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Tax Policy Blog

Stay informed with quick and accessible analysis of today's top tax policy topics. Read Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Blog for insight from our experts on tax policies across the U.S. and abroad.

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Blog Articles

6168 Results
Extending tax cuts budgetary impact 2017 tax law Tax Cuts and Jobs Act policy baseline vs law baseline

All About That Base(line)

If lawmakers are serious about pro-growth policies and fiscal responsibility, they will need to put policies forward that achieve those goals. Simply adjusting the baseline doesn’t reduce actual deficits in the coming years.

7 min read
Social Security crisis insolvency

How the Payroll Tax Base Has Changed Over Time

The Social Security trust funds face looming insolvency if policymakers don’t reform the program. One issue that garners a lot of attention in the debate over solutions is the payroll tax cap.

3 min read
2024 Drug Policy Ballot Initiative, Drug Legalization Results

Momentum Slows for State Drug Legalization Policies via 2024 State Ballot Initiatives

With the significant potential for state revenues, and the prior political success of arguments that legalization can shift consumers to safer legal markets, it seems likely that states will continue to see legislation and ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana at the state level—even states that failed to do so this election.

5 min read
Trump Tax Cuts, Tariffs, and Reconciliation After the 2024 Election

Questions About Tax Cuts, Tariffs, and Reconciliation After the Election

Fiscal pressures are likely to weigh heavily on lawmakers as they craft a tax reform package. That increased pressure could result in well-designed tax reform that prioritizes economic growth, simplicity, and stability, or it could encourage budget gimmicks and economically harmful offsets. Lawmakers should avoid the latter.

8 min read
Trump tariffs impact economy analysis

How Will Trump’s Universal and China Tariffs Impact the Economy?

President-elect Trump may want to impose tariffs to encourage investment and work, but his strategy will backfire. Tariffs will certainly create benefits for protected industries, but those benefits come at the expense of consumers and other industries throughout the economy.

5 min read
Donald Trump Tariffs Revenue Estimates Income Taxes US Households Tax Hike

Revenue Estimates of Trump’s Universal Baseline Tariffs

Lawmakers will need to pursue fiscal responsibility as they address the tax law expirations, but fiscal responsibility requires finding sound ways to pay for spending priorities. Tariffs don’t make the cut.

4 min read
Details and Analysis of Repealing Head of Household Filing Status

Repealing Head of Household Filing Status: Details and Analysis

As lawmakers prepare for the debate over the expiration of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), they may face increasing pressure to offset the cost of lowering tax rates by changing other parts of the tax code. One potential option to raise additional revenue to cover the cost of the TCJA’s reforms—like lower rates, a larger standard deduction, and a larger child tax credit—would be to repeal the head of household filing status.

5 min read
United Kingdom UK windfall taxes energy oil and gas

Are Windfall Taxes Becoming the New Normal in the UK?

Even though energy prices have declined from their recent peak, the United Kingdom is one of the few countries in Europe continuing to rely on windfall profits taxes to support households with the rising cost of living.

4 min read
Taxes in the Internet Age, World Wide Web, E-file, and Internet Tax Policy

Taxes in the Internet Age

Today marks 55 years since two students sent the first message across the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) between computers at four universities, which would later become the internet we enjoy today.

5 min read

What Sets the US and China Apart on Tax?

Broad, pro-investment tax policy matters for growth, and the US has plenty of opportunities to make improvements, particularly given the advantages our cross-Pacific rival confers on its firms.

5 min read
Trump tariffs largest tax increase Harris tax plan largest tax increase tax cuts and tax hikes historically

Placing Harris and Trump Tax Plans in Historical Context

Trump’s tariff hikes would rank as the the largest tax increase outside of wartime since 1940. Meanwhile, Harris’s tax plan would rank as the 6th largest tax increase outside of wartime since 1940.

5 min read
2026 Tax Brackets Tax Filing Tax Season

How 2026 Tax Brackets Would Change if the TCJA Expires

If Congress allows the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) to expire as scheduled, most aspects of the individual income tax would undergo substantial changes, resulting in more than 62 percent of tax filers experiencing tax increases in 2026.

3 min read
Donald Trump Americans Abroad Tax Compliance Relief Proposal

Americans Abroad Need Compliance Cost Relief

Trump’s proposal would bring the US more in line with most other developed economies, which tax only those who live and work within their borders.

4 min read