Brookings: Topics - Tax Reform

Tax Reform and Fiscal Discipline Needed for Economic Recovery

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:14:14 GMT

As the administration continues to wrangle with the floundering economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has advised that the growing budget deficits have to be cut. Economic Studies director William Gale agrees saying there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to stabilizing the economy.

Tax Reform Handcuffs

Mon, 04 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

President Obama has embraced the idea of tax reform and created an independent commission, but told its members to work within the confines of current policy. Can there be meaningful reform that doesn't raise income taxes on 95 percent of taxpayers? William Gale discusses this and other issues regarding tax reform.

Challenges and Opportunities for Tax Reform

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:50:40 GMT

William Gale says the current tax system is too complicated, inequitable and inefficient. He says President Obama has to take the lead on reforming the tax code and that taxpayers should anticipate a future of higher taxes and fewer tax cuts.

The Scouting Report: Tax Reform

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

April 15, 2009, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

On tax day in the United States, Leonard Burman, director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, took questions about what the Obama administration should do to create a fair and equitable tax system during an online web chat moderated by Politico Senior Editor Fred Barbash.

American Corporate Tax Exceptionalism

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

February 20, 2009, 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center (TPC) and the International Tax Policy Forum held a half-day conference to assess the extent to which the U.S. tax system differs from international norms and whether these differences affect U.S. economic performance.

Fixing the Tax System

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Innovative and sound tax policy may be one way out of our financial rut, argue Bill Gale and Ben Harris. An effective tax code can buoy an economic recovery; down the road, taxation can help achieve the Obama administration's goals in health care, in energy policy and, ultimately, for fiscal balance.

Tax Reform’s Challenges and Opportunities

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 08:45:00 GMT

Event Information:

December 05, 2008, 8:45 AM to 4:30 PM

A new administration presents an ideal opportunity to reshape the nation’s tax code. Improving the equity, simplicity and efficiency of the tax system will help to better prepare taxpayers, businesses and the economy for the challenges that lay ahead. Brookings, the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center and Tax Analysts co-hosted a forum to explore timely policy recommendations for the incoming president and his transition team.

The Scouting Report: Fix the Tax System

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

December 03, 2008, 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

The U.S. tax code is too complex, often supports misguided incentives, and raises inadequate revenue to support government spending. William Gale, vice president and director of Economic Studies, answered questions in a live web chat with Politico's Jeanne Cummings, chief lobbying and influence writer, about strengthening and improving our nation’s tax code.

Closing Budget Deficits: An Entitlements Commission is Not the Answer

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Henry J. Aaron testified before the House Committee on the Budget about H.R. 3654, a bill that would establish a federal budget commission to "reform tax policy and entitlement benefit programs and ensure a sound fiscal future."

Stabilizing State and Local Budgets: A Proposal for Tax-Base Insurance

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The volatility of state tax revenues can force states and localities to cut back on necessary programs or raise taxes at a time when the state economy is already suffering. Akash Deep and Robert Z. Lawrence explain that pooling the risk of tax revenue losses could compensate states and localities for lost tax revenue and allow them to respond to fiscal crises without raising taxes or cutting services.

Health Reform Through Tax Reform: A Primer

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Tax incentives for employer-sponsored insurance and other medical spending cost about $200 billion annually and have pervasive effects on coverage and costs. In this paper, Jason Furman surveys a range of proposals to reform health care, either by adding new tax incentives or by limiting or replacing the existing tax incentives.

The Tax System: Too Complex, Unfair and Outdated

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Stimulus checks are a bright note in this year’s tax season. But, William Gale asserts, the annual tax-filing ritual is otherwise complicated and outdated. He recommends that the presidential candidates advocate changes like streamlining tax incentives and allowing some taxpayers to pay without filing returns.

Individual Taxpayers and Federal Tax Reform

Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Taxpayers are overwhelmed by complexity, real and imagined, in the tax code. Testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, William Gale said that, although the need to simplify the tax system is one goal that everyone accepts, every year the system becomes more complex.

2016: Too Long to Wait for Tax Reform

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Simplifying a complex and inequitable tax system can take years, history has shown. Jason Furman urges prompt action now that the new Ways and Means tax reform proposal offers a solid starting point.

Q&A on Tax Reform

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:27:44 GMT

The one thing that everyone agrees on is that taxes shouldn’t be so complicated. Yet every year, they get more complex. William Gale explains how the next president can move quickly to make the tax code simple, equitable, stable and promote economic growth.

Fair and Equitable Tax Policy

Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Hamilton Project Director Jason Furman testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on fair and equitable tax policy for America's working families.

Reforming Taxation in the Global Age

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

June 12, 2007, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM

The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution hosted a forum and released a new set of policy proposals that address the challenges of reforming the U.S. tax system in an increasingly global economy. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers opened the discussion by providing an overview of a new Hamilton Project strategy paper that frames the challenges facing the current U.S. system of taxation and offers six guiding principles for progressively reforming the tax code.

