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.
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 readNew York and New Jersey Consider Financial Transaction Taxes
Seeking new sources of funding, New York and New Jersey—two states at the heart of global financial markets—are considering financial transaction taxes.
5 min readAustria 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 readThe History of Excess Profits Taxes Not as Effective or Harmless as Today’s Advocates Portray
Today’s advocates would do well to study the history of excess profits taxes before overselling these taxes as a solution to the COVID-19 crisis.
6 min readThe 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(Webinar) Figuring Out Phase Four: Next Steps on Federal and State Coronavirus Response
As U.S. businesses struggle to recover from the economic downturn, Congress and the White House continue to debate a phase four relief package, which could include anything from incentives for domestic travel and a payroll tax cut to more fundamental reforms like enacting permanent full cost recovery.
2 min readTax Options to Promote Short-Term Recovery and Long-Term Economic Growth in Wisconsin
From a revenue standpoint, Wisconsin was better off than many states going into this crisis, but the policy decisions—including tax policy decisions—state policymakers make in the months ahead will have far-reaching implications for how quickly jobs and wages are restored in Wisconsin.
7 min readFinancial 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 readHungarian COVID-19 Response: Surtax for Banks and Retail
Hungary is the only EU state to have actually implemented COVID-19 tax hikes.
3 min read