The Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010 ("Wyden-Gregg," introduced as S. 3018) is a broad reform of the federal income tax system. Some provisions would also expand the Social Security payroll tax base. This paper presents the Tax Policy Center's estimates of the revenue and...
Corporate level income taxes encourage the outflow of capital and the shifting of reported profits to other jurisdictions. The outflow of capital shifts some of the burden of the tax from owners of capital to workers. In contrast, individual level taxes on corporate income lower the after-tax...
The value of the tax preference for pensions depends on the marginal tax schedule and on the tax treatment of income from assets held outside a pension account. We find that changes in U.S. tax law, especially the reduction in tax rates on capital gains and dividends, but also the decline in...
Personal income tax systems vary widely across states, leading to different levels of progressivity. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have an individual income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not tax personal income, while New...
Capital income is subject to a wide variation in treatment under the tax code. Certain financial income, such as long-term capital gains and qualified dividends, is taxed at preferential rates.
We provide new estimates of the federal budget outlook over 10-year and long-term horizons under three sets of assumptions: the Congressional Budget Office baseline, which assumes no changes in current law; an extended policy scenario, in which it is assumed that future Congresses act more or...
This article, written for a lay audience, discusses the causes and consequences of catastrophic budget failure. When Americas ballooning federal debt becomes unmanageable, we might simply refuse to honor our obligations, triggering a worldwide financial collapse and an economic downtown that...
In 2011, the U.S. government will spend over $1 trillion on tax expenditures. These programs often fly under the radar of media and public opinion. This paper discusses obstacles to subjecting tax expenditures to the same scrutiny as direct outlays and offers some recommendations for...
This year's tax season controversy surrounds the Tax Policy Center's estimate that 47% of households do not owe income tax. The estimate has raised concerns about equity (nearly half of families free-riding on the rest of us) and civic responsibility (can democracy work when half of voters get...
Preliminary Revenue Estimates and Distributional Analysis of the Tax Provisions in the Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010
The Bipartisan Tax Fairness and Simplification Act of 2010 ("Wyden-Gregg," introduced as S. 3018) is a broad reform of the federal income tax system. Some provisions would also expand the Social Security payroll tax base. This paper presents the Tax Policy Center's estimates of the revenue and...
Capital Income Taxation and Progressivity in a Global Economy
Corporate level income taxes encourage the outflow of capital and the shifting of reported profits to other jurisdictions. The outflow of capital shifts some of the burden of the tax from owners of capital to workers. In contrast, individual level taxes on corporate income lower the after-tax...
The Shrinking Tax Preference for Pension Savings: An Analysis of Income Tax Changes, 1985-2007
The value of the tax preference for pensions depends on the marginal tax schedule and on the tax treatment of income from assets held outside a pension account. We find that changes in U.S. tax law, especially the reduction in tax rates on capital gains and dividends, but also the decline in...
State Individual Income Tax Rates
Personal income tax systems vary widely across states, leading to different levels of progressivity. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have an individual income tax. Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wyoming do not tax personal income, while New...
Capital Income by Tax Treatment
Capital income is subject to a wide variation in treatment under the tax code. Certain financial income, such as long-term capital gains and qualified dividends, is taxed at preferential rates.
Dj Vu All Over Again
We provide new estimates of the federal budget outlook over 10-year and long-term horizons under three sets of assumptions: the Congressional Budget Office baseline, which assumes no changes in current law; an extended policy scenario, in which it is assumed that future Congresses act more or...
Countdown to Catastrophe
This article, written for a lay audience, discusses the causes and consequences of catastrophic budget failure. When Americas ballooning federal debt becomes unmanageable, we might simply refuse to honor our obligations, triggering a worldwide financial collapse and an economic downtown that...
Government Spending Undercover
In 2011, the U.S. government will spend over $1 trillion on tax expenditures. These programs often fly under the radar of media and public opinion. This paper discusses obstacles to subjecting tax expenditures to the same scrutiny as direct outlays and offers some recommendations for...
The Myth of Income Tax Freeloading
This year's tax season controversy surrounds the Tax Policy Center's estimate that 47% of households do not owe income tax. The estimate has raised concerns about equity (nearly half of families free-riding on the rest of us) and civic responsibility (can democracy work when half of voters get...
Health mandate: It's just a tax break in disguise
CNNMoney.com. Len Burman discusses the health insurance mandate.