Tax Policy Center

Tax Policy Center

Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Should Congress Curb Donor Advised Funds?

Buried deep in House Ways & Means Committee Chair Dave Camp’s tax reform plan is a proposal to require donor-advised funds to distribute contributions within five years. The proposal would be a major change for these charitable vehicles, where funds currently can sit indefinitely. Donor-advised
April 22, 2014Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

If Congress Lets Firms Expense Investments, It Should Take Away Their Interest Deduction

Egged on by business lobbyists, congressional tax writers seem increasingly interested in allowing firms to rapidly write off the cost of their capital investments. Especially in the House, lawmakers would allow small businesses to expense the full cost of their investments in the year they are
April 17, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Does Anyone Care About a Simple Tax Code?

One of the biggest selling points for tax reform is the claim that a new and improved revenue code would be easier for taxpayers to manage. Along with economic growth and fairness, simplicity has been a watchword for reform for decades. But a striking new survey by the Associated Press-GfK has me
April 10, 2014Howard Gleckman
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Two Ways to Fix the Corporate Income Tax: Internationalize it or Kill It

In an important new paper , Eric Toder of the Tax Policy Center and Alan Viard of the American Enterprise Institute say that corporate tax reforms now being debated in Congress fall far short of solving the widespread problems with the levy. Rather than merely lowering rates and tinkering with tax
April 4, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Thank You, Dave Camp

House Ways & Means Committee Chair Dave Camp (R-MI), who said yesterday that he’ll retire from Congress at the end of the year, will leave behind an enormously important achievement. At a time when too many of his fellow lawmakers substitute easy partisan rhetoric for hard work, Camp wrote a
April 1, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Should Tax Reform Be Sold on Values Instead of Economics?

Maybe the best way for tax reformers to get political traction is to focus on values, not economics. That, at least, was one take-away from three political scientists who spoke at a Tax Policy Center panel today. Until now, backers of reform have focused primarily on economic arguments: A reformed
March 31, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Mission Impossible? An Upcoming TPC Panel Will Explore the Politics of Tax Reform

Everyone agrees that the tax code is a mess. So why is it so hard for Congress and the President to fix it? On Monday, the Tax Policy Center will host three top political experts who will explain why reform is such a challenge and how backers could overcome its hurdles. It won’t be easy. As
March 27, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Dave Camp’s Most Valuable Contribution to Tax Reform

House Ways & Means Committee chair Dave Camp’s most important contribution to the tax reform debate may be this: By proposing a specific, transparent, and...
March 14, 2014Howard Gleckman
Campaigns, Proposals, and Reforms: TaxVox

Tax Reform’s Quiet Protectionism

House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp has offered a detailed and thoughtful set of proposals on international tax reform, as did former Senate Finance...
March 10, 2014Eric Toder
Individual Taxes: TaxVox

Incoming Senate Finance Chair Wyden Outlines His Tax Agenda

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), about to become the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said Friday that he aims to eventually rewrite what he...
February 10, 2014Howard Gleckman