Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Bigger Deficits, More Debt

Washington has gotten deficit religion, or at least that’s what you’d infer from recent rhetoric. From the president to congressional leaders to the newest representative...
February 1, 2011Roberton C. Williams
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Corporate Tax Reform: Where's the Beef?

One of the biggest applause lines in the President’s State of the Union speech came from his promise to reform and simplify the corporate income...
January 31, 2011Eric Toder
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

The U.S. Fiscal Imbalance and the Challenge for Tax Policy

Three related issues dominate budget talk in Washington these days: eliminating the deficit, cutting spending, and reforming the tax system. Achieving the first will require...
January 27, 2011Joseph Rosenberg
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Obama’s State of the Union: What I Heard, And What I Did Not

On a purely rhetorical level, President Obama gave a terrific State of the Union address last night. He delivered the usual laundry list of promises...
January 26, 2011Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Obama’s Tax Reform: Corporate, Individual, or Both?

If President Obama says much in his State of the Union address tonight about tax reform, he’s likely to focus on revising corporate taxes, and...
January 25, 2011Howard Gleckman
State and Local Issues: TaxVox

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Coliseum…

When Californians voted last fall to send Jerry Brown back to Sacramento, many commentators gleefully revived the Governor Moonbeam moniker. Now that he has submitted...
January 21, 2011Tracy Gordon
Federal Budget and Economy: Brief

Health Care Brawl: All or Nothing Doesn't Work

The ongoing debate over health reform at times almost appears like a sporting event, with Democrats and Republicans trying to name winners and losers in passing or repealing legislation. But in my Fiscal Times op-ed this week, I explain why, when it comes to health reform, this winner-take-all
January 21, 2011C. Eugene Steuerle
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: Commentary

Health Care Brawl: All or Nothing Doesn't Work

The ongoing debate over health reform at times seems like a sporting event, with Democrats and Republicans trying to name winners and losers in passing or repealing legislation. But in my Fiscal Times op-ed this week, I explain why, when it comes to health reform, this winner-take-all mentality
January 21, 2011C. Eugene Steuerle
Federal Budget and Economy: Commentary

The Budget Process: A Maze Perverted by Trickery

The congressional budget process has been so perverted that it no longer imposes much discipline on fiscal decisionmaking, comments Rudolph Penner, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. Penner explains how the situation arose and what to do about it.
January 21, 2011Rudolph G. Penner
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Corporate Tax Reform: The Winners and Losers Problem

Corporate tax reform is a good idea and long overdue. But it won’t take much time before the concept crashes into a seemingly-immovable political barrier...
January 20, 2011Howard Gleckman
Federal Budget and Economy: Brief

Debt Ceiling: Geithner Won't Let Us Default

Treasury Secretary Geithner recently warned that the U.S. may default if Congress doesn't increase the federal debt limit. In this guest commentary at CNN Money, Donald Marron explains how Geithner will make sure that the U.S. does not default on the public debt, even if Congress is slow to
January 20, 2011Donald Marron
Individual Taxes: Research report

Who Itemizes Deductions?

Many taxpayers can lower their taxable income by itemizing deductions, which in turn lowers tax liability. Itemized deductions reduce tax burdens for taxpayers with decreased ability to pay taxes, such as those experiencing a catastrophic loss, or for taxpayers who spent funds on activities the tax
January 20, 2011Daniel BanemanBenjamin H. Harris
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Geithner Won't Default on the Public Debt

In a guest column at CNN Money , I argue that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner won't allow us to default on the public debt even...
January 19, 2011Donald Marron
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Federal Payroll Tax Cut in 2011–Roots for an Individual Worker Credit?

The idea of an individual worker credit has been floating around the tax ether for years but never seemed to get traction. That is until...
January 19, 2011Elaine Maag
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Are There Alternatives to the Individual Mandate in the Health Reform Law?

Today, the House will begin debating the “ Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act” —the Republican effort to reverse the far-reaching 2010 health measure...
January 18, 2011Howard Gleckman
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Handicapping the Debt Ceiling Debate

Sometime this spring, Congress will vote to increase the debt ceiling. That vote won’t come easy. Newly ascendant House Republicans will threaten to withhold needed...
January 14, 2011Donald Marron
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

IRS: “Don’t Hurry to File Your 2010 Taxes”

If you’re among the one-third of taxpayers who itemize deductions on their federal tax returns, the IRS says you can take your time filing your...
January 13, 2011Roberton C. Williams
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Will Obama Call for Tax Reform in the State of the Union?

Tax reformers are pushing President Obama to use his upcoming Jan. 25 State of the Union address to press for a rewrite of the revenue...
January 12, 2011Howard Gleckman
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

PAYGO in the House

In one of their first actions after taking control of the House of Representatives last week, the new Republican majority passed their budget rules for...
January 11, 2011Roberton C. Williams
Federal Budget and Economy: Research report

Activist Fiscal Policy

This paper reviews the recent evolution of thinking and evidence regarding the effectiveness of activist fiscal policy. Although fiscal interventions aimed at stimulating and stabilizing the economy have returned to common use, their efficacy remains controversial. This paper reviews the debate
January 11, 2011Alan J. AuerbachWilliam G. GaleBenjamin H. Harris
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Why Does It Cost $230 Billion to Repeal Health Reform?

Last spring, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the new health legislation would reduce the deficit by $143 billion over ten years. Yesterday, CBO estimated...
January 7, 2011Donald Marron
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

The Biggest Tax Problem Facing Households and the IRS is…The Tax Code

Each year for the past decade, Nina Olson, the National Taxpayer Advocate at the Internal Revenue Service, has issued a report to Congress on the...
January 6, 2011Howard Gleckman
: TaxVox

The Biggest Tax Problem Facing Households and the IRS is…The Tax Code

Each year for the past decade, Nina Olsen, the National Taxpayer Advocate at the Internal Revenue Service, has issued a report to Congress on the most serious problems facing taxpayers. She usually focuses on individual provisions of the code, such as the Alternative Minimum Tax, or vexing tax
January 6, 2011

T11-0001 - Income Breaks, 2010

A detailed breakdown of income breaks in 2010 for single, married filling jointly, head of household and all tax units.
January 5, 2011
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Tax Vox’s Fearless Predictions for 2011

The battle lines, as they say, have been drawn. In his radio address last Saturday, President Obama said his goal for 2011 is to “do...
January 4, 2011Howard Gleckman