A Stable Tax Code Would Ease an Uncertain Economy
Lawmakers have a prime opportunity to achieve a more stable economy through the debate about the tax code that is now ramping up.
Lawmakers have a prime opportunity to achieve a more stable economy through the debate about the tax code that is now ramping up.
As lawmakers continue to debate the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” they should abandon temporary and complex policy in favor of simplicity and stability.
4 min readThe tax bill prioritizes politics over economic growth, writes Daniel Bunn.
Tax simplification has two aspects. The first is a code without a mess of targeted provisions for various social policy goals. The second is a code with provisions that are simple and easy to comply with. The bill succeeds at the first, but fails at the second.
7 min readPairing permanent TCJA individual tax cuts with new limits on business SALT deductions would shrink the economy, reduce American incomes, and increase the federal budget deficit, undermining the policy goals of TCJA permanence.
3 min readCatastrophic rhetoric about US manufacturing is not justified. The tariffs are extremely counterproductive. Still, all is not well in the US manufacturing sector. What should we do?
7 min readAs Congress debates expensing and other policies impacting business investment, lawmakers should consider the importance of business investment in research and development (R&D) as a driver for economic growth. Recent studies suggest that the economic benefits of R&D spending are even greater than previously understood.
7 min readA tax preference originally designed to level the playing field now has the opposite effect, creating preferences for one class of financial institutions even though the distinctions between credit unions and banks are increasingly blurred.
6 min readDoes your state have a small business exemption for machinery and equipment?
4 min readWithout businesses as their taxpayers and tax collectors, governments would not have the resources to provide even the most basic services.
5 min readOn average, businesses in the OECD are liable for collecting, paying, and remitting more than 85 percent of the total tax collection.
15 min readOne area of the tax code in which extreme complexity and low compliance go hand-in-hand—and where reform is desperately needed—is in states’ nonresident individual income tax filing and withholding laws.
7 min readAs Congress attempts to prevent the expiration of major Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions, it needs to find ways to pay for them. Ideally, it should use the least economically harmful means possible.
3 min readCongressional Republicans are looking for ways to pay for extending the tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year. Repealing the green energy tax subsidies expanded or introduced in the Inflation Reduction Act is an appealing option.
Do tariffs really level the playing field, or are they just bad economics? In this emergency episode, we fact-check the Trump administration’s claims that retaliatory tariffs make trade fairer.
What are the biggest tax stories shaping policy today—and what do they mean for you? In our 100th episode, we break down the five biggest tax stories, from the global tax deal to the looming expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Facts & Figures serves as a one-stop state tax data resource that compares all 50 states on over 40 measures of tax rates, collections, burdens, and more.
2 min readLawmakers should prioritize pro-growth tax policies and use the least economically damaging offsets to make the legislation fiscally responsible. If lawmakers choose to use C-SALT, they should carefully consider the economic trade-off with permanent, pro-growth tax cuts that support investment and innovation in the US.
7 min readThe Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced a series of new targeted tax breaks, many of which seem to be much more expensive than originally forecasted. Understandably, repealing these subsidies is a key option for policymakers looking to pay to extend the expiring broader tax cuts passed in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).
7 min readTax legislation in 2025 may have good reason to address international corporate income taxes, because of scheduled changes slated to go into effect or because of international developments like the Pillar Two agreement.
63 min read