June 26, 2008
European Levels of Taxation: Barack Obama's Tax Plan
By Rea S. Hederman and Patrick Tyrrell
(WebMemo #1973)
Barack Obama's tax plan would give the United States one of the highest tax rates in the industrialized world.
June 25, 2008
AMT Patch Bill Disguises a Tax Hike, Again
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1968)
There they go again. The House of Representatives passed another huge tax increase. Earlier in the year they passed a big, economically harmful tax hike ...
June 18, 2008
The Tax Relief Program Worked: Make the Tax Cuts Permanent
By . D. Foster, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2145)
The 2001 and 2003 tax reduced tax burdens and got the economy growing again: lowering tax rates, reducing the tax bias against saving and investment, ...
June 5, 2008
War Funding Bill: PAYGO Awry, Surtaxing Toward GI Benefits
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1947)
The Congress is readying legislation to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and threatening to load up the bill with unrelated related programs and ...
April 15, 2008
Economic Effects of Increasing the Tax Rates on Capital Gains and Dividends
By William Beach, Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and Guinevere Nell
(WebMemo #1891)
On December 31, 2010, the low tax rates on capital gains and dividends enacted in 2003 will increase to the higher level that applied prior ...
April 14, 2008
Coming Together on Tax Simplification: AMT and Extending the Tax Cuts
By Guinevere Nell
(WebMemo #1888)
Several proponents of small government oppose repeal of the individual alternative minimum tax (AMT) despite that tax's confusing strictures, bureaucratic nature, and excessive demands on ...
March 31, 2008
The Isakson Tax Credit: Another Approach that Won't Fix the Mortgage Mess
By David C. John
(WebMemo #1873)
Unfortunately, there are no simple or quick solutions to a highly complex financial situation.
March 13, 2008
Fair Tax Policy Requires a Fair Revenue Baseline
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1848)
Congress should use the budget resolution to correct the bias toward higher taxes in the CBO's budget projections.
March 11, 2008
The House Budget Resolution: Tax Hikes Would Harm Economy, Taxpayers
By Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1844)
This WebMemo projects the likely impact of the House budget resolution in states and congressional districts.
March 11, 2008
Tax Hikes Hiding in Budget Resolutions' Treatment of AMT Patch
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1846)
Congress should include language in the budget resolution to extend the AMT patch without an accompanying tax hike.
March 10, 2008
The House Budget's $3,000-per-Household Tax Increase
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1842)
The White House has responsibly pledged to veto legislation with tax and spending increases that would follow from these proposals. Congress should start over and ...
March 7, 2008
Jobs Picture Darkens
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1839)
The federal government should ease the burdens it imposes on businesses and entrepreneurs.
March 4, 2008
Tax Cuts, Not the Clinton Tax Hike, Produced the 1990s Boom
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1835)
The 1993 tax increase probably slowed the economy compared to what it could have achieved.
February 26, 2008
No Economic Silver Lining in Tax Hikes
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1826)
A new theory mistakenly suggests that higher taxes may be benign or even beneficial to economic growth.
February 25, 2008
Tax Hikes, Economic Clouds, and Silver Linings: A Review of Deficits and the Economy
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2095)
Recent empirical work using different approaches affirms the traditional view that there is a clear and robust relationship between lower taxes and higher economic output. ...
February 25, 2008
Executive Summary: Tax Hikes, Economic Clouds, and Silver Linings: A Review of Deficits and the Economy
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #2095)
Recent empirical work using different approaches affirms the traditional view that there is a clear and robust relationship between lower taxes and higher economic output. ...
February 25, 2008
Federal Spending By the Numbers 2008
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1829)
A detailed explanation of recent trends in federal spending.
February 14, 2008
The 2008 House Energy Tax Bill: Repeating Past Mistakes
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #1816)
By taxing successful energy sources and subsidizing failed ones, the House bill would raise prices for consumers and reduce energy security.
