Skip to content

All Related Articles

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
Tax reform to bolster American savings Universal Savings Accounts

How Tax Reform Can Bolster Americans’ Shrinking Savings

With pandemic-era savings now fully depleted and the majority of Americans pointing to their finances as their biggest source of stress, one thing is clear: the US needs policies that help people save more.

4 min read
Gas Taxes in Europe 2024 Gas Taxes and Diesel Taxes in Europe Fuel Tax Rates

Diesel and Gas Taxes in Europe, 2024

Gas and diesel taxes continue to be prominent policy issues throughout Europe. As the EU undergoes sweeping changes for its green transition, fuel taxes are likely to be a crucial aspect of policy discussions.

3 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
Gov Tim Walz tax policies

Gov. Tim Walz Raised Taxes as Most Governors Cut Them

Gov. Walz’s tax policy record is notable because of how much it contrasts with broader national trends. In recent years, most governors have championed tax cuts. Walz, rare among his peers, chose tax increases.

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

How Are Olympians and Attendees Taxed?

The 2024 Summer Olympics are underway, drawing the attention of billions and continuing a tradition dating back thousands of years. But you know what else originated thousands of years ago and affects even more people? Taxes.

3 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.

Capital allowances in Europe can impact depreciation in Europe and capital investment and business investment in Europe

Capital Allowances in Europe, 2024

Although sometimes overlooked in discussions about corporate taxation, capital allowances play an important role in a country’s corporate tax base and can impact investment decisions—with far-reaching economic consequences.

4 min read
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
Real Estate Transaction Tax Rates in German States

Real Estate Transaction Tax Rates in German States

The real estate transaction tax is levied on the gross sales value of a property when it changes ownership, without deductions for investment or purchasing costs. This makes the tax particularly harmful to investment in buildings and structures.

3 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
Apollo 11 Moon Space Race Industrial Policy Cost

Space Race and the Cost of Industrial Policy

Project Apollo achieved its clear objective to put a man on the moon. But not all government spending projects are so simple (that is, if you consider flying a spaceship to the moon simple).

3 min read
Trump no tax on tips proposal to exempt tipping from income taxation

Frustrated with Tipping? No Tax on Tips Could Make It Worse

“No tax on tips” might be a catchy idea on the campaign trail. But it could create plenty of headaches, from figuring out tips on previously untipped services to an unexpectedly large loss of federal revenue.

6 min read
Nebraska property tax relief plan including Nebraska property tax reform and Nebraska sales tax proposal

Proposed Nebraska Property Tax Relief Plan Would Make Things Worse

Gov. Pillen is searching for tax burden relief. But his plan, which reportedly involves a two-tiered sales tax and the state’s assumption of most school funding responsibility, would have profound implications that even those most convinced of the urgency of property tax relief may find unworkable and unpalatable.

12 min read
Placing Biden Tax Proposals and Trump Tax Proposals in Historical Context Largest Tax Increase and Largest Tax Hike in History and Largest Tax Decrease and Largest Tax Cut in History

Placing Biden and Trump Tax Proposals in Historical Context

From President Biden calling the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the “largest tax cut in American history,” to former President Trump claiming that Biden “wants to raise your taxes by four times,” the campaign rhetoric on taxes may be sparking some confusion.

5 min read
Inflation Reduction Act book minimum tax 5G competition china

How Does the IRA’s Book Minimum Tax Affect 5G Competition?

A higher tax burden for private infrastructure investments like wireless spectrum, 5G technology, and machinery and equipment makes an existing problem worse—especially against the backdrop of outright state subsidies in countries like China.

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