In a contribution to CNNMoney, Donald Marron argues that minting a $1 trillion platinum coin if Congress refuses to raise the debt ceiling sounds crazy. But it might actually work if done in smaller denominations.

April is here, which means it's almost time to pony up and render unto Caesar. We've gathered our receipts and other documents, and dragged ourselves to the strip-mall tax preparer or fired up do-it-yourself software to determine how big our refund is -- or how much we owe Uncle Sam. No one...

This year's tax season controversy surrounds the Tax Policy Center's estimate that 47% of households do not owe income tax. The estimate has raised concerns about equity (nearly half of families free-riding on the rest of us) and civic responsibility (can democracy work when half of voters get...

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.