In this year’s State of the Union Address, President Obama announced a new retirement savings account for workers whose employers do not offer any form...
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) has offered the outlines of an ambitious plan that he says would end poverty. One creative piece: Replace the well-known and...
Both political parties are calling for corporate tax reform without agreement on specifics. Proposals to broaden the corporate tax base to pay for lower rates or to eliminate taxes on corporate repatriations while trying to prevent income shifting do not address the main problems of taxing
The federal income tax system provides substantial benefits to families with children. In 2013, the Tax Policy Center estimates that five major child-related tax benefits the earned income tax credit (EITC), the child tax credit, the child and dependent care tax credit, the dependent exemption, and
In his January, 1964 State of the Union address, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared an “unconditional war on poverty” and initiated a vast package of spending programs. The Urban Institute was formed in 1968 to evaluate these and other programs in LBJ’s “Great Society.” In the half-century since
The latest edition of the Tax Policy Center's State and Local Finance Initiative's State Economic Monitor finds the recovery still struggling for momentum. The unemployment rate has improved but remains over 40 percent higher than the pre-recession rate and public sector employment continues to
Does it make sense to fund much-needed roads, bridges, and mass transit with a big tax cut for multi-national corporations? A growing number of Democrats...
The Utah State Tax Commission yesterday reversed Governor Gary Herbert (R), ruling that same-sex couples may file their 2013 state tax returns as married, as...
The battle over same-sex marriage in Utah not only raises important questions about marriage law; it also further complicates income tax filing for gay couples...
In the battle over whether to extend long-term unemployment benefits, one of the Republican talking points is: Sure, we’ll consider an extension, but it must...
In 1975, the federal income tax code joined the "War on Poverty" with the enactment of the earned income tax credit (EITC). Today, tax credits form some of the largest and most effective anti-poverty programs in the US. In 2012, the Census Bureau estimated that tax credits cut poverty (under a
Tax expenditures for homeownership, such as deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes and the partial exclusion for capital gains on the sale of a...
This report presents three tax reforms designed to promote homeownership through a channel other than the deductibility of mortgage interest. These reforms include a first-time homebuyer tax credit, a refundable tax credit for property taxes paid, and an annual flat amount tax credit for
