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Thin-Cap Rules in Europe
To discourage a certain form of international debt shifting, many countries have implemented so-called thin-capitalization rules (thin-cap rules), which limit the amount of interest a multinational business can deduct for tax purposes.
4 min read
Proposals to Lure Foreigners to Greece Highlight Need to Reform Property Taxes
A more efficient property tax system in Greece is a better objective than just focusing on incentives for foreigners to change their tax residence.
4 min read
Biden’s Proposal Would Shift the Distribution of Retirement Tax Benefits
One of Biden’s tax proposals that has gotten little attention is a change that would shift the benefits of tax deferral in traditional retirement accounts toward lower- and middle-income earners. The plan would reduce the tax benefit for those earning above $80,250 but under $400,000, violating Biden’s tax pledge to not raise taxes on earners below the $400,000 threshold.
5 min read
How High Are Property Taxes in Your State?
New Jersey has the highest effective rate on owner-occupied property at 2.21 percent, followed closely by Illinois (2.05 percent) and New Hampshire (2.03 percent).
2 min read
President Trump Outlines Second Term Tax Ideas
Broad themes of the president’s agenda include providing tax relief to individuals and tax credits to businesses that engage in desired activities, while the status of expiring TCJA provisions and tariffs seems uncertain.
4 min read
Who Will Pay for the Roads?
The highway trust fund is on track to run out of money by 2021, states are struggling to cover their transportation spending, and increased fuel economy, plus inflation, is chipping away at gas tax revenue year. How can Congress and state governments ensure they have the revenue necessary to fund our highways? One solution is the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax.
35 min read
Reviewing Joe Biden’s Tax Vision
Biden’s tax vision is twofold: higher taxes on high-income earners and businesses paired with more generous provisions for specific activities and households.
4 min read
How the CARES Act Fixed a Tax Bias Against Green Investment
One under-discussed part of the CARES Act, passed in March to provide economic relief during the COVID-19 epidemic, is a correction to a drafting error in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, often known as the “retail glitch.”
3 min read
CFC Rules in Europe
To prevent businesses from minimizing their tax liability by taking advantage of cross-country differences in taxation, countries have implemented various anti-tax avoidance measures, one known as Controlled Foreign Corporation (CFC) rules.
5 min read
Property Taxes by County, 2020
The five counties with the highest median property tax payments are all located near New York City and have bills exceeding $10,000.
3 min read
New Accelerated Depreciation Policies to Spur Investment in Australia, Austria, Germany, and New Zealand
In recent months, several countries have introduced accelerated depreciation as a measure to incentivize private investment, including Australia, Austria, Germany, and New Zealand. There are various ways of how this policy has been implemented in the respective countries, largely depending on the existing standard depreciation schedules.
5 min read
Contrary to Popular Belief, Value-Added Taxes Found to Be Slightly Progressive
Value-added taxes (VAT) are traditionally considered regressive, meaning they place a disproportionate burden on low-income taxpayers. However, a recent OECD study used household expenditures micro-data from 27 OECD countries to reassess this conclusion.
5 min read
Nebraska’s Property Tax Compromise Provides Temporary Relief, but Structural Reform Is Still Needed
Tax credits like the ones approved in the Nebraska bill may help legislators buy some time to work toward a more permanent solution, but they are not, in and of themselves, an effective means of providing lasting relief or generating long-term economic growth.
7 min readEconomic Recovery and Deductions for Worker Training
Tax treatment can affect investment decisions. Extending expensing treatment (full and immediate deductions) to all forms of capital investment, human and physical, would help facilitate sustainable long-run economic growth.
2 min read
Inventory Valuation in Europe
The method by which a country allows businesses to account for inventories can significantly impact a business’s taxable income. When prices are rising, as is usually the case due to factors like inflation, LIFO is the preferred method because it allows inventory costs to be closer to true costs at the time of sale.
2 min read
Teleworking Employees Face Double Taxation Due to Aggressive “Convenience Rule” Policies in Seven States
States can tax your income where you live and where you work—but a growing number of states may also seek to tax your income even if you neither live nor work there, an aggressive posture that becomes increasingly consequential as more Americans work remotely both during and potentially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
15 min read
Nevada Hoping to Extract Revenue with Mining Tax Increase Amendment
Nevada is not alone in its need to find revenue, but it should take care not to embrace bad tax policy in the process. Significant rate increases, a shift in the tax base, and provisions which make it easier to hike taxes than to cut them would heavily burden the mining industry in the state.
3 min read
Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Tax Policy?
What tax policy ideas did Harris propose along the campaign trail, and how do they differ from Biden’s plan?
4 min read