Inflation Reduction Act One Year After Enactment
Congress should reconsider key elements of the IRA, including the book minimum tax and the green energy credits, with an eye towards simplification and fiscal responsibility.
46 min read
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How to Rein in the National Debt
Now is the time for lawmakers to focus on long-term fiscal sustainability, as further delay will only make an eventual fiscal reckoning that much harder and more painful. Congressional leaders should follow through on convening a fiscal commission to deal with the long-term budgetary challenges facing the country.
35 min read
The Inflation Reduction Act One Year Later
One year after its enactment, there are concerns about the Inflation Reduction Acts overall fiscal impact, the additional complexity it introduces to the tax system, and the sustainability of its initiatives.
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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.
20 min read
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.
6 min read
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.
9 min read
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.
6 min read
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.
3 min read
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.
6 min read
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.
12 min read
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.
3 min read
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.
3 min read
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.
4 min read
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.
6 min read
The Inflation Reduction Act, What to Know
The Inflation Reduction Act would raise taxes on corporations and top earners with the goal of funding a number of programs to reduce carbon emissions, address prescription drug costs, and spur the economy. Garrett Watson joins Jesse Solis to talk through what these tax changes would mean for the economy: Will they reduce inflation, and do they break the President’s pledge not to raise taxes on those earning less than $400,000?
Push for Higher Taxes Is Misguided During a Time of Inflation and Looming Recession
Some 40 years ago, the U.S. dealt with high inflation and slow economic growth. Then as now, the solution is a long-term focus on stronger economic growth and sustainable federal budgets.
5 min read