Are Entrepreneurs Overtaxed?

Entrepreneurs play a critical role in developing new products, inventing new production techniques, creating jobs, and strengthening our economy. As lawmakers focus on tax reform, it is timely to ask whether America’s tax system treats entrepreneurs appropriately and whether reforms could improve economic performance.

Policy discussions often emphasize how taxes affect incentives to work, save, invest, innovate, and launch new ventures. Because successful entrepreneurs sometimes amass substantial wealth, discussions also consider how the tax burden is shared across people of different means. These considerations are important, but incomplete. Policymakers should also consider the special characteristics of income from entrepreneurial activity.

This event will examine the types of entrepreneurial income and explore how we can and should tax them: How should we measure tax burdens on entrepreneurs? How do capital gains taxes affect entrepreneurial activity? How do firms’ legal structures affect their tax burdens? How would tax reforms under consideration affect new entrepreneurial ventures compared with mature firms?

Join us as an expert panel explores these questions are more.

Welcome remarks

Donald Marron, director of economic policy initiatives and Institute fellow, Urban Institute @dmarron

Panelists

William Gentry, professor of economics, Williams College @WilliamsEcon
Susan Morse, professor, University of Texas School of Law @susancmorse
Donald Marron, director of economic policy initiatives and Institute fellow, Urban Institute @dmarron
Eric Toder, codirector, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center @etoder
Jeanne Sahadi, senior writer, CNNMoney (moderator) @jjsahadi