February 6, 2008
Benefits of the President's Proposed Standard Deduction for Health Insurance
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1799)
Correcting the tax treatment of private health insurance would strengthen the consumer-driven market forces that should discipline health care prices.
February 4, 2008
President's Budget Would Restrain Entitlements and Domestic Discretionary Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1794)
Lawmakers should seriously examine the President's proposals to bring long-term sustainability to entitlement spending.
January 30, 2008
The Transportation Commission's Proposed 200 Percent Gas Tax Increase: One of Several Bad Ideas in Its Report
By Ronald D. Utt, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2103)
The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission has recommended raising the gasoline tax by 218 percent over the next five years to fund new ...
January 25, 2008
RSC Stimulus Proposal Would Be a Move in the Right Direction
By Tom Finnigan
(WebMemo #1779)
As an alternative to rebates, this proposal would lower the tax and regulatory burden on businesses.
January 25, 2008
President Bush Should Keep His Pledge to Halve the Number of Earmarks
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1780)
President Bush should sign an executive order cancelling the vast majority of earmarks.
January 24, 2008
The House Stimulus Package: The Good and the Bad
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1778)
Certain elements would boost the economy, but other provisions should be omitted.
January 18, 2008
Why Tax Rate Reductions Are More Stimulative Than Rebates: Lessons from 2001 and 2003
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1776)
Lawmakers currently examining economic stimulus proposals should reject rebates in favor of tax rate reductions.
December 17, 2007
CBO Confirms: Long-Run Fiscal Outlook Remains Grim
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1749)
Congress and the Administration must work together to pass meaningful reforms to entitlement programs and the health care market.
December 13, 2007
The AMT Patch: A Few Months Late and $51 Billion Heavy
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1745)
Congress must prevent an unnecessary tax hike and should reform the budget rules to eliminate the threat of similar tax hikes in the future.
December 10, 2007
Paying More at the Pump: Energy Bill Would Increase Gas Prices
By William W. Beach and Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1729)
H.R. 6 could increase the price of regular unleaded gasoline from $3.06 per gallon to $5.02 by 2016.
November 14, 2007
President's Budget Vetoes Put Needed Brake on Congressional Spending
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1702)
Congress should trim pork and other excessive spending from the appropriations bills.
November 7, 2007
AMT Fix Becomes Massive Tax Hike Via Misleading CBO Baselines
By J.D. Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1695)
The CBO's misleading baseline assumptions disguise a massive tax hike as a revenue-neutral proposal.
November 7, 2007
The End of Pro-Growth Tax Policy: How the Rangel Tax Bill Could Affect the U.S. Economy
By William W. Beach and Guinevere Nell
(WebMemo #1697)
At stake in the current debate is a shift in tax policy from emphasizing growth in the economy to emphasizing tax increases that would pay ...
October 31, 2007
Making Good Policy Out of a Bad AMT
By J. D. Foster, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2082)
The majority party in Congress threatens to use extension of the alternative minimum tax patch as a ruse to raise taxes, which could leave a ...
October 26, 2007
The Rangel Tax Bill: Roses Among the Thorns
By JD Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1679)
Although it would hurt the economy with a massive tax increase, this bill also contains laudable features that Congress should pursue in separate legislation.
October 22, 2007
A Scare for the Web: Will Congress Let the Internet Tax Ban Expire?
By James L. Gattuso
(WebMemo #1673)
Congress should make permanent the moratorium on the taxation of Internet access.
September 28, 2007
Increasing the National Debt Limit Should Spur Congress to Tackle Entitlements
By Nicola Moore
(WebMemo #1648)
Congress must reform entitlements in order to avoid unsustainable levels of debt in the future.
September 27, 2007
State and Local Tax Hikes Add to Federal Tax Relief Pressures
By JD Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1647)
To pay for tax relief and higher-priority spending at the federal level, policymakers should cut back on federal grants to the states.
September 26, 2007
Taxpayers, Beware: Record Tax Burden Is Rising
By JD Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1639)
Before launching a new spate of tax hikes, Members of Congress should consider the historical context of overall tax levels and where those levels are ...
