Garrett Watson

COVID-19 Tax Relief Added to Increasing Share of Households Paying No Income Tax

According to the Tax Policy Center, an estimated 60 percent of U.S. households paid no income tax in 2020, up from around 43 percent of households in 2019.

Striking Right Balance for Cryptocurrency Reporting Requirements in Bipartisan Infrastructure Package

While it makes sense to ensure cryptocurrency transactions are treated similarly to other financial assets, the nature of these requirements as written are potentially unworkable.

Congressional Budget Office Shows 2017 Tax Law Reduced Tax Rates Across the Board in 2018

CBO data shows that the TCJA reduced federal tax rates for households across every income level while increasing the share of tax paid by the top 1 percent.

Three Reasons Why Full Cost Recovery Is Right Even if Assets Increase in Value

The ideal treatment is to match the tax code to a firm’s cash flow—allow immediate deductions for all expenses, including all forms of investment, while taxing the resulting returns from the investments.

Comparing Three Financing Options for President Biden’s Spending Proposals

While Congress continues to debate how to pay for President Biden’s spending proposals in the fiscal year 2022 budget, it is useful to consider the economic impact of a range of financing options in addition to the President’s proposed tax increases.

Amortization Deductions for Sports Teams Properly Part of the Income Tax System

The media has reported on how wealthy taxpayers who own sports teams lower their tax liability by deducting the cost of purchasing a sports team over 15 years. Contrary to claims that deducting the cost of a sports team from taxable income is a “loophole,” such deductions are a normal and proper part of the income tax system.

Dynamic Scoring of Infrastructure Spending Proposals Offsets Small Portion of the Cost

While it is good that policymakers are taking the impact of the economy on tax revenue seriously, it is important to remember that the dynamic effect of increased spending would only offset a small portion of the total spending. In other words, new spending—like tax cuts—rarely pays for itself.

Biden Plan’s Higher Taxation of Businesses Would Boost Collections to Highest in 40-Plus Years

President Biden’s tax proposals released as part of his fiscal year 2022 budget would collect about $2 trillion in new tax revenue from businesses over 10 years. This new revenue would bring income tax collections on businesses as a portion of GDP to its highest level on a sustained basis in over 40 years.

U.S. Corporate Tax Expenditures and Effective Tax Rates in Line with OECD Peers

Last week, an analysis by Reuters suggested that U.S. firms pay less income tax than foreign competitors, in part because “the U.S. tax code is unusually generous with tax breaks and deductions,” also known as corporate tax expenditures. However, the Reuters analysis is at odds with other data and studies indicating that U.S. corporate tax expenditures and effective tax rates are about on par with those in peer countries in the OECD.

Trade-offs of Expanding Individual Tax Credits While Repealing SALT Deduction

Expanding the generosity of tax credits for lower-income individuals can help make the tax code more progressive, but it also reduces federal revenue. Pairing a credit expansion with a tax offset may sustain federal revenue but can also hamper economic growth.

Tax Reform’s Broader Corporate Tax Base Opens More to Biden’s Proposed Rate Hike

Details and Analysis of President Biden’s FY 2022 Budget Proposals

Explore President Biden budget proposals, including tax and spending in American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan. See Biden tax and spending proposals.

Broad-Based Taxes on Consumption and User Fees Are Efficient Ways to Raise Federal Revenue for Infrastructure

Rather than relying on damaging corporate tax hikes, policymakers should consider user fees and consumption taxes as options for financing new infrastructure to ensure that a compromise does not end up being a net negative for the U.S. economy.

Taxing Consumption Progressively Is a Better Way to Tax the Wealthy

Policymakers concerned about the current tax treatment of unrealized capital gains would be better off exploring policy solutions like consumption taxes rather than tried-and-failed strategies.

Repealing Tariffs Would Be a Simple Option to Boost U.S. Economic Growth

Of the many tax policies modeled in our new Options for Reforming America’s Tax Code 2.0, repealing the tariffs imposed under President Trump’s administration would be one of the simplest ways policymakers could boost economic growth.

Joint Committee on Taxation Data Shows Federal Tax System Is Progressive

New Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) data indicates that the federal tax system is progressive, consistent with similar analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the OECD.

Financing Infrastructure Spending with Corporate Tax Increases Would Stunt Economic Growth

The Biden administration’s American Jobs Plan proposal to fund infrastructure spending relies on a bet that the benefits outweigh the costs of a higher corporate tax burden. Using the Tax Foundation model, we find that this trade-off is a bad one for the U.S. economy, resulting in reduced GDP, less capital investment, fewer jobs, and lower wages.

Taxing Unrealized Capital Gains at Death Is Unlikely to Raise Revenue Advertised

As part of the tax proposals in President Biden’s American Families Plan, unrealized capital gains over $1 million would be taxed at death. However, this policy would likely raise less revenue than advocates expect after considering the proposal’s impact on taxpayer behavior, including capital gains realizations, and historical capital gains and estate tax revenue collections.

Details and Analysis of Tax Proposals in President Biden’s American Families Plan

The Biden administration’s proposed American Families Plan includes several major tax changes. Explore the tax proposals in the American Families Plan.

25 Percent Corporate Income Tax Rate Would Make U.S. Above Average Compared to Peers

Some lawmakers have expressed concerns about President Biden’s proposal to raise the federal corporate income tax rate from 21 percent to 28 percent, and instead suggest raising the rate to 25 percent.