In this essay, Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that the IRS's current reorganizational efforts may be successful in a lot of ways, but they will be inadequate if the it does not figure out how to better assess the programs under its charge.
In this essay, Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle discusses his main concern with the IRS -- the fact that it is not organized according to the programs it administers as much as by tax returns.
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle examines just how large the nearly $800 billion Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 recently passed by Congress really is, and how it compares to past tax legislation.
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that saving the surplus is good, but it is not always better than tax cuts. And while smaller government avoids some of the distortions associated with larger government, it is not always superior to a government that better meets important societal needs....
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle considers 1999 tax proposals, and concludes that current law sets a baseline that can be misleading when measuring the costs of a tax bill. A different baseline would yield a very different perception of when the tax bill was costing revenues and when it was not. In...
This article introduced FAS 133, which was a new accounting standard for derivatives and hedges—and then compared the tax rules applicable to these instruments. It suggested the two sets of rules be reconciled. That is, derivatives be marked-to-market for tax purposes, as they are for financial...
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle examines the merits of a tax cut, and finds: Tax cuts are a valid means of achieving smaller government, but they only work if expenditures somehow follow a similar path, especially in the long-term. By the same token, not all tax cuts are bad nor are all spending...
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that the a simpler tax code wont be developed until someone in the Executive Branch or in Congress is given greater responsibility for reporting on the consequences of our tax laws. The way to change the current situation would be to assign fiduciary-like...
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle expresses confidence that a tax simplification package is likely in the near future. He offers his ideas for what should be included in such a bill.
IRS Organization and Reorganization: A Remaining Defect - Part 2 of 2
In this essay, Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that the IRS's current reorganizational efforts may be successful in a lot of ways, but they will be inadequate if the it does not figure out how to better assess the programs under its charge.
IRS Organization and Reorganization: A Remaining Defect - Part 1 of 2
In this essay, Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle discusses his main concern with the IRS -- the fact that it is not organized according to the programs it administers as much as by tax returns.
The Uncertain Support Behind 'Marriage Penalty' Relief
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle examines the political challenges of achieving true marriage penalty relief in the tax code.
Just How Big is the Tax Bill?
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle examines just how large the nearly $800 billion Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999 recently passed by Congress really is, and how it compares to past tax legislation.
Greenspan and the Economists' Mantra on Tax Cuts
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that saving the surplus is good, but it is not always better than tax cuts. And while smaller government avoids some of the distortions associated with larger government, it is not always superior to a government that better meets important societal needs....
The Cost of the Tax Bill: Do We Count Fairly?
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle considers 1999 tax proposals, and concludes that current law sets a baseline that can be misleading when measuring the costs of a tax bill. A different baseline would yield a very different perception of when the tax bill was costing revenues and when it was not. In...
Tax and Accounting for Derivatives: Time for Reconciliation
This article introduced FAS 133, which was a new accounting standard for derivatives and hedges—and then compared the tax rules applicable to these instruments. It suggested the two sets of rules be reconciled. That is, derivatives be marked-to-market for tax purposes, as they are for financial...
"Logical Limits" of Tax Bill Arguments
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle examines the merits of a tax cut, and finds: Tax cuts are a valid means of achieving smaller government, but they only work if expenditures somehow follow a similar path, especially in the long-term. By the same token, not all tax cuts are bad nor are all spending...
Tax Simplification Through Process Reform
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle argues that the a simpler tax code wont be developed until someone in the Executive Branch or in Congress is given greater responsibility for reporting on the consequences of our tax laws. The way to change the current situation would be to assign fiduciary-like...
Candidates for Tax Simplification Reform
Senior Fellow Eugene Steuerle expresses confidence that a tax simplification package is likely in the near future. He offers his ideas for what should be included in such a bill.