September 21, 2007
Rising State and Local Tax Burden Crowds Federal Tax Policy
By JD Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1628)
Members of Congress looking to raise federal taxes may be in for a surprise.
September 10, 2007
The Subprime Mortgage Crunch: Providing Tax Relief for Ex-Homeowners
By JD Foster, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1603)
The President’s package of initiatives, while well intentioned, is misguided. A better approach would be to correct the tax treatment of cancelled mortgage debt.
September 7, 2007
The August Jobs Report: Mixed Signals Send a Warning to Congress
By James Sherk
(WebMemo #1601)
As most Americans' lives continue to improve, Congress must refrain from enacting policies that could tip the economy into recession.
July 27, 2007
Beware of Taxation of Private Equity Partnerships
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1571)
Despite the talk of reform and loophole closing, the aim of these bills is clear: to raise taxes even faster than under current law.
July 12, 2007
Mid-Session Budget Review Shows Surging Tax Revenues
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1549)
Though a rapid increase in federal revenues shows that the 2003 tax cuts have succeeded in boosting economic activity, the entitlement spending tsunami still threatens ...
July 6, 2007
Fireworks for the June Jobs Report
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1539)
In light of strong job creation and low unemployment, Congress should make the Bush tax cuts permanent and refrain from meddling in the labor market, ...
May 17, 2007
Budget Resolution Calls for Massive Tax Hikes and Spending Increases
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1460)
Lawmakers should go back to the drawing board and write a budget that meets the President's spending targets, deals realistically with coming entitlement costs, and ...
May 7, 2007
Tax Increases Ahead: The Impact of the House Budget Resolution, By Congressional District
By Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #2031)
As it currently stands, the House budget resolution proposes to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire, which could cause the average taxpayer to face ...
April 17, 2007
Calibrating Macroeconomic and Microsimulation Models to CBO's Baseline Projections
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D. and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #07-02)
Changes in tax policy can influence economic incentives to work, save, and invest. Subsequent changes in employment and incomes can affect federal tax revenues. Dynamic ...
April 13, 2007
Closing the Tax Gap Means Taxpayers Beware!
By Alison Acosta Fraser and William Packer
(WebMemo #1424)
Efforts to raise compliance would have a negative impact on economic growth, individual freedom, and the burden of tax compliance.
April 10, 2007
Senate Budget Resolution Fails to Address Tax Gap Problems
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #1419)
If Congress wants to close the tax gap, it should focus on tax simplification.
March 22, 2007
The Senate Budget: A $2,641 Per Household Tax Increase and No Entitlement Reforms
By Brian M. Riedl
(WebMemo #1405)
The Senate budget relies on massive tax increases while ignoring the coming tsunami in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid spending.
February 27, 2007
Increasing IRS Tax Collection Powers Threatens More IRS Abuse: The New Congress Moves to Close the "Tax Gap"
By William W. Beach
(WebMemo #1373)
Strengthening the police powers of the IRS should be the very last step taken to collect more revenues.
February 15, 2007
The 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts: Economic Effects of Permanent Extension
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1361)
Extending these tax cuts would boost U.S. GDP, employment, incomes, and federal tax collections consistently over the next 10 years.
February 1, 2007
The Triple Whammy of Taxes: How the AMT, Repealing the Bush Tax Cuts, and the Social Security Wage Cap Would Raise Taxes on Millions of Americans
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., Alison Acosta Fraser, William W. Beach
(WebMemo #1334)
Three tax increases that would harm the economy and subject millions of taxpayers to significantly higher marginal tax rates.
January 29, 2007
Ten Myths About the Bush Tax Cuts
By Brian M. Riedl
(Backgrounder #2001)
The 110th Congress must decide whether to write a budget extending, expiring, or repealing the Bush tax cuts. Repealing the Bush tax cuts would not ...
January 16, 2007
Congress Should Reject New Taxes and Curb Exploding Entitlements
By Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D., and Alison Acosta Fraser
(WebMemo #1313)
Any tax increase would be a real and unacceptable threat to America’s prosperity.
