Bad framing of fiscal policy contributes to a poor allocation of money collected and spent. Almost all real growth in government goes automatically to health, retirement and tax subsidies, while spending on children, the work force, and infrastructure are scheduled for decline as a share of...
Donald Trump’s tax plan would cost about $6 trillion over 10 years. Trump claims his plan would cut taxes for every income group, with the largest tax cuts for working- and middle-class families. But despite its enormous price tag, his plan would actually significantly raise taxes for millions...
The US tax system provides a deduction for charitable giving, but only for the 25 percent of taxpayers who itemize deductions on their tax returns. Accordingly, advocates for the charitable sector have at times proposed to extend a deduction to itemizers and nonitemizers alike. Today these...
This brief analyzes seven options for Child Tax Credit reform that would (1) make the CTC more consistent with other parts of the tax code; (2) target additional benefits to young children; or (3) broadly increase the credit for most current recipients.
Controversy rages about how to tax carried interest. One view sees carry as compensation that should be taxed like other labor income. Another sees carry as a reward for financial risk-taking that should be taxed like capital income. A third sees carry as creating a costly tax arbitrage. In this...
This paper provides estimates of the total cost of non-business tax expenditures claimed on individual tax returns, taking account of interactions among provisions, and of their distributional effects among income groups. We estimate that non-business tax expenditures reduced tax liability by $1...
Introducing a federal consumption tax as a replacement for the employer payroll tax would achieve the intended policy goals of prior consumption tax proposals while overcoming their policy shortcomings. The base and design of the consumption and employer payroll taxes are closely related,...
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposes significant tax increases that would raise $15.3 trillion over the next decade. All income groups would pay more tax, but most would come from high-income households, particularly those with very high incomes. Sanders would also implement new...
Institute fellow Eric Toder testified before the US Senate Committee on Finance during a hearing entitled “Navigating Business Tax Reform.” In his testimony, Toder presented his research on the state of the corporate income tax and a review of current legislative proposals. He outlines two...
A longstanding concern of state and local governments is that a federal value-added tax (VAT) could shrink sales tax bases. But a federal VAT could have even bigger effects on other revenues and spending through changes in incomes, relative prices, and asset values. To illustrate the range of...
How Budget Offices Should Reframe Our Long-Term Budget Problems
Bad framing of fiscal policy contributes to a poor allocation of money collected and spent. Almost all real growth in government goes automatically to health, retirement and tax subsidies, while spending on children, the work force, and infrastructure are scheduled for decline as a share of...
Families Facing Tax Increases Under Trump's Tax Plan
Donald Trump’s tax plan would cost about $6 trillion over 10 years. Trump claims his plan would cut taxes for every income group, with the largest tax cuts for working- and middle-class families. But despite its enormous price tag, his plan would actually significantly raise taxes for millions...
The New Debate over a Charitable Deduction for Nonitemizers
The US tax system provides a deduction for charitable giving, but only for the 25 percent of taxpayers who itemize deductions on their tax returns. Accordingly, advocates for the charitable sector have at times proposed to extend a deduction to itemizers and nonitemizers alike. Today these...
Reforming the Child Tax Credit: An Update
This brief analyzes seven options for Child Tax Credit reform that would (1) make the CTC more consistent with other parts of the tax code; (2) target additional benefits to young children; or (3) broadly increase the credit for most current recipients.
Goldilocks Meets Private Equity: Taxing Carried Interest Just Right
Controversy rages about how to tax carried interest. One view sees carry as compensation that should be taxed like other labor income. Another sees carry as a reward for financial risk-taking that should be taxed like capital income. A third sees carry as creating a costly tax arbitrage. In this...
Distributional Effects of Individual Income Tax Expenditures: An Update
This paper provides estimates of the total cost of non-business tax expenditures claimed on individual tax returns, taking account of interactions among provisions, and of their distributional effects among income groups. We estimate that non-business tax expenditures reduced tax liability by $1...
A Federal Consumption Tax as Replacement for the Employer Payroll Tax
Introducing a federal consumption tax as a replacement for the employer payroll tax would achieve the intended policy goals of prior consumption tax proposals while overcoming their policy shortcomings. The base and design of the consumption and employer payroll taxes are closely related,...
An Analysis of Senator Bernie Sanders's Tax and Transfer Proposals
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders proposes significant tax increases that would raise $15.3 trillion over the next decade. All income groups would pay more tax, but most would come from high-income households, particularly those with very high incomes. Sanders would also implement new...
Approaches to Business Tax Reform
Institute fellow Eric Toder testified before the US Senate Committee on Finance during a hearing entitled “Navigating Business Tax Reform.” In his testimony, Toder presented his research on the state of the corporate income tax and a review of current legislative proposals. He outlines two...
Effects of a Federal Value-Added Tax on State and Local Budgets
A longstanding concern of state and local governments is that a federal value-added tax (VAT) could shrink sales tax bases. But a federal VAT could have even bigger effects on other revenues and spending through changes in incomes, relative prices, and asset values. To illustrate the range of...