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Business Tax Compliance and Complexity

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OECD Pillar Two Global Minimum Tax Unintended Consequences

Pillar Two’s Unintended Consequences

Pillar Two risks creating a more complex and unfair international tax system. It is inadvertently fostering new, opaque, and complex forms of competition, and policymakers should consider alternative approaches to creating a fairer international tax environment.

4 min read
Do Americans Abroad Still Pay US Taxes?

Do Americans Abroad Still Pay US Taxes?

How does living abroad impact the taxes an American has to pay? Unlike most countries that tax based on residency, the US employs citizenship-based taxation, meaning Americans are taxed on their global income regardless of where they reside.

American retirement savings accounts including 401k and IRA contribution and withdrawals

American Retirement and Tax-Preferred Savings Accounts, Tax Year 2018

To encourage greater saving, the US federal income tax provides tax-neutral treatment to some types of saving through a variety of accounts. The type of tax treatment, contribution limits, withdrawal rules, and use cases for contributions all vary by account, leading to a complicated system for households to navigate.

11 min read
TCJA compliance and TCJA complexity costs did the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act simplify the US tax code?

How Did the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Simplify the Tax Code?

Not every change in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act simplified the tax code. However, the TCJA reduced compliance costs overall for individual filers, and allowing fundamental structural improvements to expire would make the tax code worse.

5 min read
IRS compliance costs tax complexity and tax compliance costs US

Tax Complexity Now Costs the US Economy Over $546 Billion Annually

Americans will spend more than 7.9 billion hours complying with IRS tax filing and reporting requirements in 2024. This is equal to 3.8 million full-time workers doing nothing but tax return paperwork—roughly equal to the population of Los Angeles.

7 min read

Pillar Two: Electric Boogaloo

The global tax deal and Pillar Two are shaking up the tax landscape worldwide, introducing a web of complexity and confusion.

West Virginia Tax Relief and Reform

Good Policy Leads to More Tax Cuts for West Virginia

Next year, West Virginians will see an income tax cut thanks to revenue triggers in a 2023 law. The Mountain State joins 14 other states that have cut income taxes this year.

4 min read
Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Taxes?

Where Does Kamala Harris Stand on Taxes?

While both President Biden and Vice President Harris aim their proposed tax hikes on businesses and high earners, key differences between their tax ideas in the past reveal where Harris may take her tax policy platform in the 2024 campaign.

6 min read

Patent Box Regimes in Europe, 2024

The aim of patent boxes is generally to encourage and attract local research and development (R&D) and to incentivize businesses to locate IP in the country. However, patent boxes can introduce another level of complexity to a tax system, and some recent research questions whether patent boxes are actually effective in driving innovation.

3 min read
Puerto Rico Tax Competitiveness and Pillar Two Global Tax Deal

Puerto Rican Competitiveness and Pillar Two

Puerto Rico, a US territory with a limited ability to set its own tax policies, will be the first part of the US to be substantially affected by Pillar Two, the global tax agreement that seeks to establish a 15 percent minimum tax rate on corporate income.

17 min read
California internet tax California data extraction mitigation fee California Journalism Preservation Act

California Explores New Ways to Tax the Internet

The data extraction mitigation fee is modeled after Maryland’s digital advertising tax, which has been mired in litigation since its inception and is very likely unconstitutional and in conflict with federal law.

6 min read
Hungary EU presidency tax reform and tax policies

Tax Files under New Council of EU Presidency: Hungary

As Hungary takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the aftermath of the European elections, the relationship between tax policy and Europe’s competitiveness will be closely linked.

6 min read
Moore Supreme Court tax case wealth tax

Supreme Court Rules against Moores 7-2, Leaves Most Questions Undecided

The government won in Moore. However, given the narrow opinion of the court and the reasoning in the Barrett concurrence and the Thomas dissent, it seems likely that future rulings under other facts and circumstances could favor taxpayers instead.

7 min read
Tax Neutrality: Balancing Priorities

Tax Neutrality: Balancing Priorities

Neutral tax codes don’t play favorites or try to influence personal or business decisions but stick to what they’re best at – raising sufficient revenue through low rates and a broad base.

National Tax Poll Results and Answers: Understanding the Tax Code

National Tax Literacy Poll: Understanding the Tax Code

To make sound financial decisions and support better tax policy, taxpayers should understand the taxes they face. Unfortunately, most U.S. taxpayers do not know or are unsure of basic tax concepts.

6 min read

A Journey Through Germany’s Tax Laws

Get ready to hit the autobahn and explore the world of German taxes! We’ll navigate the complexities of Germany’s tax structure.