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Huaqun Li Tax Foundation
Expert

Huaqun Li

Senior Economist

Dr. Huaqun Li is a Senior Economist at the Tax Foundation. She focuses on developing and maintaining the Foundation’s Taxes and Growth Model, which models the budgetary and economic effects of changes to federal tax policy.

Huaqun also uses the Taxes and Growth Model to model individual and corporate tax policy proposals and reform plans and helps with publishing the results. Before joining the Tax Foundation, she was a research economist at Regional Economics Models, Inc. at Amherst, MA, where she worked on model building, empirical analysis, and new product development on economic and demographic forecast models.

Dr. Huaqun Li received her PhD in Public Policy Analysis from George Mason University. Her primary research areas include regional economic development, regional inequality, entrepreneurship and new firms, as well as regional development in China.

Huaqun lives in Fairfax, Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, and doing yoga.

Written Works

Details and analysis of the economic growth and opportunity US tax reform plan includes federal flat tax, distributed profits tax, and eliminating the federal estate tax

Details and Analysis of a Tax Reform Plan for Growth and Opportunity

The federal tax code remains a major source of frustration and controversy for Americans, and a hindrance to economic growth and opportunity. Other countries, such as Estonia, have proven that sufficient tax revenue can be collected in a less frustrating and more efficient way.

Carbon Taxes and the Future of Tax Reform, See more on green tax and climate change tax reform proposals

Carbon Taxes and the Future of Green Tax Reform

Our new analysis reviews the basic structure of carbon taxes, how they compare to the existing set of climate policies, and how they could fit into various pro-growth tax reform packages.

2022 state tax changes effective January 1, 2022 child tax credit changes and child tax credit reform options 2021 state tax changes July 1 2021 US business tax collections remained close to historical norm in 2018. US business tax revenue and taxes paid by pass-through firms

Temporary Policies Complicate the Child Tax Credit’s Future

Over the next ten years, the structure of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) is scheduled to change, complicating efforts to extend enhanced CTC benefits or reform the CTC for the long-term. Rather than take an all-or-nothing approach or kick the can down the road by relying on temporary expansions, lawmakers could consider alternative options that better target low-income households, retain work incentives, reduce the impact on federal revenue, and provide taxpayers with a stable, consistent tax code.

The impact of Biden tax plan by state and congressional district 2021

The Impact of the Biden Administration’s Tax Proposals by State and Congressional District

The redistribution of income from the Biden administration’s tax proposals would involve many winners and losers, not only across different types of taxpayers but also geographically across the country. Launch our new interactive map to see average tax changes by state and congressional district over the budget window from 2022 to 2031. 

Financing Additional Infrastructure Spending with Corporate Tax Increases Would Stunt Economic Growth Biden Infrastructure plan American Jobs Plan new infrastructure $1 trillion in additional infrastructure

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.

GOP Covid GOP proposal GOP Covid proposal and Biden American Rescue Plan Biden GOP covid proposal GOP covid relief bill

Modeling Different Proposals for Round Three Direct Payments

President Biden is calling for a third round of economic impact payments to households as part of his $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. Under the plan, the payments would be $1,400 per person, topping off the recent round of $600 payments for a combined $2,000 per person. Senate Republicans have proposed payment amounts of $1,000 per individual and $500 per dependent, lower income thresholds, and faster phaseout rates.