Marco Rubio

The Case of the Carrot in Need of a Stick: A Tax Credit for Paid Family Leave

My husband and I started our family in 2005. We both worked full-time: He for a large multinational corporation, and I for a small nonprofit. My employer offered 12 weeks of unpaid family leave , even though it was too small to be covered under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Our family

October 7, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Trump Proposes a Huge Tax Cut

Donald Trump, who likes superlatives, has weighed in with his version of a standard cut-the-rates, broaden-the-base tax reform . And like many other GOP tax rewrite proposals, this one appears to be an enormous tax cut skewed largely in favor of high-income households. While Trump claims the plan

September 28, 2015Howard Gleckman

Business Taxes: TaxVox

What’s Up With the No Climate Tax Pledge?

Do you know about the No Climate Tax pledge ? I didn’t until I read a column over the weekend by the Washington Post ’s always-interesting Catherine Rampell. The vow is sponsored by Americans for Prosperity, a conservative political advocacy group closely associated with the Koch brothers. And it

June 2, 2015Howard Gleckman

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Marco Rubio Wasn't the Only One Who Cashed Out an IRA Last Year

It is easy to mock Senator Marco Rubio, who cashed out $68,241 in IRA retirement funds last September. The GOP presidential hopeful, who made about $230,000 last year, told Fox News he needed the dough to prepare for his campaign, buy a new $3,000 refrigerator, and fix his busted a/c. As it happens

May 26, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Is the GOP’s Enthusiasm for Tax Cuts Going the Way of American Idol?

The silence is deafening. Remarkably, Republicans lining up to run for president aren't talking about cutting taxes. Tax reform? Sure. Rate cuts? Absolutely. But so far at least, national Republicans seem more willing to tackle same-sex marriage than big Ronald Reagan/George W. Bush-style tax cuts

May 12, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Bipartisan or Partisan: Tax Efforts Abound

There’s a bipartisan House effort to double the federal gas tax. It would raise the 18.4 cents-per-gallon tax to about 30 cents, would be inflation adjusted, and would rise again in three years if Congress does not find another way to pay for federal transportation projects. The bill’s sponsors—

April 17, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Rubio Tries to Triangulate Tax Policy

Newly declared GOP presidential hopeful Senator Marco Rubio is trying something truly (Bill) Clintonesque—navigating between the demands of his party’s base and a more centrist, forward-looking political agenda. Nowhere is it more obvious than in tax policy. And nowhere is the road ahead more risky

April 16, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Death and Taxes: Certainty and Conflict

The House plans a vote to repeal the estate tax today. Repealing the levy would cut taxes by $270 billion over 10 years for 0.2 percent of the nation’s richest estates. The White House and Democrats are vehemently opposed . The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that 5,400 estates will face the

April 16, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

For Most Households, It’s About the Payroll Tax, Not the Income Tax

While policymakers obsess about the income tax, they often lose sight of an important detail: For two-thirds of households, the levy that matters most is the payroll tax. According to a new report by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the 80 million tax filers making $40,000 or less will collectively

April 2, 2015Howard Gleckman

Federal Budget and Economy: TaxVox

Is a Consumption Tax Talk Making a Comeback?

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