Tax Policy Center

individual taxes

Individual Taxes: TaxVox
Back in the day—say 2011--tax fraud was pretty straightforward. Taxpayers deliberately understated income or overstated deductions to cheat the system for their own benefit. Not anymore. Now, a growing share of such fraud is about crooks using the identities of innocent taxpayers to steal money. If
May 14, 2015Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox
Since Tax Day is tomorrow, it seems like a good time to bust a few myths about taxes. Here are five of the biggest misperceptions about the federal revenue code. Most of the info comes from two sources: the Tax Policy Center’s Tax Topics (a trove of great information about who pays what) and the
April 14, 2015Howard Gleckman
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
Maybe it’s just because Congress is on spring break and tax wonks don’t have much to talk about, but suddenly the idea of a consumption tax is getting a new look. The tax plan proposed earlier this month by senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) is one form of the levy. And tax journalists
March 31, 2015Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox
Several of us at the Tax Policy Center volunteer with Community Tax Aid to help low-income people file their taxes. We’ve had a chance to see, first-hand, how the Affordable Care Act is affecting tax filing. This is the first filing season when taxpayers must navigate the new provisions of the ACA
February 19, 2015Ellen Steele
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
President Obama’s tax proposals for the middle class were a key element of his State of the Union address. But they represent only relatively modest efforts to create subsidies through the tax code rather than through other departments of government. Looked at broadly, many only tinker around the
January 21, 2015C. Eugene Steuerle
Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox
So much has changed. Yet, when it comes to taxes, so much has not. Republicans have taken control of Congress and now hold governorships in 31 states. The U.S. economy is finally on solid ground. And presidential hopefuls are gearing up for the 2016 election. But for all that, the top tax stories
January 6, 2015Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox
When Mitt Romney released his tax return information during the 2012 presidential campaign, many of us were introduced to the world of supersized IRAs. Romney somehow had a tax-preferred retirement nest egg valued at $101 million. Maybe he got there by making standard annual contributions and
October 14, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox
In an extensive new analysis of House Ways & Means Committee Chair Dave Camp’s tax reform plan, my Tax Policy Center colleagues confirm his proposal would raise about the same amount of money over 10 years as current law and impose roughly the same tax burden across income groups as today's
July 8, 2014Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox
In their zeal to provide a legal alternative to banned marriage for same-sex couples, some states may have created a new tax shelter for heterosexual couples. By choosing domestic partnership or civil union over marriage, opposite-sex couples are able to avoid paying a federal income tax marriage
June 5, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox
Buried deep in House Ways & Means Committee Chair Dave Camp’s tax reform plan is a proposal to require donor-advised funds to distribute contributions within five years. The proposal would be a major change for these charitable vehicles, where funds currently can sit indefinitely. Donor-advised
April 22, 2014Howard Gleckman