Vermont May Be the Next State to Legalize Recreational Marijuana Sales
According to news reports, the Vermont legislature is ready to advance S54 this month or next, to legalize cultivation and sales of marijuana in the state beginning in 2022.
6 min read
Evidence Suggests that Tax Rates Influence Migration Decisions
Individuals respond to taxes by changing their behavior. Hence, when there are tax differences between countries, some might respond by moving to a lower-tax area. For higher-income individuals, the benefits of moving as a result of higher taxes are greater because they have more income or wealth at stake.
4 min read
Who will Ultimately Pay the Digital Services Tax in the UK? Amazon Passes the Cost Along to Sellers
When developing tax policy, lawmakers often ignore the incidence of a tax, or who actually pays the tax. Many times, this is different from who is legally required to pay the tax. Just because a 2 percent revenue tax applies to large digital companies does not mean that the companies will bear the entire cost of the tax.
1 min read
Massachusetts Ban of Flavored Cigarettes Is Getting Expensive
Aside from public health concerns, a ban on flavored tobacco, especially when including cigarettes, has significant tax implications and could result in unintended consequences such as increased smuggling. In Massachusetts, more than 20 percent of cigarettes smoked are purchased out of state.
5 min read
Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act Would Provide More Generous Rebates for Dependents
On Thursday, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Steve Daines (R-MT), and Mitt Romney (R-UT) released the Coronavirus Assistance for American Families Act (CAAF), which would provide payments of $1,000 to adults and children with Social Security numbers, subject to income limits used in the original round of rebates. Among other modifications, it would be more generous to households and families with children when compared to the original rebates distributed under the CARES Act.
5 min read
Brazil has the Opportunity to Implement a Simple Consumption Tax and Foster Tax Progressivity at the Same Time
Brazil has one of the world’s most complex tax systems. Brazil has the opportunity to implement a simple consumption tax and foster tax progressivity at the same time.
5 min read
State Income and Sales Tax Revenues Slide in Second Quarter
Today marked the release of second-quarter GDP data and provides a new glimpse into early changes in state and local revenues and spending. All told, second-quarter state and local tax receipts came in about 3.8 percent lower than they did in the same quarter a year ago. Income and sales taxes fell considerably while property and excise tax collections remained stable.
3 min read
Three-Fourths of New 2016 Investment Was Excluded from Improved Cost Recovery
New data sheds light on what share of new business investment was eligible for bonus depreciation as it existed before 2017 tax reform, and what share of new investment was excluded from improved cost recovery. This matters because the income tax is biased against investment in capital assets to the extent that it makes the investor wait years or decades to claim the cost of machines, equipment, or factories on their tax returns.
3 min read
Senate Republicans Introduce the HEALS Act for Coronavirus Pandemic Relief
A resurgence in coronavirus cases and receding economic activity in many states threaten the nascent economic recovery. To address the ongoing crisis, the Senate Republican Phase 4 proposal builds on the CARES Act provisions while modifying others, including a scaled down federal UI benefit.
8 min read
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