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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.

India digital tax proposal amid coronavirus crisis

India Pushes Digital Taxes in a Difficult Time

Even during the coronavirus outbreak, efforts to change the way digital business models are taxed continue. India announced this week that its tax aimed at foreign digital companies, the “equalization levy,” will be expanded.

4 min read

Denmark Unplugs the Economy

Denmark, a high-tax country with 5.5 million citizens, has implemented policies designed to avoid layoffs and bankruptcies and basically unplug the economy during the pandemic.

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Norway Opens the Fiscal Toolbox

Norway passed a large coronavirus tax relief package to address layoffs and bankruptcies, which includes a reduced VAT rate, the introduction of a loss carryback provision, and targeted postponements for wealth tax payments, among other provisions.

5 min read