2012 Elections

GOP Leaders Take on Far Right Pressure Groups

By Eric Pianin

There have been plenty of theories about why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strode onstage at a conservative gathering late last week carrying a rifle. Ostensibly, McConnell, the 72-...
Some CEOs Are Still Cashing In at Our Expense

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Many of the highest paid CEOs might be ripping off stockholders and taxpayers, according to a study released Wednesday by the progressive Institute for Policy Studies.
Tax Reform Could Be Easier Than Congress Thinks

By Yuval Rosenberg

The conservative-leaning Tax Foundation issued a press release Monday touting some “good news for tax reformers”: An analysis by experts at the foundation found that a plan to dramatically simplify...
‘The Daily Show’ Explains Why Our ‘Chicken$#!&’ Congress Hasn’t Reformed the Tax Code

By Yuval Rosenberg

Congress may be out on its month-long August recess, but that doesn’t mean “The Daily Show” stops its skewering. Last night, host John Oliver took on our broken tax code – and used the issue to take...
How 21 Major Corporations Dodged $93B in Taxes

By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

Twenty-one of the top 100 publicly traded U.S. corporations – including such big names as Goldman Sachs, Apple and Walt Disney – have avoided paying $93 billion a year in federal taxes by parking...

Obama’s Bargain: Lower Rates for Higher Spending

By Eric Pianin

President Obama intends to make one last pitch for a “grand bargain” of new spending and tax policy on Tuesday that will attempt to marry corporate tax reform with funding for jobs to benefit the...
Ominous Signs for the GOP in 2014

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

The conventional wisdom is that Republicans are in good shape going into next year’s congressional elections. Gerrymandering and the enormous benefits of incumbency virtually guarantee them continued...
Trading Tax Write-Offs for Real Growth

By Andrew Fieldhouse, The Fiscal Times

Overhauling the tax code is a wonky fixation of the D.C. policymaking elite, for good reason — it’s an area loaded with policy nuance, lobbying intrigue and major ramifications for long-term fiscal...
IRS Scandal: How the Brouhaha Went Bust

By Peter Weber, TheWeek.com

Rep. Darrell Issa is still banging the scandal drum. Is anyone listening anymore?
Beer, Burgers, and a Two-Man Blitz on Tax Reform

By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) are keeping hope alive that the tax code can be rewritten. Both peg the odds of successful reform at more than 50 percent, according to a joint lunch...

Obama Should Go to Canada for Leadership Lessons

By Liz Peek

When President Obama nixed the Keystone Pipeline , Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper moved aggressively on the alternative Northern Gateway Pipeline. The project would involve billions of...
Tax Reform: Cap All Deductions at 2 Percent of AGI

By Eric Pianin

House Republican lawmakers are struggling with the challenge of identifying scores of costly tax deductions to eliminate to help offset the cost to the Treasury of major tax cuts, but Harvard...
The Pressure in On for Journalists to Choose Sides

By Eric Pianin

The polarization of the news industry mirrors the growing partisan divide in Washington, in which Republicans and Democrats and tea party members have given up talking to one another and instead do...
New Assault on CBO’s Numbers and Transparency

By Michelle Hirsch, The Fiscal Times

The Congressional Budget Office has long been a target of disgruntled lawmakers and politicians, and this week it again came under attack – this time by super tax lobbyist Grover Norquist and former...
Why Reagan's Tax Reform Road Map Won't Work Now

By Eric Pianin and Michelle Hirsch

While the 1986 tax reform legislation is frequently cited as a useful roadmap for the White House and Congress to draft another major overhaul after the2012 election, there are many important...

Search form