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Evaluating U.S. Tax Reform Options & Trade-Offs

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.

Maryland local income tax hike proposal

Maryland Considers Raising Local Income Taxes

Local income taxes in Maryland constitute about 35 percent of local tax collections and more than 17 percent of local revenue, giving Maryland’s localities the highest dependence on income taxes in the nation.

5 min read
Tax Foundation Discussion on the Harms of Retaliatory Tax and Trade Policies with Senator Blackburn

Tax Foundation Discussion on the Harms of Retaliatory Tax and Trade Policies

Historical evidence and recent studies have shown that retaliatory tax and trade proposals raise prices and reduce the quantity of goods and services available to U.S. businesses and consumers, resulting in lower incomes, reduced employment, and lower economic output.

5 min read
Portugal VAT tax reform options

Mind the Gap, Please! How Portugal Could Reform Its VAT System

Portugal’s value-added tax (VAT) policy is a treasure trove of tax oddities. Thankfully, VAT base broadening is an ideal instrument to give the Portuguese government the fiscal room to implement pro-growth tax reforms

5 min read
Donald Trump China Trade War Proposal Tariff of Abominations Redux: Trump Proposes 60% Tariff on Chinese Goods

Tariff of Abominations Redux: Trump Proposes 60% Tariff on Chinese Goods

The Trump campaign is mulling a massive tax increase on American purchases from China. If reelected, he might quintuple the tax, imposing tariffs of 60 percent on imports from China. The economic ramifications would be significant and unwelcome.

5 min read
JCT Report Shows How Corporate Tax Breaks Have Expanded, Analysis of JCT Corporate Tax Expenditures

JCT Report Shows How Corporate Tax Breaks Have Expanded

Lawmakers should prioritize creating a tax system that supports investment more broadly rather than subsidizing specific industries and allowing broad, neutral pro-investment provisions to expire.

3 min read
Nebraska Property Tax Relief Proposal by Governor Jim Pillen

Evaluating Nebraska Governor’s Plan for Property Tax Relief

Nebraskans need property tax relief and there are sound ways to provide it. However, increasing the sales tax rate to the highest in the country and dramatically increasing cigarette excises is not sound tax policy. 

5 min read