A Practical Challenge to Stand-Alone Corporate Tax Reform

Leaders in both parties appear to favor revenue-neutral corporate tax reform that would lower today's 35 percent tax rate while slashing corporate tax breaks. Individual tax reform appears much more contentious, so some observers wonder whether Congress might pursue corporate tax reform by itself, separate from any individual reforms. Such reform faces a big practical challenge, however. Many corporate tax breaks also apply to noncorporate businesses, which are taxed under the individual income tax. Efforts to broaden the corporate base could therefore have significant effects on individual income taxes, making it difficult to pursue corporate reform separately.