January 16, 2007
Why tax cuts matter
By Steve Forbes
(WebMemo #1309)
The following is Steve Forbes' November 13 address to members of The Heritage Foundation’s Executive Committee at the fall 2006 President’s Club meeting, held at ...
January 16, 2007
Fiscal conservatism after the 2006 elections
By Larry Kudlow
(WebMemo #1310)
The following is Larry Kudlow's November 13 address to members of The Heritage Foundation's President's Club at the fall 2006 President’s Club meeting, held at ...
January 5, 2007
Bush's Call For Fiscal Restraint: Entitlement Control is the Key
By Stuart Butler, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1298)
While the goal of balancing the budget in five years has a popular ring to it, the real threat to the economy and families is ...
December 7, 2006
Dynamic Analysis at Treasury: What Are the Next Steps?
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1989)
A Dynamic Analysis Division in the Office of Tax Analysis could build on work already underway at the Congressional Budget Office and Joint Committee on ...
November 22, 2006
A Dynamic Analysis of the 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts: Applying an Alternative Technique for Calibrating Macroeconomic and Microsimulation Models
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #06-10)
The authors use a microsimulation model of the federal individual income tax and the Global Insight short-term U.S. Macroeconomic Model to analyze the dynamic economic ...
October 25, 2006
Fiscal Policy Lessons from Europe
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1979)
Living standards are much higher in America than in Europe, unemployment is far lower, and growth is much stronger; left unchecked, however, the growing burden ...
October 25, 2006
Executive Summary: Fiscal Policy Lessons from Europe
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Executive Summary #1979)
Living standards are much higher in America than in Europe, unemployment is far lower, and growth is much stronger; left unchecked, however, the growing burden ...
October 13, 2006
The 2006 Budget Numbers Show Impact of Pro-Growth Tax Policy, But Also Continued Spending Increases
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #1237)
The FY2006 budget numbers demonstrate the benefits of maintaining pro-growth tax policies, but also the need to reduce spending and reform entitlement programs.
September 21, 2006
Hoping to Restore Growth, Voters Rebel Against Sweden's High-Tax Welfare State
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #1219)
Swedes send message to high tax Social Democrats.
August 17, 2006
The Treasury Department's Dynamic Analysis of President Bush's Tax Relief Plan: A Summary and Evaluation
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #06-06)
The Office of Tax Analysis's July 25 summary of its dynamic analysis of the President's proposal to make permanent certain expiring provisions of EGTRRA and ...
August 2, 2006
Dog Days in the Senate
By William W. Beach
(WebMemo #1185)
Tax legislation would breathe new life into left-wing policy prescriptions.
July 28, 2006
What Is Really Happening to Government Revenues: Long-Run Forecasts Show Sharp Rise in Tax Burden
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D., and Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1957)
Instead of raising taxes even faster than projected in an effort to catch up with out-of-control spending, the wise course is to tackle the explosion ...
May 17, 2006
A Victory for Taxpayers and the Economy
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1082)
This afternoon, President George W. Bush signed the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (H.R. 4297), which Congress passed last week.
May 8, 2006
Economy Will Benefit If Lawmakers Extend 15 Percent Tax Rate on Dividends and Capital Gains
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1066)
Lower tax rates on dividends and capital gains have proven successful.
April 7, 2006
March Employment Growth Shows that Congress Should Finish Its April Tax Bill
By Rea S. Hederman Jr. and James Sherk
(WebMemo #1032)
Americans should take a moment during this busy week of filing their tax returns to reflect on how much the 2003 tax cuts reduced their ...
February 16, 2006
Make the Dividend and Capital Gains Tax Rates Permanent to Keep the Economy Growing
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and William W. Beach
(Backgrounder #1914)
Thanks in part to the reduced cost of capital, business investment has grown in every quarter since the 2003 tax cut, but the average taxation ...
