has called "our addiction to oil" and the environmental costs of growing world consumption of fossil fuels. Although some foreign oil comes from friendly and politically stable countries, the world price of oil depends heavily on output in potentially hostile, war-torn, and politically unstable regions. Policy changes can help us adjust over time to an economy that uses less oil and generates less greenhouse gas emissions. This article discusses some tax policies, including energy taxes and energy tax incentives, that can be crucial components of an energy policy that addresses global warming and energy security concerns.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001077&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001077_energy_taxation.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="447164"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Still Crazy After All These Years: Understanding the Budget Outlook]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The United States has gone undergone major fiscal changes in recent years. Despite the tax cuts enacted early in the decade and the increased spending enacted since then, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO, 2007b) currently projects a baseline surplus of $586 billion in the unified budget over the next 10 years. Under the baseline, the deficit will decline over the next few years, and turn to a surplus by 2012 that will continue to grow through 2017. This paper evaluates recent fiscal outcomes and assesses future fiscal prospects. First, we review recent changes in the budget outlook. There has been a sizable net deterioration in the budget outlook since 2001. For example, in January 2001, the CBO baseline projected a unified budget surplus of $573 billion in 2007. CBO's baseline now projects a deficit of $177 billion for 2007a deterioration of $750 billion or about 5.5 percent of GDP. This deterioration is due almost entirely to changes in policy. For example, more than 90 percent of the deterioration in the 2007 outlook since 2001 is attributable, according to CBO estimates, to policy changestax cuts and increases in spending. The changes in the deficit since 2001 reflect differing trends in policy choices and in economic factors. Beginning in 2001 the deficit rose due to a series of policy changes, including tax cuts, a new Medicare entitlement, and increased spending on defense and homeland security. These policy changes have increased the deficit with each passing year. At the same time, the economy and technical factors that caused revenues to decline in the early 2000s have recovered strongly in recent years. In short, the economic and technical factors that elevated the deficit from 200205 have almost entirely reversed themselves, while the effects of policy changes continue to accumulate. As a result, almost all of the net change in fiscal projections since 2001 is due to deficit-increasing changes in policy.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001074&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( William G. Gale, Jason Furman, Alan J. Auerbach)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001074_Still_Crazy.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="174467"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Share of Taxpayers Who Itemize Deductions Is Growing]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Individual taxpayers may claim some expenses (for example, mortgage interest, state and local taxes, and so on) as itemized deductions or claim a standard deduction. The standard deduction eliminates tax liability for many low-income filers and simplifies tax return preparation. Between 1995 and 2004, the share of itemizers increased from 29 percent to 35 percent. In addition, itemizers accounted for more than two-thirds of all adjusted gross income reported on tax returns and 80 percent of tax liability.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001054&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder, Carol Rosenberg)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 15 Feb 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001054_Share_of_Taxpayers.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="512919"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[From Personal Income to Taxable Income, 1950-2004]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[While much of the tax debate usually swirls around statutory tax rates, those rates must be applied to a base. The tax base can be approximated by the amount of taxable income that is reported on taxable returns. This article examines changes in the fraction of Americans' personal income subject to tax from 1950 to 2004 and the factors that explain these changes over time.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001049&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Adam Carasso, C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/10001049_Personal_Income.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="558758"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Doing Nothing's a Good Thing]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In this Marketplace commentary, Len Burman, director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, says that extending temporary tax measures enables Congress
to avoid serious tax reform and hide deep problems.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=901023&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 08 Dec 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Expenditures and Tax Reform : Issues and Analysis]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax reform proposals include both restructuring of the tax system (such as replacing the income tax with a consumption tax or reforming taxation of foreign-source income) and cuts in targeted tax benefits that substitute for spending (such as tax benefits for home mortgage interest and employer paid health insurance). Criteria for analyzing tax reform and expenditure reduction differ.  Tax expenditure lists provide useful measures of the costs of "backdoor" spending and departures from an ideal tax base, but have not succeeded in facilitating better choices between using the tax system or direct outlays to promote social and economic policy goals.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411371&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 20 Oct 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411371_tax_expenditures.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="50000"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[IT Problems at IRS and Medicare : More to Come?