
Garrett Watson is Director of Policy Analysis at the Tax Foundation, where he conducts research on federal and state tax policy. His work has been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Politico, the Associated Press and other major outlets.
Previously, Garrett was a program manager at a nearby think tank and conducted policy research on economic opportunity and labor markets, including non-compete clause reform.
Garrett earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Lawrence University in upstate New York, where he studied economics and philosophy. Garrett lives in northwest Arkansas and is an avid hockey fan and snowboarder.
Latest Work


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.
12 min read
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.
2 min read
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.
5 min read
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.
2 min read
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.
2 min read
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.
3 min read
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.
5 min read
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.
10 min read
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.
3 min read
Relaxing State and Local Tax Deduction Cap Would Make Tax Code Less Progressive
As President Biden’s tax plans are considered in Congress, the future of the $10,000 cap for state and local tax deductions (SALT) is becoming an important part of the tax debate.
3 min read
Providing Full Cost Recovery for Investment and Lowering Taxes on Firms Are Best Options for Boosting Growth
As policymakers consider tax options to boost the U.S. economy’s long-run economic growth, they should consider reforms that would increase growth the most while minimizing forgone tax revenue.
4 min read
Biden’s Proposed Capital Gains Tax Rate Would be Highest for Many in a Century
The Biden administration is proposing to tax long-term capital gains at ordinary income rates for high earners, which will bring the top federal rate to highs not seen since the 1920s.
2 min read
Top Combined Capital Gains Tax Rates Would Average 48 Percent Under Biden’s Tax Plan
The top federal rate on capital gains would be 43.4 percent under Biden’s tax plan (when including the net investment income tax). Rates would be even higher in many U.S. states due to state and local capital gains taxes, leading to a combined average rate of over 48 percent compared to about 29 percent under current law.
3 min read
Modernizing Rental Car and Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Taxes for a Post-Pandemic Future
The economic evidence shows that travelers and tourists are sensitive to price changes for rental cars and adjust their behavior to avoid the tax, harming state economies and the travel sector right as the industry is trying to recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
30 min read
Imposing New Taxes on Peer-to-Peer Car Sharing Will Not Help Texas Economic Recovery
Imposing the rental car excise tax on peer-to-peer car sharing would be a move in the wrong direction by expanding a costly and distortive tax for visitors whose business will help Texans recover post-pandemic.
4 min read
Reviewing the Federal Tax Treatment of Research & Development Expenses
Simplifying the R&D credit, making it more accessible for smaller firms, and ensuring full cost recovery for R&D expenses by canceling the upcoming R&D amortization are three things policymakers should consider when trying to improve the tax code for R&D.
40 min read
Biden’s Corporate Minimum Book Tax Narrows, but Problems and Uncertainties Remain
The corporate tax base should be reformed directly, rather than piecemeal through a complicated and burdensome separate tax applicable to a small number of companies.
5 min read
U.S. Effective Corporate Tax Rate Is Right in Line With Its OECD Peers
Whether we use corporate tax collections as a portion of GDP, average effective tax rates, or marginal tax rates, each measure shows that the U.S. effective corporate tax burden is close to or above the average compared to its OECD peers. Raising corporate income taxes would put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage, whether one looks at statutory tax rates or effective corporate tax rates.
4 min read
Combined Corporate Rates Would Exceed 30 Percent in Most States Under Biden’s Tax Plan
While the focus has been on the federal rate, it is important to include state tax rates when thinking about the total tax burden on corporate income.
3 min read