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IRS budget increase IRS technology modernization and IRS funding for IRS e-filing electronic tax filing

The U.S. Tax Code Is Too Complex for Direct eFile to Work

It is hard to imagine the IRS Direct e-File Program operating seamlessly with the complexity of the current U.S. tax system. Instead, lawmakers should first address the more fundamental problem that causes taxpayer frustration: our highly complicated tax code.

4 min read
Diesel and gas taxes in Europe 2023 fuel tax rates including diesel taxes and gas taxes in Europe

Diesel and Gas Taxes in Europe, 2023

As the EU pursues massive changes in public policy as part of its green transition, expect fuel taxes to be central to any policy discussions.

5 min read
EU wealth tax discussion and debate EU wealth tax proposal 2023

The Wealth Tax Discussion Is Back

Given that wealth taxes collect little revenue and have the potential to disincentivize entrepreneurship and investment, perhaps European countries should repeal them rather than implement one across the continent.

4 min read

Sources of Personal Income, Tax Year 2020

Reviewing reported income helps to understand the composition of the federal government’s revenue base and how Americans earn their taxable income. The individual income tax, the federal government’s largest source of revenue, is largely a tax on labor.

10 min read
2023 state tax changes taking effect july 1

State Tax Changes Taking Effect July 1, 2023

At least 32 notable tax policy changes recently took effect across 18 states, including alterations to income taxes, payroll taxes, sales and use taxes, property taxes, and excise taxes. See if your state tax code changed.

16 min read
2023 beer taxes by state alcohol excise tax rates and beer excise tax rates

Beer Taxes by State, 2023

Taxes are the single most expensive ingredient in beer, costing more than the labor and raw materials combined.

3 min read
Cyber Monday, Post-Wayfair Edition, South Dakota v. Wayfair online sales tax

The Wayfair Sales Tax Ruling, Five Years Later

It’s the 5th anniversary of the groundbreaking Wayfair Supreme Court decision–a ruling that marked a new era of sales tax collection and changed how we think about taxation in the digital age.

NC budget North Carolina tax reform proposals in the NC budget taxes 2023

North Carolina’s Budget Should Prioritize Pro-Growth Structural Reforms

As fiscal year 2023 draws to a close, North Carolina’s House and Senate have each passed their own versions of the biennial budget for fiscal years 2024-25. While legislative leaders have generally agreed to overall spending levels, negotiations remain ongoing to resolve different approaches to tax policy.

7 min read
Texas property tax relief and Texas property tax reform explore Texas property taxes

Texas Lawmakers Should Deliver Principled Property Tax Relief

Texas’s robust surpluses create an opportunity to use state funds to lower local property taxes. However, it remains important for legislators to pursue a principled approach to rate compression, rather than enacting a plan that will simply shift the tax burden in nonneutral ways.

3 min read
Windfall Profits Taxes in Europe, August 2023

Windfall Profit Taxes in Europe, 2023

It’s unlikely these implemented and proposed windfall taxes will achieve their goals of raising additional revenues without distorting the market. Instead, they would penalize domestic production and punitively target certain industries without a sound tax base.

13 min read
carbon tariff and carbon border tax proposed in Prove It Act by Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Christopher Coons (D-DE) carbon price and Foreign Pollution Fee Act

What Would a Carbon Tariff Achieve?

Sens. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Christopher Coons (D-DE) have recently introduced a bill laying the groundwork for a possible solution to the problem: a tax on the carbon content of imports. But it falls short of the optimal approach in several ways.

4 min read