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Already in 2006 alone, the IRS has potentially lost billions of dollars in revenue by failing to come up with a computer program that would replace one that identified returns likely to be fraudulently filed, while Medicare and Social Security have mistakenly sent refunds to 230,000 people who signed up for a prescription drug plan under the new Part D of Medicare. It is likely that these stories are symptoms of a much more serious government problem in hiring and retaining top-notch people who keep up with new technology, its uses, and its limitations.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001026&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001026_EP_10-09-06.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="50000"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[State Rainy Day Funds]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[States use rainy day funds (RDFs), or budget stabilization funds, as a cushion against financial shocks. Every state except Vermont has some sort of balanced budget requirement so that, unlike the federal government, they must balance expenditures and revenues in any given budget cycle (typically one year). States can have RDFs that allow money to be carried over from good years to lean years. Five states--Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, and Montana--do not have RDFs.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001024&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Elaine Maag, Alison McCarthy)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 02 Oct 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001024_Tax_Facts_10-02-06.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="50000"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Dynamic Analysis and Scoring : Testimony before the House Committee on the Budget]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The testimony discusses the usefulness of dynamic analysis and dynamic scoring for the policymaking process. Burman concludes that dynamic scoring is not feasible because of lack of knowledge about how deficits will be offset, uncertainty about key parameters in economic models, and inherent limitations in those models themselves.  Dynamic analysis is useful, but it should be applied to spending as well as taxes.  The economic analysis of tax and spending provisions should be done on a provision-by-provision basis, not just overall packages.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900999&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 13 Sep 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/900999_dynamicanalysis.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="61263"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Limits on State Revenue]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Several mechanisms, including traditional tax limits and legislative supermajority requirements, can limit the authority of states to increase or pass new taxes. As of February 2006, six states have a traditional tax limit in place and sixteen states require supermajorities. Eleven states are considering the adoption of new limitations or the expansion of existing restrictions.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1001018&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Alison McCarthy, Elaine Maag)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 31 Jul 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1001018_Tax_Fact_07-31-06.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="508035"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax and Spend]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In this commentary, Len Burman offers a radical proposal: use the tax system to bring in tax revenues and spending programs to provide the social safety net.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900964&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The U.S. Tax Burden Is Low Relative to Other OECD Countries]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The United States raises less tax revenue as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) than most other countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In 2003, taxes in the United States, including all levels of government, amounted to 25.6 percent of GDP, compared with 33.9 percent for other countries in the Group of 7 (G7) and 34.7 percent for non-G7 OECD countries. The United States raises more personal income tax and property tax as a share of GDP than other OECD countries, but less corporate income tax, Social Security contributions, and taxes on goods and services.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000976&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Sonya Hoo, Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 08 May 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000976_Tax_Fact_05-08-06.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="513203"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Reform and Equal Justice]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Anyone familiar with tax and expenditure legislation knows full well that interest groups constantly win special favors from federal and state legislators.  For a long time I have struggled with how to make better use of the principle of equal justice to restrain or eliminate bad policy.  Here are a few thoughts to get the conversation started.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000945&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 17 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000945_EP_041706.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="455022"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Do Incentives Affect Behavior? Would an Economist Know?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In recent decades, economists have acquired great weight in debates over incentives.  When it comes to examining the effect of policy incentives on behavior, the theory is relatively straightforward.  However, many factors, especially non-financial, have been ignored for sometimes very legitimate reasons.  Still, I have long believed that the failure to take into account other psychological and sociological motives for behavior, as well as the effect of complexity on the behavior that results, is a fundamental source of error in much of the economics literature.  At the same time, I have come to believe in the great power of some incentives even if they cant be measured well.  As for how much incentives change behavior, that is less clear to me.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000944&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 03 Apr 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000944_EP_040306.