TaxVox

The voices of Tax Policy Center's researchers and staff

Federal Budget and Economy

Taxes and Spending Return To “Normal”-- But Not For Long

October 16, 2014 –
Yesterday, the Treasury Department reported that the deficit for Fiscal Year 2014, which ended on Sept. 30, fell to $483 billion, or about 2.8...
Individual Taxes

The Small, Happy World of Supersized IRAs

October 14, 2014 –
When Mitt Romney released his tax return information during the 2012 presidential campaign, many of us were introduced to the world of supersized...

Cheap Talk, Scoring, and Promises

October 13, 2014 –
Congress is in recess through the mid-term elections. The Daily Deduction will post each Monday until then. Counting devices before they hatch?...
Federal Budget and Economy

Ryan and Lew Both Object to JCT Scoring of Future Tax Reform

October 9, 2014 –
Like a couple of baseball managers working the umpires before a big World Series game, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI...
Individual Taxes

How Asset Building Tax Subsidies Miss Their Targets

October 7, 2014 –
Nearly one-third of all federal tax expenditures--$384 billion in 2013 alone-- is aimed at various forms of asset building, such as retirement...
Individual Taxes

It’s Not Easy to Escape the Local Pension Vise

October 6, 2014 –
Last week’s federal court ruling in the municipal bankruptcy case of Stockton, CA highlighted the enormous challenge faced by local governments with...

“Communication” Defined, Cash Borrowed, Reform Still Needed

October 6, 2014 –
Congress is in recess through the mid-term elections. The Daily Deduction will post each Monday until then. In Oregon, Comcast’s cable service is...
Business Taxes

Pass-Through Firms Report $800 Billion in Net Income, Can’t Be Ignored in Business Tax Reform

October 2, 2014 –
Washington is going through another one of its periodic calls for business tax reform. But new research by my Tax Policy Center colleague Joe...
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms

The Public Wants Clear Rules About Campaign Giving Through Tax-Exempts. Is It Possible?

September 30, 2014 –
A poll released today by the conservative Hudson Institute and the liberal group Public Citizen finds that nearly 9 in 10 voters surveyed favor clear...
Federal Budget and Economy

The $300 billion question: How should we budget for federal lending?

September 29, 2014 –
Lending programs create special challenges for federal budgeting. So special, in fact, that the Congressional Budget Office estimates their budget...