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.
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Benefits of the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act for the Lower-Middle Class
According to the Taxes and Growth model, the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act should increase after-tax income by 4.5 percent for those in the second-lowest quintile, and by 4.6 percent for those in the middle quintile.
3 min read![Tax Expenditures interest deductions, sources of personal income, Gross Receipts Taxes](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/cash_money-300x200.jpg)
How the State and Local Tax Deduction Interacts with the AMT and Pease Limitation
The way the state and local tax deduction, alternative minimum tax, and Pease limitation interact is complex. This primer makes things easier to understand.
5 min read![International Tax](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/globe-300x200.jpg)
House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Would Substantially Improve the U.S.’s International Tax Competitiveness
Considered as a whole, this plan would make the U.S. substantially more competitive, not only due to lower rates but also due to a better tax structure.
2 min read![small business pass-through, business people working, businesses now have 100 percent bonus depreciation](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/small-business-e1529349200987-300x200.jpeg)
Explaining the Pass-Through Income Anti-Abuse Rules in the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
Though admittedly complex, the pass-through anti-abuse rules in the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act represent a well-thought-out approach to dealing with this issue.
5 min read![](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/14785020399_106b32fc94_o-300x200.jpg)
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![United States Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. Aerial. The United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the Federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall.](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/US_Capitol2-300x205.jpg)
Eight Important Changes in the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The widely anticipated House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act includes hundreds of structural changes to the tax code. Here are the eight most important provisions in no particular order.
6 min read![Tax on stock buybacks Wyden stock buybacks tax Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, House Ways and Means, temporary tax policy](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/flickr_-_uscapitol_-_east_fron-300x215.jpg)
Details of the House Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The House Tax Cuts and Jobs act would fundamentally reform the U.S. tax code for the first time in over 30 years. Here are all the important details.
4 min read![](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/salt-dollars-2015-300x257.png)
Five Implications of Retaining the Property Tax Deduction Under Federal Tax Reform
To achieve meaningful tax reform, Congress will require significant base-broadeners. Saving the property tax deduction makes the math more difficult, but still leaves clear paths forward.
6 min read![](https://taxfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/north-carolina-capitol-300x225.jpg)