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="222044"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Marginal Tax Rates, 1955-2005]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA) and later the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (JGTRRA) decreased marginal tax rates for four person families with earnings at half the median income and twice the median income. Neither piece of legislation changed the marginal tax rate for a family of four with earnings at the median level who faced the lowest marginal tax rate already. If EGTRRA and JGTRRA are allowed to expire, the marginal tax rate of the half-median family will once again be the highest.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000875&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Elaine Maag)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 13 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000875_Tax_Fact_02-13-06.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="508415"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Transforming the Tax Code: An Examination of the President's Tax Reform Panel Recommendations : Statement of Leonard E. Burman before the Subcommittees on Tax, Finance, and Exports, and Rural Enterprises, Agriculture, and Technology, House Committee on Small Business]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[This Congressional testimony by Leonard Burman examines how the plans put forth by the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform would affect small businesses, focusing particularly on the effect of: adopting a national retail sales tax on small business and the viability of federal and state tax systems; the effect on small business health insurance and retirement coverage; the effect of disallowing state and local tax deductions for businesses; and the effect of certain simplification proposals.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900915&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/900915_burman_020106.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="84155"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[When Is It Best to Tax the Wealthy? (Part 2 of 2)]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The fight over taxing those with capital -- in particular, those with significant amounts of wealth -- has raged almost as long as civilization has existed.  While the debate is not going away, it can proceed more rationally and intelligently.  This column and the preceding  one examine five distinctions already made by the tax code that must be explored in some depth whenever tax reform is being considered: (1) new capital versus old capital; (2) newer versus older business establishments; (3) small businesses versus large businesses; (4) winners in the capital market versus losers; and (5) entrepreneurs versus inheritors.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000858&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000858_EP_121905.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="452194"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Law Changes Allow Employees to Contribute More to Tax-Deferred Accounts]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Since 2001, the dollar limit on employee contributions to employer-sponsored tax-deferred retirement accounts has increased from 32 percent of average earnings ($10,500) in 2001 to 39 percent of earnings in 2006 ($15,000).  Employees over age 50 may make additional "catch-up" contributions, which will raise the total dollar limit for them to 52 percent of average earnings in 2006.   But very few employees contribute the maximum allowable amount.  Of those participating in plans, only 6 percent contributed the maximum amount in 2003.  Additional increases in the contribution limit are likely to reduce the share of those who contribute the maximum.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000856&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Karen E. Smith, Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 19 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000856_Tax_Fact_12-19-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="509732"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[When Is It Best to Tax the Wealthy? (Part 1 of 2)]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The fight over taxing those with capital -- in particular, those with significant amounts of wealth -- has raged almost as long as civilization has existed.  While the debate is not going away, it can proceed more rationally and intelligently.  This column and the succeeding one examine five distinctions already made by the tax code that must be explored in some depth whenever tax reform is being considered: (1) new capital versus old capital; (2) newer versus older business establishments; (3) small businesses versus large businesses; (4) winners in the capital market versus losers; and (5) entrepreneurs versus inheritors.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000857&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 12 Dec 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000857_EP_121205.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="464295"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Distributional Consequences of Federal Assistance for Higher Education : The Intersection of Tax and Spending Programs]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[For nearly a decade, federal higher education subsidies have increasingly been delivered through the tax code rather than through direct spending programs such as grants, loan subsidies, and work study. This paper reviews the results of using new modules in the TRIM and Tax Policy Center microsimulation models to estimate the distributional impacts and expenditure and revenue effects of major federal higher education tax and spending policies. In addition, the paper reports estimates of the effects of some prototypical policy changes in the Pell Grant program as well as in the Hope and Lifetime Learning tax credits.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=311210&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman, Elaine Maag, Peter Orszag, Jeff Rohaly, John O&apos;Hare)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 19 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/311210_TPC_DiscussionPaper_26.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="505853"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Expanded Information Reporting For Charitable Giving]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The IRS does not administer well items for which it does not have information reporting. Extending information reporting to most charitable contributions would simplify life for most individual givers, improve compliance, and likely be better for the charitable sector as well. An improved information reporting for charitable contributions goes hand-in-hand with the continually improving systems of accounting that accompany the advances of information technology.