Tax Policy Center

Deficit

: TaxVox
It never is easy for government to respond to crises, especially one as big and far-reaching as the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, a better policymaking process...
March 1, 2021C. Eugene Steuerle
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
There are ugly charts, and then there is this, courtesy of the folks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Over the past half-decade,...
January 7, 2020Howard Gleckman
: TaxVox
The return of divided government and the early stages of the next presidential election create enormous uncertainty about how 2019 will go. As Yogi Berra...
January 4, 2019William G. GaleMark J. Mazur
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox
When the Tax Hound began its monthly investigations a year ago, we had the modest goal of making tax policy relevant to the every-day concerns of the average taxpayer. At the time, I was drunk with wonky excitement (if that’s possible). “We elect a new president in a year, and we can help make tax policy matter to the average voter! There’ll be candidate proposals, analyses of those plans… It’ll be great!”
March 1, 2016Renu Zaretsky
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
It is time for TaxVox’ s annual Lump of Coal awards for the worst tax ideas (or most depressing tax stories) of 2015. As always, choosing the Top 10 was not easy, but here they are: 10. The Michigan House . Lawmakers tried to pay for new transportation projects by eliminating the state’s earned
December 21, 2015Howard Gleckman
: TaxVox
On the Hill… The Senate and House passed funding bills to keep the government open through December 11, with just the usual minutes to spare. Now that that’s taken care of, the Senate Finance Committee holds a hearing today on improper payments in federal programs. Comptroller General of the United
October 1, 2015Renu Zaretsky
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
In its semi-annual fiscal update released this week, the Congressional Budget Office projects that federal revenues will remain flat over the next decade, while spending—mostly for health care and Social Security—will rise. The result: Budget deficits, which have been declining in recent years as
August 27, 2015Howard Gleckman
: Daily Deduction
Flat tax chatter: Just small talk or a deeper conversation? The Hill examines GOP presidential hopefuls Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and their ideas for an across-the-board tax rate. A flat tax will disproportionately benefit higher earners, and even some in the GOP say that makes it a non-starter. But
April 21, 2015Renu Zaretsky
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
CBO’s new budget projections are an opportunity to take stock of the country’s fiscal situation. At the risk of oversimplifying, the report contains one piece of good news, and two of bad news. The bottom line: The sky is not falling but policymakers have fallen short of solving the long-term
January 27, 2015William G. Gale
: TaxVox
Is dynamic scoring ready for prime time? At a TPC-Hutchins Center program yesterday, backers and critics debated whether congressional scorekeepers should include macroeconomic effects of tax changes when doing a budget score. They disagreed, of course, but did agree that if the tool is used, it
January 27, 2015Renu Zaretsky