The tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, known as the Bush tax cuts, are set to expire Dec. 31, and the fight over what to do is increasingly heated. Should the tax cuts expire, as some Democrats have said? Should they be extended, as most Republicans maintain? Or does the answer lie somewhere in...

The U.S. government is spending more than it is bringing in. The result is the budget deficit. Over the next 10 years, the deficit is projected to exceed $10 trillion if current budget policies are continued. By 2019, even under optimistic assumptions, the deficit will be 5.5 percent of GDP, an...

The Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act is a national, voluntary long-term care insurance program included in the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Some congressional critics would repeal the law. But while the measure is poorly designed, it should be reformed. Changes could...

In a contribution to the Christian Science Monitor, Donald Marron discusses strategies to reform Americas broken tax code. Marron proposes ridding the system of corporate and individual tax preferences to create a fairer, simpler, and revenue-generating system with fewer tax breaks and lower...

Tax reform should focus on three goals:1) reducing needless complexity, 2) reducing backdoor spending through the tax code, and 3) reforming rules for taxing saving and investment to make our tax law more suitable for a globalized economy. This note summarizes steps that should be taken and how...

In a contribution to the Christian Science Monitor, Donald Marron discusses the hundreds of billions of dollars in spending plans that masquerade as tax breaks, and why these provisions need greater scrutiny.

In the New York Times' Room for Debate, Bill Gale discusses the ambiguous details of Herman Cain's 9-9-9 tax proposal.

In a contribution to the Christian Science Monitor, Donald Marron agrees that there are good reasons for a simpler tax system, as found in the flat-tax plans of GOP hopefuls Perry, Gingrich, and Cain. But they need to be made more progressive to amount to real tax reform that can pass muster...

In a contribution to the International Economy magazine, Donald Marron offers his perspective on tax reform.

In a contribution to The New York Times' Room for Debate, Bill Gale responds to the question: can policy makers make a dent in the deficit without affecting the majority of taxpayers?