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000813&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000813_EP_081505.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="454789"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Gasoline Taxes and Rising Fuel Prices]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Although retail gasoline prices have reached an all-time high, gasoline taxes are not to blame.  Gasoline taxes (both federal and state) average 43 cents per gallon and have fallen in real terms.  Gasoline prices and taxes do vary across regions but there is little correlation between tax rates and prices.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000798&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Kim Rueben, Sonya Hoo)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000798_Tax_Fact_7-18-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="543862"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Estate Tax ReformA Third Option]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Several pressures are combining to force lawmakers to seek a more permanent resolution to the estate tax issue.  This article suggests a possible compromise that would enhance the ability of wealthy individuals to avoid paying tax to government and still pass on significant assets to their heirs-but only if they make substantial contributions to charity.  The compromise includes giving a substantial credit against estate tax for charitable gifts.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000797&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 18 Jul 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000797_EP_071805.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="458185"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Extension of Saving and Investment Incentives : Statement before the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Congress is considering extending certain tax benefits for saving and investment that are slated to expire over the next several years, including the special rates on capital gains and dividends, the saver's credit, and the deduction for college tuition.  This testimony addresses these provisions' effects on income distribution and saving and highlights the differences between the current special rates for dividends and capital gains and "corporate integration" proposals to end double taxation of corporate equity income and tax all capital income once.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900821&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Eric Toder)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/900821_Toder_063005.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="70575"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Making Tax Incentives for Homeownership More Equitable and Efficient]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[While many recent evaluations of the effects of housing subsidies in the tax code focus on the choice between renting and owning, this paper examines the distribution and effectiveness of various changes to these subsidies. Specifically, we examine several revenue-neutral reforms that would level out the current U-shaped curve of housing benefits and deliver ownership subsidies more equitably and efficiently to lower-to-middle-income households. Implementing reform requires careful design, administrative, and behavioral considerations. Appropriately done, converting home-related tax deductions into refundable, capped credits could encourage homeownership at lower incomes and curtail government subsidies for ever greater amounts of home borrowing.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411180&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Adam Carasso, C. Eugene Steuerle, Elizabeth Bell)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 08 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411180_TPC_DiscussionPaper_21.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="461637"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[National Tax Levels And the Rich vs. the Poor]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Recognizing there are several intergovernmental and institutional caveats to be made before drawing policy conclusions regarding national Tax/GDP ratios one of the lessons from the global tax literature is that the national (central) government Tax/GDP ratio can serve as an "performance" indicator associated with being a "rich" country.  Arguably, higher (and steadier) Tax/GDP ratios help the rich countries carry out the central government responsibilities for macroeconomic stability, and economic growth and development.  These higher ratios may reflect an enhanced capacity to make and administer tax policy and/or an increased taste for public goods and income transfers.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000793&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Robert D. Ebel, Tuan Minh Le, Zicheng Li Swift)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 06 Jun 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000793_Tax_Fact_6-6-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="504440"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[If You Think Taxes Are a Pain Now...]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[[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 of all taxes, a tripling of income taxes, and drastic slashes in credits and deductions.  Fortunately, the sky is not falling--yet--but much work remains to be done.  Namely, to avoid this doomsday, we need to reduce runaway spending, tame deficits, and rethink our priorities regarding further tax cuts until the bigger issues are addressed.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900801&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 15 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Role of Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans and National Saving : Testimony before the Special Committee on Aging, United States Senate]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The evidence that retirement and pension incentives have done much recently for national saving is weak. Total personal saving in the United States is now below the annual revenues spent in supporting retirement and pension plans. One major reason is that all government subsidies are for deposits, not saving. A second is the extraordinary complexity of the laws. Yet another negative influence on saving is that most people now retire in late middle age. Finally, the incentives provided to low- and moderate-income households often are also fairly small and sometimes nonexistent. This testimony discusses various ways to try to deal with these issues.