What Is the US Debt Limit and Why Does It Matter?
The debt limit is one of Congress’s few chances to debate unsustainable borrowing, and reforms should create more room for bipartisan deficit reduction, not less.
6 min read
Blog Articles
6463 Results
Congress Has a Chance to Improve the Taxpayer Experience in 2026
The Senate recently passed the Taxpayer Assistance and Service Act, which contains 65 provisions to improve tax administration and the IRS.
4 min read
New Research Finds That Revenue-Maximizing Top Tax Rate Likely Lower Than Previous Estimates
A new paper shows raising top income tax rates on the current tax base may not yield as much revenue as previously estimated, due to opportunities to shift income to different tax bases within the tax code.
5 min read
Property Tax Relief on the Ballot: Three Approaches, One Clear Winner
This November, states across the country are asking voters to consider changes to their state constitutions to address the burden of rising property taxes.
7 min read
How Much Does the US Government Lose to Tax Fraud?
While the government will never close the tax gap or fully eliminate tax fraud, lawmakers and the IRS can institute several reforms to reduce the gap, including simplifying the tax code, increasing third-party information reporting, and coordinating anti-fraud efforts.
7 min read
Could an Employer Compensation Tax Save Social Security?
With Social Security insolvency rapidly approaching and policymakers exploring changes to benefits and taxation, Congress could look to base-broadening reforms like the ECT as a guide for how to think about taxing compensation and broadening the tax base.
4 min read
Spain’s Tax Competitiveness Has Declined Since 2018
Under Spain’s current Social Democratic government, the country has fallen from 27th to 35th (out of 38 OECD countries) in the International Tax Competitiveness Index.
8 min read
In Wyoming, Are Two Homestead Exemptions Enough?
No one enjoys paying taxes, but the property tax serves an important purpose, and Wyoming has already implemented significant property tax relief. Proposition 1 would undercut local finances to a degree that would likely force reliance on worse taxes (local or state) and prompt spending cuts that reduce homeowners’ property values.
5 min read
Options to Reform the Tax Treatment of Exempt Hospitals
Nearly half of all hospitals are exempt from paying US corporate income taxes. As healthcare spending rises, lawmakers have questioned whether hospitals are providing as much in community benefits as they derive from tax exemptions.
11 min read
Expensing Concentrates the Corporate Tax Burden on Economic Profits
As scrutiny over data center investment and AI rises, some commentators are concerned about how expensing interacts with these ongoing investments. Most of these concerns misunderstand what expensing does.
5 min read
2026 Economics Nobel Laureate Robert Hall Helped Lay Foundation for Pro-Growth Tax Reform
Hall’s research helped economists understand how taxes distort investment decisions, while his work with Rabushka shows how to minimize those distortions. Although the US remains far from a pure consumption tax, Hall’s work informs efforts to reduce the tax burden on investment, improve neutrality, and promote long-run economic growth.
3 min read
Washington Voters Will Decide Whether to Keep or Reject an Income Tax on High Earners
Washington’s new income tax on high earners doesn’t take effect until 2028, but it is already generating a lot of activity. A measure on the ballot this November, Initiative 645, would reverse the legislature’s decision, preventing the new tax from taking effect.
5 min read
Spain’s Transformation After a Decade of Fiscal Competition
The 2026 Regional Tax Competitiveness Index for Spain highlights a growing divergence between regions that have embraced tax reform and those whose tax systems have remained largely unchanged.
7 min read
Why the US Needs a Fiscal Commission to Help Solve the Debt Crisis
The federal government’s debt burden and interest on the debt are near record levels and headed higher, raising legitimate concerns about an eventual debt crisis. Given the increasingly dysfunctional budget process, the most viable option on the table to stave off such a crisis is a statutory bipartisan fiscal commission with buy-in from leaders of both parties.
6 min read
Rental Cars Shouldn’t Face Another Layer of Tax
Imposing sales taxes on rental car companies’ fleet purchases, in addition to the sales and rental car excise taxes levied when those cars are rented, yields double taxation and causes harmful tax pyramiding.
9 min read
A Small Value-Added Tax Could Pay for Tariff Repeal
Rather than continuing the Trump administration’s tariff policy, policymakers should explore new solutions that can raise sustainable revenue with fewer distortions, like replacing the tariffs with a value-added tax.
5 min read
Colorado’s Election Day Choice on Income Taxes
On Election Day, Coloradans will get to decide on two competing measures on income taxes: an initiated statute that would cap income taxes at the current 4.4 percent rate; and a constitutional amendment that would authorize a graduated-rate individual and corporate income tax, paired with an initiated statute setting new rates, with a top rate of 8.4 percent.
6 min read
Why Expensing New Rental Housing Is One of the Best Ways to Tackle the Housing Supply Problem
The Rental Housing Investment Act (RHIA) would remove much of that tax penalty by allowing developers of new rental housing to immediately deduct up to $150,000 of cost per unit.
7 min read
Top Five Options Guide Reforms to Simplify the Tax Code
Congress has passed some major simplifying reforms in recent years, but the tax code has still grown more complex over the past few decades. New carveouts, savings vehicles, and targeted tax increases would complicate it further.
8 min read
Proposal to Adjust Tax Treatment of Mutual Funds Improves Neutrality in the Tax Code
The proposed GROWTH Act would make the tax treatment of investment funds more consistent and improve the tax treatment of saving in the US by allowing investors to defer tax on qualifying reinvested capital gains distributions until they sell their fund shares.
6 min read