February 9, 2006
The Bush Budget's Hidden Gold: Dynamic Scoring Comes to the Treasury
By William W. Beach
(WebMemo #994)
At last, real economics will guide tax policy.
February 7, 2006
The President's Tax Agenda: Pro-Growth Measures Jeopardized by Excessive Spending and Misguided Focus on Deficit
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #992)
Making the tax cuts permanent is a good idea, but what about fundamental reform?
February 1, 2006
State of the Union 2006: A Mixed Message on Tax Policy
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D
(WebMemo #981)
Yes, make the tax cuts permanent. But what about fundamental tax reform?
January 5, 2006
Make the Bush Tax Cuts Permanent
By William W. Beach and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #956)
If the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 are allowed to expire, millions of working families will see their economic prospects dim.
December 8, 2005
Grading Congressional Tax Bills: "B" for the House, "D" for the Senate
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #934)
The Senate has enacted a tax package as part of reconciliation legislation, and the House is soon voting on its own version of a tax ...
November 19, 2005
When Would the President's Tax Cuts Expire?
By Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #921)
A list of the tax cut provisions and when they would expire.
November 1, 2005
Grading the Tax Reform Panel's Recommendations
By Daniel Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #903)
The President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform has issued a report calling for significant changes to the internal revenue code. More specifically, the Panel ...
October 24, 2005
A Benchmark for Assessing the Recommendations of the President's Tax Reform Panel
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #890)
To judge the Panel's report, there must be a yardstick. It should be the flat tax.
October 5, 2005
A Misguided Tax Reform That Would Do More Harm than Good
By Ernest S. Christian and Gary Robbins
(WebMemo #873)
Just because a tax is hidden does not mean that it does not exist.
September 21, 2005
The Economic and Budgetary Effects of the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005
By Tracy L. Foertsch, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(White Paper )
Projections of the bill's economic and budgetary effects.
September 21, 2005
Deeply Flawed CRS Katrina Study Urges Return to 1960s Fiscal Policy
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #854)
With the advances in economics over the past 40 years, this report is a bit of a suprise.
September 19, 2005
Repealing Tax Cuts to Pay For Katrina Recovery Would Cost the Gulf Coast, and the Nation, Jobs
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., Tim Kane, Ph.D., and Scott Moody
(WebMemo #849)
Congress should prioritize and cut spending, instead.
August 30, 2005
New Census Bureau Report Underscores the Need for More Pro-Growth Policies
By Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D., and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #825)
Poverty was basically unchanged in 2004. We need more economic growth to make progress.
August 22, 2005
Fixing America's Tax Code
By Ernest S. Christian
(WebMemo #821)
The essays in this collection were originally written as part of a series in Investor's Business Daily about fixing the tax code.
July 29, 2005
The Bad Tax Bill Within the Bad Energy Bill
By Ben Lieberman
(WebMemo #811)
The energy bill's tax provisions tax provisions are a collection of old ideas that have never worked, new ideas unlikely to work, and a lot ...
July 28, 2005
Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights Should Not Be Breached
By Alison Acosta Fraser
(Backgrounder #1873)
Colorado's Taxpayer's Bill of Rights imposes sensible tax and spending limits on the state government, reducing the burden on taxpayers and creating a better climate ...
July 27, 2005
AmeriSave: Recycled Good Ideas that Avoid the Main Problem
By David C. John
(WebMemo #807)
There are some good ideas here, but nothing new and nothing significant.
July 25, 2005
The Deduction for State and Local Taxes Undermines Tax Reform and Subsidizes High-Tax States
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #974)
The federal deduction for state and local taxes is bad tax policy and encourages bad fiscal policy at the state and local levels. By encouraging ...
July 13, 2005
The Tax Cuts Are Working, Yet Spending Challenges Remain
By Brian Riedl and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #794)
Deficits are trending down, for now, but spending must still be cut.
July 7, 2005
A Brief Guide to the Flat Tax
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1866)
The current income tax system punishes the economy, imposes heavy compliance costs on taxpayers, rewards special interests, and makes America less competitive. A flat tax ...