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900814&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 12 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/900814_Steuerle_041205.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="637552"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Can Tax Time Be Less Burdensome?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Tax Policy Center held a forum on April 11, 2005, on the burden of complying with the tax law. David Wessel, senior economics correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, served as moderator for the panel. Eric Toder of the Urban Institute presented recent IRS estimates of the compliance costs of the individual income tax. Nina Olson, the IRS national taxpayer advocate, discussed her experiences helping taxpayers cope with the tax system. Lorrie Brown of the State of Washington Department of Revenue presented evidence on compliance costs with the Washington retail sales tax. A lively discussion followed the presentations.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900807&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( The Tax Policy Center)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 11 Apr 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[State and Local Revenues]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[While state and local revenues have been relatively stable over the last 30 years, the composition of revenues has changed dramatically.  State and local governments are less reliant on general taxes and have become more reliant on charges and miscellaneous revenues.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000774&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Kim Rueben, Kelly Rader)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 28 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000754_Tax_Facts_3-28-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="291968"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Fiscal Federalism and National Unity]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[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 treatment may help or hinder the maintenance of an effective nation-state, where "effectiveness" encompasses both how effectively, efficiently, and (perhaps) equitably public services are provided throughout the national territory and also the effects asymmetry may have on the very existence of "fragmented" nation-states.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000803&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Richard M. Bird, Robert D. Ebel)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 25 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000803.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="77882"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Tax Reform and Fairness for Families : Presentation to the President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform New Orleans, LA]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax reform affects many areas of policy--children, charitable contributions, federal policy toward states and localities, health care, retirement policy, and business--to mention only a few. Tax reform cannot dodge these important issues, but must come to grips with how each of these areas of policy should be treated under a reformed system. In this powerpoint testimony, Gene Steuerle outlines many of the ways that current policies violate norms of simplicity, fairness, and efficiency and suggests possible means of improvement.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900795&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 23 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/900795_Steuerle_032305.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="476537"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Don't Ignore Tax Expenditures]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[[Marketplace] The President was in North Carolina and Pennsylvania today. He's been stumping like a candidate to win support for his changes to Social Security and cuts in the budget. In Detroit, Mr. Bush said it's time to eliminate the programs that don't deliver on their promises. Commentator and tax expert Len Burman likes this 'good government test'. So he wonders why hundreds of programs are getting a pass.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900786&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 02 Mar 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Trend in Federal Housing Tax Expenditures]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Tax programs that provide deductions to homeowners or credits to both builders and owners, greatly exceed direct federal outlays on housing.  The beneficiaries of these tax programs tend to be middle-to-upper income families who own their homes while the recipients of outlays tend to be lower income families who rent.  In effect, the federal government pays those with more income to own their homes while paying those with  less income to rent.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000750&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Adam Carasso, C. Eugene Steuerle, Elizabeth Bell)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 28 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000750_Tax_Fact_2-28-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="505070"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Alternative Alternative Minimum Tax Reform]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Like a gathering storm, the full force of the AMT is scheduled to intensify with time. Almost every elected official pledges to do something about the AMT, but just not now since any reform would have substantial costs in foregone revenues.  In this note we discuss a politically palatable option: addressing each item in the AMT individually and adjusting the regular tax accordingly.  Simply put, Congress would decide on the treatment of an item of income or preference once and only once for the regular tax only.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000748&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 14 Feb 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000748_EP_021405.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="440632"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Individual Income Tax Refunds]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Income tax refunds have recently grown markedly.  This Tax Fact documents the growth and current magnitude of income tax refunds.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000743&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Peter Orszag)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000743_Tax_Fact_1-31-05.