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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.

OECD global tax deal Pillar Two revenue estimate by country of annual and average corporate tax revenue

Select Country-Level Revenue Estimates for Pillar Two

Pillar Two implementation is underway in many jurisdictions, and many governments are aiming to get their proposals approved before the end of 2023. However, estimating Pillar Two’s impact on government revenue is proving difficult. As a result, only a few countries have publicly presented their findings.

7 min read
Nonprofits are Financially Healthy and Doing Big Business Nonprofit Hospitals and Universities Untaxed Income

Nonprofits are Financially Healthy and Doing Big Business

Can an organization rightfully be called a “nonprofit” if it almost always makes money? And what if most of that organization’s income comes from “business income,” should it legitimately be considered a “charity”?

7 min read
Details and analysis of European Tax Trends and European Tax Reforms

Tax Trends in European Countries

In recent years, European countries have undertaken a series of tax reforms designed to maintain tax revenue levels while protecting households and businesses from high inflation.

8 min read
USITC Report Highlights Trade-Offs of Using Tariffs United States International Trade Commission Trump Tariffs

USITC Report Highlights Trade-Offs of Using Tariffs

The assessment of the tariffs President-elect Donald Trump imposed in 2018 and 2019 is clear: the policies have had a negative effect on American’s welfare.

4 min read
EU BEFIT proposal for Business in Europe Framework for Income Taxation

BEFIT: One-Stop-Shop or One-More-Stop?

On 12 September, the European Commission released a proposal called “Business in Europe: Framework for Income Taxation” (BEFIT) and two associated proposals on transfer pricing and a Head of Office tax system.

6 min read