For the past two years, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has been debating how to change the tax treatment of large multinationals so that countries can tax corporate profits not just where their headquarters, employees, and assets are but also where a company’s customers are located. The implications of such a change could be substantial, not just […]
President Biden’s administration argues in the Made in America Tax Plan that corporate taxes should be raised to address a declining share of national income accruing to labor. The problem with the argument, which primarily relies on measures of gross domestic income, is it ignores that some income doesn’t accrue to workers or capital owners. Using net income instead, we […]
As part of the U.S. Treasury Department’s report outlining President Biden’s corporate tax plan, it has become clear the 15 percent minimum tax on book income will apply to a smaller set of corporations than originally proposed during the 2020 presidential campaign. While the scope of the tax has narrowed, several key questions remain about the tax design, including whether […]
At the beginning of the year, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the “End Taxpayer Subsidies for Drug Ads Act,” which would prohibit companies from deducting the costs of prescription drug advertisements directed at the public. However, the bill’s title is a misnomer: the deduction is not a tax subsidy. To start, the corporate income tax is a tax on profits, […]
America is known for its exceptionalism, but when it comes to corporate tax policy, the Biden administration is embarking on an uncharted course that will set the U.S. apart from global tax policy norms and best practices. The proposed changes to our corporate tax rules could make the U.S. a less attractive place to do business in and to do […]
Have you ever wagered on sports or participated in daily fantasy sports? If you answer yes, you may have paid an obscure and little-known federal excise tax on sports betting. This month, Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) have reintroduced legislation, H.R. 2350, to repeal this tax. When the tax was introduced in 1951, it was intended, […]
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A recent working paper by economists at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) shows that not all taxes are created equal—progressive taxes on labor income and taxes on capital income would have a negative impact on the economy, capital investment, and jobs, especially when compared to flatter taxes on labor income. Policymakers should consider these results as they debate ways to […]
Families with children will see a significant increase in their maximum child tax credit (CTC) in 2021 thanks to the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) expanding child-related tax benefits. President Biden is now exploring how to make the ARPA’s temporary expansion of the CTC permanent. Whether and how lawmakers choose to finance a permanent expansion of this benefit will have […]
Democratic members of Congress are interested in changing tax rules for foreign earnings of U.S. multinational companies. They claim the current rules incentivize U.S. businesses to outsource and offshore what would otherwise be U.S. jobs and investment. However, closer inspection shows these claims do not fit with the way the rules have been working. Some lawmakers are focused on a […]
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) introduced several new rules for taxing the foreign profits of U.S. multinationals, including rules related to Global Intangible Low Tax Income (GILTI) that result in a minimum tax on foreign profits. Both the Biden campaign and some Democratic members of Congress have recommended changes to GILTI, but before doing that, policymakers should consider […]
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 The United States has provided about $6 trillion in total economic relief to the American people during the coronavirus pandemic, including the $1.9 trillion that was approved when President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act into law on Thursday, amounting to about 27 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). Much of the […]
The Biden administration has signaled its openness to raising the corporate tax rate, potentially by phasing in an increase over several years. While phasing in a tax increase, as opposed to hiking immediately, may seem like a reasonable middle ground, it would be the worst of both worlds because it provides old investment with a lower rate while penalizing new […]
Preliminary data suggest that states closed out calendar year 2020 with only $1.7 billion less revenue than they generated in 2019 (a decline of less than 0.2 percent), not counting federal assistance, while municipal governments actually experienced substantial revenue growth due to rising property values. Yet the American Rescue Plan Act sets aside $350 billion in additional state and local […]
Table of Contents Key Findings President Joe Biden and congressional policymakers have proposed several changes to the corporate income tax, including raising the rate from 21 percent to 28 percent and imposing a 15 percent minimum tax on the book income of large corporations. The proposals are being considered to raise revenue for new spending programs and would repeal changes […]
The coronavirus relief legislation passed out of the House Ways and Means Committee last week would significantly expand the child tax credit (CTC) for 2021, from its current $2,000 maximum to a fully refundable $3,600 for children 6 and under and $3,000 for children over 6. Monthly payments would be provided based on income tax returns on file with the […]
The Family Security Act, recently proposed by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT), would replace the Child Tax Credit (CTC) with a monthly child allowance administered by the Social Security Administration, making the benefit more generous and accessible to low-income households without earned income. The goal of the proposal is to reduce child poverty while simplifying existing social benefits provided through the […]
As the House Ways and Means Committee continues working on the latest round of fiscal relief amid the pandemic, one curious provision in the legislation is a tax hike on multinational companies. One section of the legislation would repeal a provision in current law that allows U.S. multinationals to choose to allocate their interest costs on a worldwide basis (more […]
Recent discussions of a proposed wealth tax for the United States have included little information about trends in wealth taxation among other developed nations. However, those trends and the current state of wealth taxes in OECD countries can provide context for this new proposal. The OECD maintains detailed tax revenue statistics going back to 1965 for its 37 member countries. […]
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) this week proposed the Family Security Act, which features a new, more generous child allowance for families with children while reforming other sources of aid for low-income individuals. Romney’s plan would replace the existing Child Tax Credit (CTC), which is subject to a minimum income requirement and other limitations, with a nearly universal child allowance that […]