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="496129"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[An Ownership Society or a Society For Those Who Already Own?]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[Beginning with his convention acceptance speech, President Bush has been calling for an "ownership society"- "a path to greater opportunity, more freedom, and more control over your own life." Republicans and Democrats alike should welcome this call since in one form or another most have already embraced proposals emphasizing ownership, asset development, and greater opportunity.  In particular, we should start looking at the way that hundreds of billions of dollars of ownership subsidies--in particular, for housing and pensions--are already being spent.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000749&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 31 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000749_EP_013105.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="449960"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Setting the Stage for Tax Reform--A Tax Policy Center Forum]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[This Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center forum discussed issues that the new tax reform commission will have to grapple with in setting forth proposals to advance tax reform. Pamela Olson of Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP and former Assistant Treasury Secretary for tax policy explained the goals of the tax system and presented some of the basic principles guiding tax reform, Gene Steuerle of the Urban Institute and the Tax Policy Center explained the need for reforming the tax policy process and William Gale of Brookings Institution and the Tax Policy Center discussed the question of whether to make tax cuts permanent or not.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=900784&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( The Tax Policy Center)</author>
        <pubDate>Tue, 18 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center Microsimulation Model : Documentation and Methodology for Version 0304]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The Urban-Brookings microsimulation tax model is a powerful tool for federal tax policy analysis.  The model calculates tax liability for a representative sample of households, both under the rules that currently exist (current law) and under alternative scenarios.  Based on these calculations, the model produces estimates of the revenue consequences of different tax policy choices, as well as their effects on the distribution of tax liabilities and marginal effective tax rates (which affect incentives to work, save, and shelter income from tax).  The model is also a useful input to research on the effects of taxation on economic behavior.  This paper describes the tax model's data sources and details its underlying statistical techniques.  We also explain the capabilities of the tax model's individual income tax calculator and describe how the model estimates and distributes corporate, payroll, and estate taxes.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411136&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Jeff Rohaly, Adam Carasso, Mohammed Adeel Saleem)</author>
        <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411136_documentation.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="470825"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[Sisyphus Had it Easy : Reflections on Tax and Budget Reform]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In the heady days after his re-election, President Bush promised to replace the current tax system with something better. Politicians often delude themselves that reform can be summoned by proclamation. But, a wholesale transformation of the income tax system isn't about to happen quickly or painlessly. In fact, only painstaking bottom-up planning could do the trick. [ The Milken Institute Review]]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=1000771&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( C. Eugene Steuerle)</author>
        <pubDate>Wed, 05 Jan 2005 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/1000771.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="1526862"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[On the Measurement and Impact of Fiscal Decentralization]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[The typical post-Bretton Woods era development approach that put much emphasis on central government-led development efforts has changed dramatically, and local governments have now clearly emerged as players in development policy. Now, the thinking about what is important to achieve development objectives is changing and many countries around the world are now pursuing fiscal decentralization reforms. Within this context a number of studies attempted to quantify the impact of decentralization by relating some measure of decentralization to the economic outcomes of fiscal stability, economic growth, and public sector size. However, decentralization is surprisingly difficult to measure.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411137&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Robert D. Ebel, Serdar Yilmaz)</author>
        <pubDate>Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411137_fiscal_decentralization.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="202740"/>
		
    </item>


    <item>
	<title><![CDATA[The Distribution of the Estate Tax and Reform Options]]></title>
	<description><![CDATA[In 2001, when Congress decided to phase down the estate tax through 2009, repeal it in 2010, and restore it in 2011, it was clear that the ultimate fate of this tax was yet to be determined. One key factor that policymakers should consider in any permanent repeal or reform effort is the distribution of tax burdens that would result. This paper uses a microsimulation model containing household-level information on demographic characteristics and the level and composition of wealth and income to simulate the revenue effects and distributional burdens of alternative options for estate tax reform.]]></description>
	<link>http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/url.cfm?id=411135&amp;RSSFeed=General_Tax_Policy.xml</link>
		<author>info@taxpolicycenter.org ( Leonard E. Burman, William G. Gale, Jeff Rohaly)</author>
        <pubDate>Thu, 09 Dec 2004 00:00:00 EST</pubDate>
		
		<enclosure url="http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411135_EstateTax.pdf" type="application/pdf" length="518682"/>
		
    </item>
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