The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic poses a triple challenge for tax policy in the United States. Lawmakers are tasked with crafting a policy response that will accelerate the economic recovery, reduce the mounting deficit, and protect the most vulnerable.
To assist lawmakers in navigating the challenge, and to help the American public understand the tax changes being proposed, the Tax Foundation’s Center for Federal Tax Policy modeled how 70 potential changes to the tax code would affect the U.S. economy, distribution of the tax burden, and federal revenue.
In tax policy there is an ever-present trade-off among how much revenue a tax will raise, who bears the burden of a tax, and what impact a tax will have on economic growth. Armed with the information in our new book, Options for Reforming America’s Tax Code 2.0, policymakers can debate the relative merits and trade-offs of each option to improve the tax code in a post-pandemic world.

How Have Federal Revenues Evolved since the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?
As members of Congress prepare to address the expiration of the TCJA, they should appreciate how revenues have evolved since 2017.
4 min read
Retail Delivery Fees Are Not the Panacea for States’ Transport Budget Woes
Retail delivery fees are an inefficient and ineffective way to close budget gaps, and lawmakers should consider other, more sound, policy options.
5 min read
California Explores New Ways to Tax the Internet
The data extraction mitigation fee is modeled after Maryland’s digital advertising tax, which has been mired in litigation since its inception and is very likely unconstitutional and in conflict with federal law.
6 min read
Tax Files under New Council of EU Presidency: Hungary
As Hungary takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the aftermath of the European elections, the relationship between tax policy and Europe’s competitiveness will be closely linked.
6 min read
Latest CBO Projections Highlight Fiscal Challenge of Full TCJA Extension
While neither full expiration nor a deficit-financed full extension of the TCJA would be appropriate, lawmakers should consider the incentive effects of whichever tax reform they pursue. Because taxes affect the economy, they also affect the sustainability of debt reduction.
3 min read
Arkansas Enacts Fourth Tax Cut in Less than Two Years
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) recently called a brief special legislative session to enact the fourth round of reductions to the Natural State’s individual and corporate income taxes. Legislators also passed a modest property tax reform proposal.
4 min read
Tax Policy Questions 2024 Presidential Candidates Should Address
Both candidates should provide clear and honest answers about their plans (or lack thereof) to address the nation’s urgent tax policy issues.
8 min read
Understanding Full Expensing in the United Kingdom
Given the positive contribution of full expensing to economic growth and that the UK already incurred the peak-year costs due to the existing policy, it is imperative to maintain it permanently.
5 min read
Enhancing the US Tax Treaty Network: Prioritizing Brazil and Singapore
The National Foreign Trade Council’s survey shows that the private sector recognizes the economic value of treaties as an instrument to increase tax certainty and decrease distortions.
3 min read
Supreme Court Rules against Moores 7-2, Leaves Most Questions Undecided
The government won in Moore. However, given the narrow opinion of the court and the reasoning in the Barrett concurrence and the Thomas dissent, it seems likely that future rulings under other facts and circumstances could favor taxpayers instead.
7 min read