In a February 14 commentary, American Enterprise Institute economist Kevin Hassett, co-author of the book, “Dow 36,000,” urged a cut in the corporate tax rate, saying it would pay for itself via the “Laffer Curve.”
On February 14, the Treasury Department released its Green Book, which goes into further detail regarding tax initiatives in the president’s budget.
In a February 14 commentary, journalist David Cay Johnston noted that abolition of the Making Work Pay Credit and its replacement by a temporary cut in the payroll tax constituted a significant tax increase for many low income taxpayers.
On February 10, the Congressional Budget Office published a study explaining its methodology for estimating income tax receipts.
On February 9, the American Enterprise Institute published a study of the corporate tax.
On February 8, Bloomberg Markets published an article, reviewing the New Markets Tax Credit, a program designed to aid impoverished communities that appears to have funded many luxury hotels. a program designed to aid impoverished communities that appears to have funded many luxury hotels.
On February 7, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration published a report which found that $11 billion to $13 billion per year of Earned Income Tax Credits are claimed erroneously.
On February 1, the New York Times sponsored a roundtable discussion on corporate taxes. Commenting were economists Eric Toder, Dean Baker, and Chris Edwards.
On January 27, law professors John A. Miller and Jeffrey A. Maine posted a paper examining the fundamentals of estate tax planning given the uncertain legal environment.
On January 23, Treasury Department economist Laura Kawano posted a paper analyzing the impact of the 2001 and 2003 tax bills on portfolio choices. She finds weak evidence that households shifted their investments as a consequence.
On January 18, the Joint Committee on Taxation published a brief survey of the federal tax system.
On January 11, Columbia tax professor Michael Graetz posted a lecture on the past, present and future of the estate tax.
On December 17, the Congressional Research Service published a report on reforming the taxation of multinational corporations.
I last posted items on this topic on February 3.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
