February 9, 2011
A major goal of last December’s Tax Relief Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 (aka extending the Bush-era tax cuts) was to...
February 8, 2011
In his speech yesterday to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama doubtless pleased many in his audience by repeating the business community’s favorite mantra...
February 7, 2011
At last Wednesday’s hearing on tax reform, three witnesses--Rosanne Altshuler, Larry Lindsey, and I--invoked a famous rule of thumb about taxes. We each told the...
February 4, 2011
Many retirees were surprised when their January pension checks were smaller than their December payments. Pension plans had increased withholding for federal income tax, shrinking...
February 3, 2011
Both President Obama and congressional Republicans want to cap some domestic spending programs as a way to reduce the budget deficit. Leaving aside for the...
February 2, 2011
This morning I appeared at a Senate Budget Committee hearing, "Tax Reform: A Necessary Component for Restoring Fiscal Sustainability." My full testimony, "Cutting Tax Preferences...
February 1, 2011
Washington has gotten deficit religion, or at least that’s what you’d infer from recent rhetoric. From the president to congressional leaders to the newest representative...
January 31, 2011
One of the biggest applause lines in the President’s State of the Union speech came from his promise to reform and simplify the corporate income...
January 27, 2011
Three related issues dominate budget talk in Washington these days: eliminating the deficit, cutting spending, and reforming the tax system. Achieving the first will require...
January 26, 2011
On a purely rhetorical level, President Obama gave a terrific State of the Union address last night. He delivered the usual laundry list of promises...