All Tax VOX
Rubio-Lee tax reform plan would add trillions to the debtThe tax reform plan from Marco Rubio and Mike Lee is filled with a lot of interesting and credible ideas, but the specifics would add trillions to the nation's debt over the next decade.聽
What if we funded public school like Obamacare?A public school system funded the same way we pay for the ACA's exchanged-based insurance聽would drastically reduce direct spending for public schools and the taxes without directly affecting educational resources. But it聽would make life much more complicated for taxpayers and tax administrators. 聽
Why Republican governors are flirting with tax hikesIs 2015 the year of reluctant GOP tax hikes or triumphant GOP tax cuts? It depends.聽Republican governors are open to new tax revenue鈥攁s long as it is never, ever from individual income taxes.
A better way to link the Affordable Care Act and tax seasonThe Obama Administration has created a special ACA enrollment season for this year only, but it's a limited fix to a bigger problem: finding better ways to use tax filing season as an ACA enrollment incentive.聽
The Affordable Care Act and tax filing season: a view from the trenchesThis is the first filing season when聽taxpayers must navigate the new provisions of the ACA on their 1040s.聽And, as we are learning, sorting through all the necessary paperwork is hard to do, even for those of us whose day jobs are in tax policy.
Do tax breaks help small business? Not as much as lawmakers think.For decades, policymakers have enthusiastically supported special tax breaks for small businesses, including start-ups. But聽there is a wide gap between the professed support for small businesses and what the tax code does for (and to) start-ups聽in the real world.
Obama would end tax breaks for college sports. Good for him.President Obama's FY16 budget proposal would cut federal subsidies for premium seats at college sporting events. Federal subsidies ought to provide national benefits and there鈥檚 no evidence that boosting attendance in high-priced court-side or skybox seats does that.
What would a Jeb Bush presidency mean for taxes?Jeb Bush gave a speech this week that聽exposed some interesting internal conflicts in the former Florida governor鈥檚 campaign platform.聽On one hand, Bush called for government to help working class families. On the other, he demanded that government stay out of the way and let markets grow the economy.
State and local budgets still reeling from the Great RecessionThe latest Census of Governments聽shows us a lot about just how hard local governments were pounded by the Great Recession. It describes a powerful double-whammy: Local governments not only suffered deep declines in their own tax revenues but they also faced steep cuts in state aid.聽
Taxes dispute: Are accrued capital gains income the year you die?When it comes to capital gains taxes, policymakers and experts disagree on what actually counts as income.聽The dispute centers on the President鈥檚 proposal to tax accrued, but unrealized, capital gains at death.聽
Digging deeper into Obama's 'middle class economics' planObama's tax cuts primarily benefit low-income single workers and families with children. Households with very high incomes and substantial capital assets would pay more. His plans would have a modest effect on middle class Americans.聽
Is Obama closing tax loopholes or just curbing Congress' generosity?President Obama will propose to strip away the 'loopholes' that permit wealthy individuals to accumulate large amounts in tax-favored retirement plans in his upcoming budget. But big retirement accounts are more a product of Congress' generosity on the matter, not loopholes.聽
Max Scherzer: Did tax breaks seal the deal for Nationals ace?Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer will avoid state income taxes on most game paychecks 鈥� tax savings that could amount to millions of dollars. How much do tax considerations affect where coveted sports free agents like Scherzer decide to play?聽
Obama would improve tax subsidies for higher educationObama's ideas for educational tax reform are controversial,聽but they鈥檇 do a better job helping households who most need education assistance than the current complex array of programs.
How Obama would cut childcare costsPresident Obama has proposed important changes for child care costs that could allow families of young children to save thousands. But some families, especially those with just one older child, could wind up paying more.聽
Retirement security a priority for the Obama administration in 2015President Obama proposed that his administration would make retirement security a priority that would increase the ability聽of part-time workers to join their employer鈥檚 plan and improve tax incentives for businesses.聽
Fixing the President's 'angel of death' capital gains taxPresident Obama's tax on capital gains at death makes enormous sense. But the problem is with the record-keeping involved. Having聽to keep track of every asset purchase ever made would be extremely difficult. Fortunately, there is an easy fix.聽
The tax reform gap between Obama and the GOP is wideningPresident Obama laid out his vision for the tax code. He's using a 'middle-class economics' agenda aimed at raising taxes on capital gains on high-income groups and redistribute the money from rich to working-class households. While, Republicans want to cut tax rates mostly. Will there be a middle ground?聽
Obama wants to tax the rich. It's a plan abroad, too.聽President Obama called on Congress last night to address wealth inequality through the tax code. But taxing the rich isn't just an American thing; Russia, Great Britain, and Brazil have 聽rules or proposals in motion to put the tax code to work agains income inequality.聽
President Obama targets the 'angel of death' capital gains tax loopholeThe president plans to announce new proposals聽that would substantially increase taxes for the wealthiest Americans. But the possible elimination of the 'angel of death' tax loophole is a more significant change, taxing the wealthy on inherited capital gains.
