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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.

 

Montana tax reform Gianforte tax reform (Gov Gianforte reform)

Montana Adopts Individual and Corporate Income Tax Reform

Montana adopted structural reforms to both individual and corporate income taxes during the recently adjourned legislative session, enacting three bills reducing individual tax rates, simplifying the state’s individual tax system, repealing 16 tax credits, and changing the apportionment factor for corporate income tax.

5 min read
marijuana policy, cannabis policy, federal taxation of recreational marijuana, MORE Act tax Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act

Less Should be MORE with Federal Cannabis Taxation

Federal lawmakers re-introduced the MORE Act, the most significant federal legislative development on marijuana policy in 50 years. The MORE Act would impose a federal excise tax on marijuana at a rate from 5 to 8 percent.

7 min read
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Arizona Legislators Consider Lower, Flatter Income Tax

The income tax changes in HB 2900 as introduced would improve Arizona’s individual income tax structure and economic competitiveness, making the state more attractive to individuals and pass-through businesses .

8 min read
Oklahoma tax bill Oklahoma tax legislation Oklahoma budget agreement signed by Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt income tax cuts

Oklahoma Passes Corporate and Individual Income Tax Reductions

Last Friday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed House Bills 2960, 2962, and 2963 into law as part of a budget agreement, bringing the legislature’s tax plans across the finish line. These bills will reduce the state’s corporate and individual income tax rates beginning in tax year 2022.

3 min read
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CBO Report on R&D and Tax Policy in the Pharmaceutical Industry

In a new report, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes federal policies that influence R&D spending in the pharmaceutical industry. The report highlights how taxes affect R&D investment incentives, underscoring the importance of structuring the tax code so that it is not biased against investment.

4 min read
Biden GILTI Biden global minimum tax Biden US global minimum taxBiden international tax Us corporate tax, US tax, corporate income tax, new investment

Two Important Issues that Must Be Resolved in “Global Tax Reform”

If the U.S. is suggesting a 15 percent effective rate as the minimum acceptable rate for a global agreement, then the tax bases of the various minimum taxes adopted as part of the agreement should be aligned to minimize complexities and unintended consequences.

5 min read
Wyden 199a pass-through deduction proposal Democrats proposed to expand child tax credit as part of covid relief package. Analysis of the “SALT Act” state and local tax deduction cap, Restoring Tax Fairness to States and Localities Act, SALT cap repeal, eliminate SALT cap

Tax Policy Ideas in the Republican Study Committee Budget

While much of the tax policy now under debate aims to increase the tax burden on businesses, several policies in the newly released Republican Study Committee (RSC) budget for Fiscal Year 2022 focus on reducing the tax code’s barriers to investment and saving.

3 min read
GILTI by country not as simple

GILTI by Country Is Not as Simple as it Seems

If policymakers want a recipe to dramatically expand the complexity of U.S. international tax rules and the burden on U.S. multinational businesses, then a tax on foreign earnings calculated at the country level would be the way to do it. Alternatively, policymakers could focus on mitigating the unintended consequences of GILTI and other recent international tax rules.

5 min read