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Child Tax Credit debate Biden Democrats Child tax credit expansion, affect labor supply work requirement and incentive Manchin

What’s Going on with the Child Tax Credit Debate?

President Biden expanded and fundamentally changed the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for one year in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) passed in March 2021. Policymakers are now deciding the future of the expansion as part of the proposed reconciliation package, but a wide range of estimates for the effects of a permanent expansion is confusing the debate.

7 min read
American Rescue Plan state tax cuts, American Rescue Plan tax cuts State Unemployment Compensation Trust Funds, Elizabeth Warren wealth tax, Some tax hikes are more damaging than others, according to Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and new Tax Foundation economic modeling.

As Inflation Rises, So Will Tax Bills in Many States

Inflation is often called a hidden tax, but in many states it yields a far more literal tax increase as tax brackets fail to adjust for changes in consumer purchasing power.

5 min read
2021 International Tax Competitiveness Index Rankings in Europe, 2021 Global Tax Competitiveness Rankings, 2021 Global Tax Rankings in OECD Global Tax

International Tax Competitiveness Index 2021

A well-structured tax code (that’s both competitive and neutral) is easy for taxpayers to comply with and can promote economic development while raising sufficient revenue for a government’s priorities.

40 min read
Cell phone, Wireless consumers face excess Tax Burdens

Wireless with Strings Attached

As of 2020, there were 448 million active cell phone and wireless plans in the U.S. than there were Americans. The taxes on those plans brought in approximately $11.3 billion and constituted a record 24.96 percent of the cost of an average cell phone bill. Explore why cellphone taxes are climbing, the places they’re the highest, the consumers they impact the most, and how things can be improved.

Federal cigarette tax harm reduction efforts, federal cigarette tax proposal House Democrats tobacco tax New Year's Resolutions for tax policymakers. New Year's Resolutions for tax policy

Should Tax Policy Play a Role in Tobacco Harm Reduction?

In an effort to raise roughly $100 billion, the House proposal would double cigarette taxes and increase all other tobacco and nicotine taxes to comparable rates—a strategy with severe unintended consequences.

5 min read
2019 local income taxes 2019, local income tax rates

Federal Plastics Tax Is Not a Good Revenue Raiser

One of the Senate’s proposals to pay for the Build Back Better Act is a federal excise tax on virgin plastics, which are plastics that are not reprocessed or recovered.

4 min read
emergency savings accounts retirement savings accounts Build Back Better plan inflation Build Back Better plan deficit carbon tax reconciliation hr3 tax prescription drugs tax help pay for reconciliation, revenue for federal government retirement savings federal reform proposals SECURE Act Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021

Carbon Tax: Weighing the Options for Financing Reconciliation

A carbon tax would be a less economically harmful pay-for than either personal or corporate income tax hikes and a more efficient way to reduce carbon emissions than green energy tax credits, but would come with other trade-offs.

4 min read
Debt Limit Deadline and Growing National Debt Demand Action CBO long-term budget forecast federal spending national debt and deficit CHIPS and Science Act Biden estate tax unrealized capital gains at death Federal capital gains tax collections historical data CBO releases new long-term budget outlook, The national debt is now projected to nearly double by 2050

History of Attempted Changes to Step-Up in Basis Shows Perilous Road Ahead

As Congress considers President Biden’s proposal to tax unrealized capital gains at death, the history of previous efforts suggests it faces a perilous road ahead. Lawmakers must resolve tricky design and implementation details that derailed past attempts to change how capital gains are treated when assets are passed from one generation to the next.

4 min read