June 24, 2005
DeMint Plan Uses the Social Security Surplus for Retirement Instead of More Federal Spending
By David C. John
(WebMemo #773)
A good first step to promote fiscal honesty and ownership.
June 8, 2005
Measuring the Fairness of a Tax System
By William W. Beach
(Testimony )
Testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee.
June 7, 2005
A "Supply-Side" Success Story
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #755)
Why is the 2003 tax cut working so much better than the 2001 tax cut?
May 27, 2005
The President's Advisory Panel on Tax Reform Should Recommend a Flat Tax
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Testimony )
A comment to the President's advisory panel.
May 16, 2005
Beware the Value-Added Tax
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1852)
Enacting a value-added tax would be a costly mistake. The tax rate would doubtlessly climb, financing a surge of new federal spending; the result: a ...
April 19, 2005
Reversing the Bush Tax Cuts Would Not Fix Social Security
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and Andrew Grossman
(Backgrounder #1844)
President Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts stimulated investment and expanded employment, adding some strength to the Social Security system in the process. Extending these ...
April 14, 2005
How Federal Death Taxes and the Alternate Minimum Tax Challenge America's Small Businesses
By William W. Beach
(Testimony )
It hardly exaggerates the importance of small businesses to U.S. economic performance to state that economic activity would be substantially less without a deep and ...
April 12, 2005
The Perfect Target for Tax Reform: The Corporate AMT
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #719)
Repeal of the corporate AMT would not substantially impact tax revenue.
April 12, 2005
Now Is (Still) the Time to Permanently Repeal Federal Death Taxes
By William W. Beach
(WebMemo #720)
It's like Groundhog Day: repeal of the estate tax just keeps coming up.
March 29, 2005
The President's Savings Plans: Good for Retirees?and Everyone Else
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #704)
Social Security can be helped by allowing workers to invest part of their payroll taxes in their own accounts while also removing barriers to saving ...
March 24, 2005
A Guide to the 2005 Social Security Trustees' Report
By David C. John
(WebMemo #702)
The annual report of the Social Security's Trustees was released to the public March 23. This briefing provides the important facts in order to get ...
March 21, 2005
Social Security's Inevitable Future
By David C. John
(WebMemo #696)
What year the deficits start matters less than the deficits themselves.
March 17, 2005
Raising Returns on Trust Fund Bonds: Simple, Easy To Explain, and Completely Wrong
By David C. John
(WebMemo #695)
Why not just increase interest on the Trust Fund bonds?
March 14, 2005
Add-On Accounts: At Best, a Bad Fix for Social Security
By David C. John
(WebMemo #686)
No matter how they're structured, add-on accounts are a bad deal.
March 4, 2005
Michael Kinsley's "Meathead Proposition" Reveals Why Actors Make Poor Financial Advisors
By David C. John
(WebMemo #677)
Another 'irrefutable' argument bites the dust.
February 16, 2005
Raising the Social Security Payroll Tax Cap Does Not Fix Social Security
By David C. John
(WebMemo #667)
Raising the wage cap would just make Social Security a greater burden.
January 14, 2005
Did the Bush Tax Cuts Substantially Reduce Tax Payments by Corporations? A Critique of the Citizens for Tax Justice Report
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #05-01)
The recently released Citizens for Tax Justice study of corporate taxation is filled with errors and omissions. The report's most disturbing aspect is that it ...
January 13, 2005
The Unacceptable Costs of Raising Payroll Taxes to "Save" Social Security
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., William W. Beach, and Andrew Grossman
(WebMemo #639)
Small fixes turn out not to be so small.
December 8, 2004
A Closer Look at Revenue Estimating
By Judy Xanthopoulos, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-17)
It is important to demystify the revenue-estimating process: the operational system of revenue-estimating bodies, the real-world practical system, and the institutional practices that shape the ...
