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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.

ARPA tax mandate American Rescue Plan Act state tax cuts

ARPA’s Tax Mandate Ruled Unconstitutional by Appellate Court

The Fifth Circuit has affirmed states’ authority over their respective tax policies and has asserted that the offset clause—often called the “Tax Mandate”—of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) has enough fiscal impact on a state’s budget so as to be coercive, as opposed to incentivizing.

5 min read
Pa income tax reform 2024 Pennsylvania income tax cuts PA tax cuts and Pennsylvania tax cuts

Evaluating Proposed Pennsylvania Income Tax Reforms

The proposal is a good example of what can be done to reduce tax burdens on residents if spending is constrained. There are real, tangible benefits associated with enacting this pro-growth reform that should not be discounted.

5 min read
California internet tax California data extraction mitigation fee California Journalism Preservation Act

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
Hungary EU presidency tax reform and tax policies

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
Full TCJA extension fiscal challenges highlighted by latest CBO projections

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 tax cuts and relief Arkansas tax reform 2024

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