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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.

The Jobs and Wage Effects of a Corporate Rate Cut

Corporate tax reform done right is key to growing the economy, boosting real family incomes, and making the U.S. a better place in which to do business.

5 min read
tax cuts and jobs act

Options for Improving Cost Recovery for Structures

If lawmakers are looking to maximize the positive economic effects from a tax bill, then improving tax depreciation for structures should probably be part of the conversation. Here are a few options.

10 min read