Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)

How the Inflation Reduction Act Affects the Future of U.S.-EU Tax and Trade Cooperation

the Inflation Reduction Act gives us a glimpse into a future where the U.S. and EU opt for protectionist tax and trade policies rather than implementing principled tax policies and reducing trade barriers between allies.

Ways and Means Committee

Inflation Is Surging, So Are Federal Tax Collections

Federal tax collections are approaching the highest levels in U.S. history set during World War II and again during the dot-com bubble in 2000. Meanwhile, federal spending in FY 2022 was over 25 percent of GDP—a level only exceeded during the height of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and during World War II.

Tax Hike Proposals Live on Despite Being Dropped in the Inflation Reduction Act

President Biden proposed a 7-point hike in the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, a new minimum book tax on corporate profits, and higher taxes on international activity. We estimated these proposals would reduce the size of the economy (GDP) by 1.6 percent over the long run and eliminate 542,000 jobs.

The Woes of Temporary Tax Policy

From the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017 to the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law just this summer, lawmakers across the political spectrum are often tempted to implement temporary tax reforms. Garrett Watson joins Jesse to discuss the pros and cons of writing tax laws that have an end date and why we find ourselves having a debate at the end of each year about so many temporary provisions.

The Sticks: Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy-Related Tax Increases

The Inflation Reduction Act primarily uses carrots, not sticks, to incentivize reductions in carbon emissions. It creates or expands tax credits for various low- or no-emission technologies, rather than imposing a generalized penalty for emissions, such as a carbon tax.

Breaking Down the Inflation Reduction Act’s Green Energy Tax Credits

The Inflation Reduction Act created numerous tax subsidy programs intended to accelerate the transition to a greener economy.

Accounting for the New Book Minimum Tax

The Inflation Reduction Act includes a book minimum tax, which is raising the eyebrows of accountants everywhere. Scott Dyreng, a professor of accounting at Duke University, and Daniel Bunn join Jesse to discuss how these minimum taxes work and how companies aim to comply with all these new complex rules and tax increases.

The Economic, Revenue, and Distributional Effects of Permanent 100 Percent Bonus Depreciation

The phaseout of 100 percent bonus depreciation, scheduled to take place after the end of 2022, will increase the after-tax cost of investment in the U.S. Permanently extending it would increase long-run economic output by 0.4 percent and increase employment by 73,000 FTE jobs.

IRS Is Raising More with Less, But New Funding Misses the Mark

The Inflation Reduction Act focused more on enforcement and hiring more auditors rather than programs that make it easier for taxpayers to comply with the code and the IRS to administer it.

The Tax Compliance Costs of IRS Regulations

In a pattern that has become all too common in recent decades, the newly enacted Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) added yet another layer of complexity to an already complex and burdensome federal tax code.

How to Think About IRS Tax Enforcement Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act

The Inflation Reduction Act increases the IRS’s budget by roughly $80 billion over 10 years. The money is broken into four main categories—enforcement, operations support, business system modernization, and taxpayer services—as well as a few other small items such as an exploratory study on the potential of a free-file system.

Stock Buyback Tax Would Hurt Investment and Innovation

The Inflation Reduction Act calls for a new 1 percent excise tax on stock buybacks, the argument being it would be better for the economy if firms invested their surplus cash in the business, rather than returning this value to shareholders.

House Votes on the Inflation Reduction Act

The House of Representatives is set to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, the latest iteration of President Biden’s tax and climate agenda. Garrett Watson joins Jesse to discuss what sacrifices were made by key lawmakers to bring this bill to the finish line. They also look at what the economic impact of this proposal would be as the country continues to face historic rates of inflation.

Who Gets Hit by the Inflation Reduction Act Book Minimum Tax?

In dollar terms, the industries that would account for the largest book minimum tax liabilities are manufacturing, at $73.2 billion, followed by finance, insurance, and management at $46.9 billion.

Details & Analysis of the Inflation Reduction Act Tax Provisions

How will the Inflation Reduction Act taxes impact inflation, economic growth, tax revenue, and everyday taxpayers? See Inflation Reduction Act tax changes.

Minimum Book Tax: Flawed Revenue Source, Penalizes Pro-Growth Cost Recovery

While exempting accelerated depreciation from the book minimum tax would reduce some of the economic harm of the tax, there remain many unresolved problems within the design and structure of the tax that make it a poorly chosen revenue option.

Reminder that Corporate Taxes Are the Most Economically Damaging Way to Raise Revenue

In the rush to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which features an ill-conceived tax on the book income of U.S. corporations, it is worth reminding policymakers of a well-established finding in the economic literature.

It Would Be a Mistake to Resurrect Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax

The Inflation Reduction Act may be smaller than the proposed Build Back Better legislation from 2021, but both sets of legislation propose a reintroduced corporate alternative minimum tax (AMT). The 30-year experience with a corporate AMT shows it is not a good solution.

How Does the Inflation Reduction Act Minimum Tax Compare to Global Minimum Tax?

Over the course of the last year, it has become clear that Democratic lawmakers want to change U.S. tax rules for large companies. However, as proposals have been debated in recent months, there are have been clear divides between U.S. proposals and the global minimum tax rules.