Achieving Progressive Tax Reform in an Increasingly Global Economy

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The progressive tax system, and the nation's fiscal system more broadly, have historically played an important role in expanding opportunities for all Americans while reducing inequality. But the same dynamic forces of technological change, financial innovation, and globalization that have contributed to rising income inequality also present new challenges for progressive taxation.

Fixing the Tax System: Support Fairer, Simpler, and More Adequate Taxation

Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A good tax system raises the revenues needed to finance government spending in a manner that is as simple, equitable, stable, and conducive to economic growth as possible. But the challenge for the next President will be to make reform work not just in the abstract, but in the real world, where special interests often rule the roost. The next President should support reforms that would tax all income once (only) at the full tax rate, simplify and streamline the tax code, and, of course, raise sufficient revenues.

Reforming Tax Incentives into Uniform Refundable Tax Credits

Tue, 01 Aug 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Policy Brief #156: Reforming Tax Incentives into Uniform Refundable Tax Credits; by Peter R. Orszag, Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., and Lily L. Batchelder

Tax Reform in an Open Economy

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 08:30:00 GMT

Event Information:

December 02, 2005, 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM

The Tax Reform Panel Report: "Blueprint for Change?"

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:00:00 GMT

Event Information:

November 03, 2005, 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM

The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center hosted a presentation and discussion on the findings of the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform, assessed their potential impact on American taxpayers and the chance of success in Congress. Participants included William Frenzel and Charles O. Rossotti, senior members of the panel.

National Retail Sales Tax

Wed, 01 Sep 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Article by William G. Gale, Encyclopedia of Taxation (September 2004)

A Note on the Required Tax Rate in a National Retail Sales Tax: Preliminary Estimates for 2005-2014

Thu, 12 Aug 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by William G. Gale (8/12/04)

The Crisis in Tax Administration

Thu, 20 May 2004 00:00:00 GMT

Over the last few years, the U.S. Congress has restricted spending on tax administration, forcing the Internal Revenue Service to curtail enforcement activities, at the same time, that the number of individual filers has increased, tax rules have bec

Tax Uncertainty: A Divided America's unformed view of the federal tax system

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 00:00:00 GMT

With tax cuts as the centerpiece of the Bush administration's domestic policy agenda, the president himself hit the road this spring to try to gin up public support. But as Congress and the White House carried the issue deep into the arcana of hundre

Tax Simplification: Issues and Options

Mon, 10 Sep 2001 00:00:00 GMT

Article by William G. Gale, Tax Notes (9/10/01)

The Role of Administrative Issues in Tax Reform: Simplicity, Compliance, and Administration

Fri, 01 Dec 2000 00:00:00 GMT

Paper by William G. Gale and Janet Holtzblatt (12/00)

The South African Tax System: A Nation in Microcosm

Mon, 06 Dec 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Article by Henry Aaron and Joel Slemrod in Tax Notes International, December 6, 1999

Law and Electronic Commerce: The Next Frontier

Wed, 01 Dec 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by Steven M.H. Wallman, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies and Kathleen M.H. Wallman

Why Are Taxes So Complicated and What Can We Do About It?

Wed, 01 Dec 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by William G. Gale (Winter 1999)

The Required Tax Rate in a National Retail Sales Tax

Wed, 01 Sep 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Article by William Gale, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution, in the National Tax Journal, September 1999

A Crisis In Saving?

Mon, 16 Aug 1999 00:00:00 GMT

Saving Rate Opinion in Barron's by William G. Gale, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution

The Flat Tax: Simple, Efficient, Fair. Or is it?

Mon, 01 Jun 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Brookings Review article by William G. Gale (Summer 1998)

Don't Toss Out the Baby With Reform

Tue, 14 Apr 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Don't Toss Out the Baby With Reform

Kill the Tax Code? Great Sport, Risky Business

Mon, 13 Apr 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Kill the Tax Code? Great Sport, Risky Business

Don't Buy the Sales Tax

Sun, 01 Mar 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Policy Brief #31, by William G. Gale (March 1998)

The Misguided Max Tax

Mon, 23 Feb 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by William Gale and Robert Reischauer, Senior Fellows, The Brookings Institution

Fantasy Tax

Sun, 15 Feb 1998 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by William Gale, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Business Taxes and the Flat Tax

Thu, 07 Mar 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by William Gale, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Flat Tax Impact on Saving and the Economy

Mon, 19 Feb 1996 00:00:00 GMT

Opinion by William Gale, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

The Kemp Commission and the Future of Tax Reform

Mon, 05 Feb 1996 00:00:00 GMT

An article by William Gale, Senior Fellow, the Brookings Institution, in Tax Notes, February 5, 1996