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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.

Japanese tax and benefit system working parents and Japan tax revenue

Revenue Gains in Asian and Pacific Countries Likely Offset by COVID-19

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic crisis, countries in the Asia-Pacific region will see a differentiated impact on their capacity of mobilizing domestic revenue depending on the structure of their economy. According to the OECD report, those economies that rely mostly on natural resources, tourism, and trade taxes are especially vulnerable.

5 min read
Austria corporate equity tax allowance

Austria Is Mulling an Allowance for Corporate Equity

While not a short-term measure to alleviate the economic losses resulting from the current crisis, experience from other countries has shown that a tax allowance for corporate equity can be a sensible long-term policy that can strengthen Austria’s investment environment and improve financial stability.

6 min read
EU budget tax EU tax, excise state of mind, excise tax trend to fill budget gaps

The New EU Budget is Light on Details of Tax Proposals

The European Council recently agreed on a new multiannual budget and a recovery program, which sets EU budget levels for 2021-2027 totals €1 trillion (US $1.2 trillion). The lack of details on the various tax proposals and the eventual need for revenue sources to finance new EU debt mean there is a lot of work left for policymakers in Brussels to do.

4 min read

Financial Transaction Tax Could Hit Average Spanish

Spain is planning to implement two major taxes during the next few months, a digital services tax and a financial transaction tax, which have the potential to negatively impact capital formation, growth, and economic recovery and start a harmful trade war.

5 min read