Skip to content

(Webinar) Figuring Out Phase Four: Next Steps on Federal and State Coronavirus Response

2 min readBy: Karl Smith, Jared Walczak

As U.S. businesses struggle to recover from the economic downturn, Congress and the White House continue to debate a phase four relief package, which could include anything from incentives for domestic travel and a payroll taxA tax is a mandatory payment or charge collected by local, state, and national governments from individuals or businesses to cover the costs of general government services, goods, and activities. cut to more fundamental reforms like enacting permanent full cost recoveryCost recovery is the ability of businesses to recover (deduct) the costs of their investments. It plays an important role in defining a business’ tax base and can impact investment decisions. When businesses cannot fully deduct capital expenditures, they spend less on capital, which reduces worker’s productivity and wages. .

Meanwhile, states continue to grapple with revenue shortfalls driven by extended shutdowns. While many states are waiting to see whether they’ll receive more federal aid, many are also exploring novel tax ideas to bring in more revenue.

Watch a special two-part Talking Tax Reform webinar, below, for insights from today’s leading tax policy experts on what is ahead at both the federal and state levels.

Panel 1: Liquidity and Recovery: Federal Aid to Businesses (11:00 a.m. – noon ET)

  • Should restoring liquidity to struggling businesses and ensuring a strong economic recovery be mutually exclusive goals? Are there ways for federal legislators to address both at once?
  • Why are net operating loss deductions an essential tool for ensuring liquidity and how can lawmakers further build on the CARES Act in this regard?
  • What’s the best way to design unemployment relief to provide support to those in need without jeopardizing future employment?

Featuring:

  • Karl Smith, Vice President for Federal Tax and Economic Policy, Tax Foundation
  • Justin Field, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, National Venture Capital Association
  • Laura Yamanaka, Board Chair, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Institute for Entrepreneurial Development

Panel 2: Addressing State Budget Shortfalls (noon – 1:00 p.m. ET)

  • How serious are state budget shortfalls, how much has the federal government already delivered in aid, and should it do more? If so, how can Congress minimize negative consequences in the future?
  • States are considering a range of tax policies to help bolster their budgets—gross receipts taxes, head taxes, digital services taxes, excise taxes. How do these options compare to more traditional revenue sources?
  • What solutions should states pursue to address near-term budget gaps while achieving long-term stability?

Featuring:

  • Jared Walczak, Vice President of State Projects, Tax Foundation
  • Kathryn White, Director of Budget Process Studies, National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
  • Morgan Scarboro, Manager, Tax Policy & Economist, Multistate Associates

If you are new to the Tax Foundation’s work, you can learn more about who we are and what we do here. You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter and support our work here.

Stay informed on the tax policies impacting you.

Subscribe to get insights from our trusted experts delivered straight to your inbox.

Subscribe
Share