December 3, 2004
Transparency in Revenue Estimating
By Thomas F. Field
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-15)
Public-private competition can lay the groundwork for changes in revenue-estimating transparency practices, but Congress can set the rules, and a Blue Ribbon Commission sponsored by ...
November 24, 2004
A Research Program on the Interplay Between Entrepreneurial Activity and Tax Policy
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-16)
Little attention has been paid to the relationship between entrepreneurship (at all levels) and federal tax policy. Numerous databases could—and do—support research into this relationship, ...
November 9, 2004
A Comparison of Tax Distribution Tables: How Missing or Incomplete Information Distorts Perspectives
By Jason J. Fichtner
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-13)
No tax distribution table can present every nuance associated with estimated changes in the distribution of taxes. It is possible to include enough information so ...
November 5, 2004
Tax Incidence, Tax Burden, and Tax Shifting: Who Really Pays the Tax?
By Stephen J. Entin
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-12)
The adverse consequences of non-neutral taxation and graduated tax rates, and the resulting impact on "social equity," are not displayed in the so-called burden tables ...
October 28, 2004
Tax Hypocrisy: Kerry Makes the Case for Fundamental Tax Reform
By Richard W. Rahn
(WebMemo #600)
The Kerrys' own tax return makes the case for fundamental tax reform.
October 25, 2004
Dividend Policy and the 2003 Tax Cut: Preliminary Evidence
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D., and Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #594)
Research suggests that these tax cuts did influence corporate behavior.
October 19, 2004
Why the Budget Deficit Should Not Stop Tax Reform: The Ensuing Struggle over "Neutrality"
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1808)
Only a simplified, pro-growth tax code, coupled with Social Security and Medicare systems that allow citizens to fund their own retirement and health care, can ...
October 13, 2004
Anything but Avoidance: Citizens for Tax Justice's Blundering Corporate Tax Report
By Norbert J. Michel, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #586)
CTJ's report on corporate taxation is riddled with errors.
September 23, 2004
One Cheer for the Tax Extender Package
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #572)
Congress will soon vote on extending several tax cuts. A good move, but there's more yet to do.
September 20, 2004
The Candidates' Tax Plans: Comparing the Economic and Fiscal Effects of the Bush and Kerry Tax Proposals
By William W. Beach, Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D., Rea S. Hederman, Jr., Alfredo B. Goyburu, and Tim Kane, Ph.D.
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-09)
Senator John Kerry's tax plan slows economic activity until 2011, when it generally adopts President George Bush's approach of permanent tax cuts. Even so, the ...
September 17, 2004
The Revenue Effects of Reinstating the Top Tax Rates
By Ralph A. Rector, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #568)
CDA estimates the six-year revenue effect of reinstating the top individual income tax rates.
September 3, 2004
Bush's Tax Proposal: A Principled Step in the Right Direction
By Rea S. Hederman and Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #562)
President George W. Bush called for tax reform and a "simpler, fairer, pro-growth system." These goals should be the foundation for any reform of the ...
August 24, 2004
Two Americas: One Rich, One Poor? Understanding Income Inequality in the United States
By Robert Rector and Rea Hederman, Jr.
(Backgrounder #1791)
The top fifth of U.S. households perform a third of all labor, contain the best educated and most productive workers, provide a disproportionate share of ...
August 24, 2004
Executive Summary: Two Americas: One Rich, One Poor? Understanding Income Inequality in the United States
By Robert Rector and Rea Hederman, Jr.
(Executive Summary #1791)
The top fifth of U.S. households perform a third of all labor, contain the best educated and most productive workers, provide a disproportionate share of ...
July 21, 2004
The 2003 Tax Cuts and the Economy: A One-Year Assessment
By Bill Beach, Rea Hederman, Tim Kane
(WebMemo #543)
All across the economic spectrum, JGTRRA left its tracks.
July 15, 2004
FSC/ETI Conference Should Not Waste Opportunity for Real Tax Reform
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1779)
The FSC/ETI law is not good tax policy and should be repealed. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate have recently approved bills (H.R. ...
