Within the Executive Branch, only the Treasury Department is equipped to deal well with the political crisis surrounding the imposition of the alternative minimum tax on tens of millions of taxpayers.

The current economic downturn is putting heavy pressure on state budgets. The National Conference of State Legislatures estimated that as states were drawing up their fiscal year 2003 budgets, more than a quarter faced deficits exceeding 10 percent of their general fund budgets. In response,...

To sort out the pros and cons of using the tax system to enact social policy goals, in particular to help low-income families, the Urban Institute convened a tax policy forum in Washington, D.C., on June 21, 2001. The discussion revealed that using the tax system as a social policy tool is a...

GAO released an analysis on January 11 of Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) eligibility and participation rates. The study estimates that one fourth of all eligible households do not claim the EITC. However, GAO's study was based on information from two mismatched databases and its conclusions...

The Alternative Minimum Tax albatross just keeps getting bigger and bigger and neither political party yet wants to take responsibility. Fixes are possible, but they require compromise over articles of faith for both parties.

A bipartisan consensus favors public policy initiatives to expand health insurance coverage. This paper summarizes new CPS data on health insurance coverage for the nonelderly and discusses the issues involved in subsidizing health insurance. We outline a tax credit option designed to diminish...

Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle describes how a child credit revision has a chance to achieve bipartisan support.

Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle mentions two items that seem to be just below the radar screen of most of those following the tax cut debate: the adjustment of taxation of social security benefits and increases in child credits.

Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle describes standards of public service excellence set by a Treasury employee, Peggy McConkey.

Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle explains why it makes sense to extend the charitable deduction to the time of filing a tax return, in much the same way as applies to deposits to individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and to certain pensions of self-employed persons (Keogh plans).