What are the largest tax expenditures? Q.What are the largest tax expenditures? A.Tax expenditures make up a substantial part of the federal budget. Some of them are larger than the entire budgets of the programs or departments that spend money for the same or related purposes. For example, the value of the tax breaks for homeownership, although reduced by the 2017 tax act, still exceeds total spending by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Read more about What are the largest tax expenditures?
Why are tax expenditures controversial? Q.Why are tax expenditures controversial? A.To some, tax expenditures are spending items that do not belong in the tax code. To others, they are merely a way of reducing taxes, and repealing them would amount to a tax increase. Read more about Why are tax expenditures controversial?
How will tax expenditures evolve over the coming decade? Q.How will tax expenditures evolve over the coming decade? A.Tax expenditures will decline as a share of GDP through 2024, as temporary provisions of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act expire, and then will increase after 2026 as most individual income tax provisions in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expire. Throughout the decade, tax expenditures as a share of GDP will remain about the same, but itemized deductions will increase while refundable tax credits will decline. Read more about How will tax expenditures evolve over the coming decade?