Congressional Research Service Reports - 234 Matching Results
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- Residential Energy Tax Credits: Overview and Analysis
- This report discusses current residential energy tax credits, options to extend or modify them, and an analysis of their effectiveness.
- The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief
- This report provides an overview of the individual mandate, its associated penalty, and the exemptions from the mandate. It discusses the ACA reporting requirements designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate. The report includes some national- and state-level data on the application of the mandate's penalty in tax year (TY) 2014 and TY2015.
- Business Organizational Choices: Taxation and Responses to Legislative Changes
- This report summarizes the general tax treatment of corporate and pass-through businesses and analyzes the most recent business data from the Internal Revenue Service(IRS).
- Expired and Expiring Temporary Tax Provisions (“Tax Extenders”)
- No Description Available.
- 501(c)(4)s and the Gift Tax: Legal Analysis
- This report discusses whether substantial donations to tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organizations are subject to the federal gift tax.
- Selected Recently Expired Business Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders")
- This report briefly summarizes and discusses the economic impact of selected business-related tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013 and that are being considered for extension.
- Churches and Campaign Activity: Analysis Under Tax and Campaign Finance Laws
- This report is on Churches and Campaign Activity: Analysis Under Tax and Campaign Finance Laws.
- Taxation of Unemployment Benefits
- Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Individuals who receive UC benefits during a year may elect to have the federal (and in some cases state) income tax withheld from their benefits. This report provides an overview of the taxation of UC benefits and legislation related to taxing UC benefits.
- Spending and Tax Expenditures: Distinctions and Major Programs
- This report identifies the largest spending and tax expenditures across eight major categories of federal activity: (1) defense and international affairs; (2) general science, space and technology, natural resources and the environment, and agriculture; (3) commerce and housing, community and regional development, and transportation; (4) education, training, employment, and social services; (5) health, including Medicare; (6) income security; (7) Social Security and veterans' benefits; and (8) administration of justice and general governance.
- An Introduction to the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
- This report provides an overview of the low-income tax credit.
- Recent Changes in the Estate and Gift Tax Provisions
- This report describes the basic structure of the estate and gift tax, provides a brief history of recent developments, discusses the revenue effects and distribution of the tax, and briefly discusses issues and options.
- Individual Income Tax Rates and Other Key Elements of the Federal Individual Income Tax: 1988 to 2017
- This report summarizes the tax brackets and other key elements of the individual income tax that help determine taxpayers' marginal and average effective tax rates going back to 1988. It is updated to reflect indexation adjustments and changes in tax law.
- The 2017 Tax Revision (P.L. 115-97): Comparison to 2017 Tax Law
- This report provides a brief summary of P.L. 115-97 (The tax revision law), comparing each provision in the act with prior tax law. The report also provides a brief legislative history of activity leading to enactment of P.L. 115-97, along with estimated revenue and distributional effects of the recently enacted law.
- Business Tax Provisions that Expired in 2017 (Tax Extenders")
- This report discusses twelve temporary business tax extenders which expired at the end of 2017.
- Expired Tax Provisions and "Tax Extenders"
- This report discusses tax provisions which expired at the end of 2016 and were not addressed in the 2017 tax reform bill and various options for Congress to either extend them or end them.
- Recently Expired Individual Tax Provisions (Tax Extenders"): In Brief
- This report provides background information on individual income tax provisions that expired in 2016. Information on costs associated with extending individual income tax expired provisions is provided in Table 1. The provisions that were extended in the PATH Act were extended for two years, retroactive for 2015 and through 2016. The estimated cost to make expired provisions permanent is as reported by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO reports estimated deficit effects of extending expired and expiring tax provisions through the 10-year budget window (2018 – 2027).
- The Distribution of the Tax Policy Changes in H.R 1 and the Senate's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
- This report discusses the Joint Committee on Taxation's (JCT) November 14, 2017 distributional analysis report of the House and Senate's proposed tax reform legislation which outlines how the changes made by the bill would effect the economic well-being of American taxpayers.
- The Individual Mandate for Health Insurance Coverage: In Brief
- This report provides an overview of the individual mandate, its associated penalty, and the exemptions from the mandate. It discusses the ACA reporting requirements designed, in part, to assist individuals in providing evidence of having met the mandate. The report includes some national- and state-level data on the application of the mandate's penalty in tax year (TY) 2014 and TY2015.
- Taxation of Unemployment Benefits
- Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Individuals who receive UC benefits during a year may elect to have the federal (and in some cases state) income tax withheld from their benefits. This report provides an overview of the taxation of UC benefits and legislation related to taxing UC benefits.
- Taxation of Unemployment Benefits
- Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Individuals who receive UC benefits during a year may elect to have the federal (and in some cases state) income tax withheld from their benefits. This report provides an overview of the taxation of UC benefits and legislation related to taxing UC benefits.
- 1099 Information Reporting Requirements and Penalties as Modified by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
- This report discuses the 2010 expansion of reporting requirements listed in IRC (Internal Revenue Code) 6041. The controversy in these expansions lies in the burden the expansion imposes on small businesses. The report also describes the pieces of legislation that have amended IRC 6041, and the implications of that legislation along with the consequences of IRC 6041.
- 1099 Information Reporting Requirements and Penalties as Modified by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010
- This report discuses the 2010 expansion of reporting requirements listed in IRC (Internal Revenue Code) 6041. The controversy in these expansions lies in the burden the expansion imposes on small businesses. The report also describes the pieces of legislation that have amended IRC 6041, and the implications of that legislation along with the consequences of IRC 6041.
- Taxation of Unemployment Benefits
- Unemployment compensation (UC) benefits have been fully subject to the federal income tax since the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 (P.L. 99-514). Individuals who receive UC benefits during a year may elect to have the federal (and in some cases state) income tax withheld from their benefits. This report provides an overview of the taxation of UC benefits and legislation related to taxing UC benefits.
