WebMemo posted April 12, 2005 by Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
The Perfect Target for Tax Reform: The Corporate AMT
If Congress
considers broad tax reform later in the year, its legislation may
include provisions to eliminate the individual and corporate
alternative minimum tax (AMT).[1] That would be welcome
news for the more than 30 million taxpayers who are likely to face
the individual AMT by 2010.[2]
Opponents of tax
reform will almost surely attack repeal of the corporate AMT…
WebMemo posted March 29, 2005 by Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
The President's Savings Plans: Good for Retirees? and Everyone Else
Previous attempts
to solve Social Security's problems have relied on a mix of benefit
cuts and tax increases, but this approach is not a long-term
solution. A more lasting solution to Social Security's problems
involves a two-pronged approach that allows workers to invest part
of their payroll taxes in their own accounts while also removing
barriers to saving…
WebMemo posted March 17, 2005 by Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D., J. Scott Moody
Raising the Social Security Wage Cap Would Hurt Small Business
Groups such as
AARP propose to "fix" Social Security by raising the $90,000 cap on
the amount of salaries and wages that are subject to Social
Security's payroll tax. Even if the 12.4 percent payroll tax rate
remains untouched, raising the payroll tax cap would impact
millions of small business owners, slow economic activity, and cost
jobs. That is a high price to…
WebMemo posted November 11, 2004 by James L. Gattuso, Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
Hollywood, Values, and P2P Lawsuits
If exit polls can
be believed, issues of moral values were among the most important
factors in last week's presidential elections. Pundits are still
weighing the meaning of that vote and what it means for public
policy. Yet buried beneath the election news, the values issue was
also raised last week in a much different context, the fight
against the theft of…
Backgrounder posted August 23, 2004 by Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
Internet File Sharing: The Evidence So Far and What It Means for the Future
A
heated public debate started when the original "file-sharing"
service, Napster, went on-line in 1999. Napster was shut down in
2001, but the debate raged on as other file-sharing
services -- commonly referred to as peer-to-peer (P2P) networks -- took
its place. Advocates of file sharing argue passionately that the
practice has not harmed album sales, and opponents…
WebMemo posted June 30, 2004 by Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D., William W. Beach
Questions and Answers About Inflation
The
Federal Reserve has announced that it will raise its target
interest rate to 1.25 percent to stave off inflation. The following
provides a basic guide to inflation-what it is, how it works, and
how the Fed tries to manage it.
Q: What is inflation?
A: A
basic definition of inflation is that inflation is a rise in the
general price level throughout the economy.…