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IRS Funding and Technology
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) finds itself under fire often. Outdated technology, millions of unanswered calls, and cafeterias full of paper returns—it’s clear that America’s tax collector needs improvement. Jesse is joined by Courtney Kay-Decker and Jared Ballew, chair and vice chair (respectively) of the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). They discuss ETAAC’s annual report that lays out what the IRS is doing right, and what it’s doing wrong, as the agency continues to see its duties grow.

How to Think About IRS Tax Enforcement Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act increases the IRS’s budget by roughly $80 billion over 10 years. The money is broken into four main categories—enforcement, operations support, business system modernization, and taxpayer services—as well as a few other small items such as an exploratory study on the potential of a free-file system.
6 min read
Japan’s Tax and Benefit System for Working Parents Isn’t Working
The Japanese tax and benefit system comes with trade-offs that policymakers must keep in mind when planning to reform the tax policy.
7 min read
Australia’s Tax and Benefit System Might Deter Working Parents from Advancing in Their Careers
While the tax and benefit system can be successful in keeping low-income working households out of poverty and encouraging workforce participation, high marginal tax rates like the one observed in the case of this Australian working parent act as barriers to upward mobility.
6 min read
Indiana Should Use Surplus to Expedite Rate Cuts, Index Exemptions for Inflation
Expediting income tax rate reductions and indexing major income tax provisions for inflation are two of the most important tax policy changes policymakers could make to provide meaningful tax relief to Hoosiers both now and in the years to come.
4 min read
Health-care Premiums Could Deter Canadians’ Upward Mobility
Canadian workers could face up to two important marginal tax rate spikes and lose 60 percent of additional earnings to the provincial health-care premium.
4 min read
Push for Higher Taxes Is Misguided During a Time of Inflation and Looming Recession
Some 40 years ago, the U.S. dealt with high inflation and slow economic growth. Then as now, the solution is a long-term focus on stronger economic growth and sustainable federal budgets.
5 min read
Technology and Taxes
From policy to filing, from accounting to compliance: technology is truly shaping the future of taxes. We chat with Ben Alarie, CEO of Blue J, about how companies are utilizing technology to comply with the tax code and how policymakers can use technology to advance tax laws that support an ever-evolving economy.

Lithuanian Model Could Help French Workers’ Upward Mobility
Reshaping some of these policies to generate a smoother variation of marginal tax rates over different income levels would likely raise labor supply and encourage the upward mobility of workers and especially that of average-income workers.
5 min read
Idaho’s Tax Hiking Ballot Measure Is Riddled With Mistakes
Idaho Ballot initiative would impose an incredibly high top marginal rate that would fall on many small businesses, not just high-income earners.
7 min read
Navigating the Complex Income Tax System in Italy
High marginal tax rates can act as barriers to upward mobility, discouraging people from advancing in their careers.
5 min read
Marginal Tax Rates and Economic Opportunity
Research has shown that spikes in tax rates can act as barriers to upward mobility. High marginal tax rates might directly influence the decisions workers make about accepting a raise, working additional hours, or whether they might remain on government benefits.
8 min read
Efforts to Improve Tax Treatment of Saving Gain Traction on Hill
The proposals share a common goal of improving incentives for households to save during a time when inflation is impacting their finances.
3 min read
Carbon Taxes in the Global Market: Changes on the Way?
As policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic debate the way forward on carbon border adjustment mechanisms, it is important to keep principles of good tax policy in mind.
7 min read
Pro-Growth Tax Reforms Throughout the Republican Study Committee’s FY 2023 Budget
The United States needs to grow its way out of inflation and set the economy up for continued growth—the tax code provides tools for policymakers to do just that.
3 min read
Clean Up on the Grocery Tax Aisle
Amidst soaring inflation, policymakers across the political spectrum proposed many ideas to soften the blow of higher prices–especially for low-income workers and families. One idea that caught on quickly: sales tax relief on groceries. The idea had its merits, but Tax Foundation research shows that it may have missed the mark.

Tax Filing Season: Options for Improvement
Efforts to improve the taxpayer experience should focus on the IRS’s operations and include structural improvements to the tax code.
4 min read
Chaotic IRS Filing Season Shows the Perils of Running Social Policy Through the Tax Code
As the deadline for tax filing nears, the IRS faces scrutiny for its backlog of returns, inaccessible taxpayer service, and delays in issuing certain refunds.
5 min read
Georgia Makes Strides Toward Tax Competitiveness
Lawmakers can be proud of the steps that they have taken toward a better tax code but should consider revisiting the design of the bill’s tax triggers in order to better accomplish their goal of responsible improvement.
6 min read