June 14, 2004
Practical Aspects of Dynamic Revenue Estimation
By Martin A. Sullivan
(Center for Data Analysis Report #04-05)
The supply-side framework outlined in this paper does not include all the effects of taxation that economists would like to examine. Depending on one's perspective, ...
June 9, 2004
Sales Tax Deduction Would Subsidize Bigger Government, Undermine Tax Reform
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #520)
A federal deduction for state sales tax would facilitate an increase in the burden of state and local government.
June 4, 2004
Jobs Momentum In May
By Bill Beach, Tim Kane, and Rea Hederman
(WebMemo #515)
Employment in America continues to expand strongly and steadily.
June 1, 2004
The Laffer Curve: Past, Present, and Future
By Arthur B. Laffer
(Backgrounder #1765)
According to the Laffer Curve, lower tax rates change people's economic behavior and stimulate economic growth, which leads to tax revenues exceeding static revenue estimates. ...
May 27, 2004
The Budget Conference Report and the Need for Real Process Reform
By Alison Acosta Fraser, Brian Riedl, and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #513)
The budget conference report has some good points but lacks real process reform
May 24, 2004
FSC/ETI: A Missed Opportunity?
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #509)
Lawmakers are squandering a major opportunity to improve U.S. competitiveness and prosperity.
April 29, 2004
First Quarter GDP: Above Average Again
By Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and William Beach
(WebMemo #493)
Today's numbers may presage employment growth, and they are just the latest evidence of the power of the President's tax cuts.
April 21, 2004
When Would the President's Tax Cuts Expire?
By Andrew M. Grossman
(WebMemo #486)
Descriptions of all that tax cuts that will expire between 2004 and 2011 unless Congress takes action.
April 16, 2004
How Would Senator Kerry's Tax Proposals Affect the Economy?
By William W. Beach
(WebMemo #483)
The net effect of Kerry's tax plan is a slower economy and job creation significantly below potential.
April 14, 2004
A Tax Code Report Card
By Daniel J. Mitchell
(WebMemo #476)
Have recent tax policy changes have led to a better tax code?
April 14, 2004
The Silver Lining of Tax Day 2004
By Alison Acosta Fraser, Bill Beach, Daniel Mitchell, and Keith Miller
(WebMemo #477)
April 15 is a date that engenders much fear and loathing among taxpayers...and for good reason.
March 18, 2004
An Increase in the Gas Tax Would Hurt Consumers and Slow the Economy
By Rea S. Hederman and Alfredo Goyburu
(WebMemo #451)
Analysis shows that increasing the gas tax would depress economic activity and the incomes of millions of Americans.
March 5, 2004
Employment, Unemployment, and the Puzzle of Payroll Anemia
By Alison Acosta Fraser and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
(WebMemo #440)
Is this really a "jobless recovery?" Or is a fundamental restructuring in several sectors of the economy changing the rules of game, for the overall ...
March 1, 2004
Corporate Rate Reduction and International Tax Reform: Best Options for FSC/ETI Replacement Legislation
By Dan Mitchell
(WebMemo #437)
The FSC/ETI provisions are not good tax policy and the revenue generated by repealing those provisions can be used to finance much-needed changes in tax ...
February 27, 2004
Fourth Quarter GDP: Economic Growth and Ungrateful Economists
By Tim Kane, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #435)
Commerce revised the GDP growth from the fourth quarter of 2003 upwards to 4.1 percent. On any scale, that's strong growth and anything but "stagnant." ...
February 12, 2004
Spending Growth--Not Tax Cuts--Is the Reason for Fiscal Imbalance
By Daniel J. Mitchell, Ph.D.
(Executive Memorandum #913)
Some critics of the Bush Administration charge that tax cuts have dramatically reduced government revenues, causing long-term deficits that will hurt the economy by driving ...
February 6, 2004
Increased Investment Pushes January Job Growth
By William W. Beach, Alison Acosta Fraser, Rea S. Hederman, Jr., and Tim Kane
(WebMemo #416)
The President's pro-growth economic pl
