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.
To find our most recent research papers and data, click the links below.
Today’s advocates would do well to study the history of excess profits taxes before overselling these taxes as a solution to the COVID-19 crisis.
2 min read
The European Council recently agreed on a new multiannual budget and a recovery program, which sets EU budget levels for 2021-2027 totals €1 trillion (US $1.2 trillion). The lack of details on the various tax proposals and the eventual need for revenue sources to finance new EU debt mean there is a lot of work left for policymakers in Brussels to do.
4 min read
As U.S. businesses struggle to recover from the economic downturn, Congress and the White House continue to debate a phase four relief package, which could include anything from incentives for domestic travel and a payroll tax cut to more fundamental reforms like enacting permanent full cost recovery.
2 min read
From a revenue standpoint, Wisconsin was better off than many states going into this crisis, but the policy decisions—including tax policy decisions—state policymakers make in the months ahead will have far-reaching implications for how quickly jobs and wages are restored in Wisconsin.
7 min read
Spain is planning to implement two major taxes during the next few months, a digital services tax and a financial transaction tax, which have the potential to negatively impact capital formation, growth, and economic recovery and start a harmful trade war.
5 min read
Hungary is the only EU state to have actually implemented COVID-19 tax hikes.
3 min read
Before considering industry-specific laws and subsidies for onshoring, policymakers should make sure the U.S. tax code is not biased against domestic investment in the first place.
4 min read
As concern over American competitiveness and onshoring of innovative activity increases, presidential candidates and policymakers should keep in mind the tax increases scheduled to take effect in the coming years, including the amortization of R&D and phaseout of the broader expensing provisions.
3 min read
The USTR announced new tariffs in response to the French digital services tax of 25% on $1.3 billion worth of goods. The tariffs would apply to several make-up products, handbags, and assorted soaps.
1 min read
As work increasingly takes place in home offices, states will have to grapple with the revenue implications, and may find it necessary to adopt policies to better compete with outlying areas. Taxing people in places in which they no longer work, however, will not be the solution.
3 min read
Rather than limit improvements to certain sectors, lawmakers could pursue a broader policy of full expensing for all capital investment and neutral cost recovery for structures and clear the tax policy hurdles that currently stand in the way of private investment.
3 min read
While it is important that Peru find ways to offset its deficit spending, a temporary wealth tax may introduce more problems than it solves.
5 min read
Cost recovery is the way the tax code permits firms to recover (or deduct) the cost of making investments. Cost recovery plays an important role in defining a business’ taxable income and can impact investment decisions.
As lawmakers consider returning to the tax code as a tool to revive a struggling economy with high unemployment and an unpredictable virus, they should avoid temporary changes that can be distortive in the short term and inefficient in the long term.
4 min read
The size and scope of the tax changes within the CARES Act created significant administrative challenges for the IRS. Lawmakers should prioritize simplicity in the next round of relief.
3 min read
Corporate taxation has evolved significantly, with rates coming down significantly over the last several decades. Countries have redesigned their tax bases by changing the treatment of losses, interest, and capital costs. A recent OECD report highlights the general stabilization of corporate tax revenues and statutory rates alongside major changes to address profit-shifting opportunities.
4 min read
While much of Germany’s EU presidency agenda is focused on policies to ensure economic stability and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a pair of tax proposals that the country is planning to develop and move forward at the EU level: a financial transaction tax and a minimum effective tax.
5 min read