- Internet Sales and State Taxes: Policy Issues
- This report discusses Internet sales, which do not always include sales and use tax. Customers who do not pay sales or use tax to the vendor are typically required to remit the tax to their home state.
- Taxpayers with Zero Income Tax Liability: Trends Over Time and Across Income Levels
- This report discusses situations when individuals or households have not paid federal income taxes because their income was below the filing threshold.
- The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief
- This report discusses the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA; P.L. 105-277) enacted in 1998, which implemented a three-year moratorium preventing state and local governments from taxing Internet access, or imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
- U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues
- This report provides a general introduction to the basic concepts and issues relevant to the U.S. international corporate tax system. The explanations provided in this report emphasize the underlying concepts of the international tax system and are intended to be as simplified as possible.
- The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief
- This report discusses the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA; P.L. 105-277), which enacted in 1998, implemented a three-year moratorium preventing state and local governments from taxing Internet access, or imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
- The Federal Excise Tax on Gasoline and the Highway Trust Fund: A Short History
- A history and overview of current issues relating to the gasoline excise tax.
- U.S. International Corporate Taxation: Basic Concepts and Policy Issues
- This report provides a general introduction to the basic concepts and issues relevant to the U.S. international corporate tax system. The explanations provided in this report emphasize the underlying concepts of the international tax system and are intended to be as simplified as possible.
- The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief
- This report discusses the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA; P.L. 105-277), which enacted in 1998, implemented a three-year moratorium preventing state and local governments from taxing Internet access, or imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on electronic commerce.
- The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis
- This report reviews the issues surrounding the medical devices tax within the framework of basic principles surrounding the choice of commodities to tax under excise taxes. The next section describes the tax and its legislative origins. After that, the report analyzes the arguments for retaining and repealing the tax.
- Tax Deductions for Individuals: A Summary
- This report first describes what tax deductions are, how they vary in their effects on reducing taxable income, and how they differ from other provisions (e.g., exclusions or credits). Next, it discusses the rationale for deductions as part of the tax code. The final section of this report includes tables that summarize each individual tax deduction, under current law. Many of these deductions are part of the permanent income tax code.
- Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery
- Report that provides a basic overview of existing, permanent provisions that benefit victims of disasters, as well as past, targeted legislative responses to particular disasters. The relief is discussed without examining either the qualifications for or the limitation on claiming the provisions' benefits.
- Alternative Minimum Taxpayers by State: 2009, 2010, and Projections for 2012
- Report that breaks down, state-by-state, the percentage of taxpayers subject to Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and also maps out these projections for the year 2012.
- Recently Expired Community Assistance Related Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders"): In Brief
- This report briefly summarizes four community assistance-related tax provisions included in the EXPIRE Act, which are (1) the New Markets Tax Credit, (2) Empowerment Zone Tax Incentives, (3) allocation of bond limitations for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, and (4) the American Samoa Economic Development Credit.
- Expired and Expiring Temporary Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders")
- This report discusses dozens of temporary tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013, and several other temporary tax provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2014.
- What Happens if H.R. 1 Conflicts with U.S. Tax Treaties?
- This report discusses what happens if a new U.S. tax law contradicts existing U.S. international tax treaties, with considerations for Congress.
- What Share of Taxpayers Would See a Tax Increase or a Tax Decrease Under a Senate Version of the Tax Reform Bill
- This report provides a brief overview and charts illustrating statistics about who would receive tax cuts, tax increases, or stay the same under the Senate version of the Tax Reform Bill.
- The Federal Tax System for the 2017 Tax Year
- This report describes the current federal tax structure and provides some statistics on the tax system as a whole, as of 2017.
- Value-Added Tax (VAT) as a Revenue Option: A Primer
- This report summarizes issues, arguments, and concerns relevant to a value-added tax (VAT).
- Tax Policy and Disaster Recovery
- This report discusses, in broad terms, disaster-related tax policy. Challenges associated with using the tax code to deliver federal financial assistance following natural disasters are also discussed.
- Certain Temporary Tax Provisions Scheduled to Expire in 2009 (“Extenders”)
- This report discusses numerous temporary tax provisions exist in the tax code. Often referred to as “extenders,” these provisions were originally enacted with an expiration date that has then been temporarily extended, in some cases numerous times.
- Tax Reform in the 114th Congress: An Overview of Proposals
- This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
- Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Filers and the Child Tax Credit: Overview and Legislation
- This report discusses the child tax credit, which was created by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) to help ease the financial burden on families when they have children. The ACTC is available to taxpayers with little or no federal income tax liability.
- EU State Aid and Apple's Taxes
- This report discusses the recent investigations by the European Union (EU) regarding claims that certain countries had provided illegal state aid via favorable tax rulings.
- Tax Reform in the 113th Congress: An Overview of Proposals
- This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
- The Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Estimated Economic and Market Effects
- This report examines several issues: it evaluates the potential of the Cadillac tax to affect health insurance coverage (and, therefore, the health market), and examines the expected incidence (burden) of the tax--that is, which group will pay the price of the tax.
- The Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage: Background and Economic Analysis
- This report gives a brief description of the excise tax on high-cost employer-sponsored coverage, commonly referred to as the Cadillac tax, including the legislative origins of the tax and an analysis of the revenue effects of the tax. It also analyzes the Cadillac tax using standard economic criteria of efficiency, equity, and administrative simplicity as well as an analysis of health insurance premium data to provide insights into what share of health insurance plans could exceed the Cadillac tax threshold and how the threshold could affect more health plans over time.
- Capital Gains Tax: An Overview
- This report gives a brief overview of taxes and tax law regarding capital gains.