Congressional Research Service Reports - 834 Matching Results
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- Across-the-Board Tax Cuts: Economic Issues
- This report examines economic issues relating to across-the-board tax cuts, focusing primarily on distributional issues. The report is divided into four sections. The first section provides a general overview of the tax system. The next discusses recent proposals relating to across-the-board tax cuts. The third section discusses methods of evaluating alternative types of across-the-board tax cuts. The final section briefly discusses issues of efficiency, simplicity, and stabilization policy.
- Across-the-Board Tax Cuts: Economic Issues
- This report examines economic issues relating to across-the-board tax cuts, focusing primarily on distributional issues. The report is divided into four sections. The first section provides a general overview of the tax system. The next discusses recent proposals relating to across-the-board tax cuts. The third section discusses methods of evaluating alternative types of across-the-board tax cuts. The final section briefly discusses issues of efficiency, simplicity, and stabilization policy.
- Additional Standard Tax Deduction for the Blind: A Description and Assessment
- This report covers the history, reasoning, and current policy that surrounds tax deductions for the blind. Moreover, the report highlights the current policy (as of May 7th 2008) as one that recognizes the higher cost of living for a blind person because many blind taxpayers have low incomes. However, the report points out that because of this many of them have access to an additional deduction for being in a lower income bracket.
- Additional Standard Tax Deduction for the Elderly: A Description and Assessment
- This report briefly summarizes the history, reasoning, and current tax deductions (as of May 7th 2008) for the elderly. The report suggests that the current tax deduction for both the elderly and the blind will result in the loss of 9 billion in tax revenue. Moreover, the report suggests that corrections could be made with alternative solutions.
- Addressing the Long-Run Budget Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches
- Report that examines alternative approaches to reducing the deficit, relating to the immediate issues arising from the Budget Control Act and the expiring tax cuts as well as to ongoing longer term decisions about how to bring the debt under control.
- Addressing the Long-Run Budget Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches
- The growth of the national debt, which is considered unsustainable under current policies, continues to be one of the central issues of domestic federal policy making. On August 2, 2011, Congress adopted, and the President signed, the Budget Control Act (BCA; P.L. 112-25), which might be viewed as an initial step in addressing long-run debt issues. This report examines alternative approaches to reducing the deficit, relating to the immediate issues arising from the BCA and the extended tax cuts as well as to ongoing, longer-term decisions about how to bring the debt under control. It focuses on the trade-offs between limiting the provision of defense and domestic public goods, reducing transfers to persons including entitlements for the elderly and those with low income, reducing support for state and local governments, and raising taxes. Using projections of the debt and deficit, it also addresses how limiting reliance on one source of deficit reduction creates pressure on other sources.
- Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties for Inflation
- This report summarizes and discusses potential adjustments in civil monetary penalties. The report covers the history of both legislation and enforcement on this issue which is central to the deciding how to enforce civil monetary penalties. The report identifies three courses of action that include either maintaining the status quo, adjusting civil monetary penalty maximums through legislation, or implementing some of the recommendations in the General Accounting Office's (GAO) report.
- Adoption: Interethnic Placement Legislation In the 104th Congress
- This report discusses the legislation by the 104th Congress to increase overall adoption rates by prohibiting racial and other discriminatory practices in the adoption process. The report identifies this as a provision of the Small Business Job Protection Act, which will also increase minimum wage.
- The Advisory Panel's Tax Reform Proposals
- In early 2005, the President appointed a tax reform advisory panel to formulate tax reform proposals. The report of the President’s Advisory Panel on Tax Reform, issued in November 2005, recommended two reform plans to consider: 1) a revised income tax, referred to as the simplified income tax (SIT); and 2) a consumption tax coupled with a tax on financial income, referred to as the growth and investment tax (GIT). This report discusses the provisions and implications of these two taxes in detail.
- Agriculture in the Next Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
- This report discusses the objective of agricultural negotiations in the World Trade Organizations (WTO) in 2001 to create trade reform. The Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture (URAA) established a new set of rules for the conduct of agricultural trade that the report also considers.
- Alcohol Beverages: Labeling and Health Claims
- This report concerns rules created in 2003 by the Alcohol and Tobacco and Trade Bureau that prohibits manufacturers from advertising substantive health benefits from alcoholic beverages. Moreover, the report covers the history and debate on this issue and of the Bureau.
- Alcohol Fuels Tax Incentive
- This report discusses federal tax subsidies for alcohol transportation fuels, as well as legislative actions underway to repeal, extend, or reduce them.
- Alcohol Fuels Tax Incentives and the EPA Renewable Oxygenate Requirement
- This report examines the current alcohol fuels Federal tax incentives. Part I describes the statutory provisions of each of the five incentives. Part II examines the major public policy and economic issues of concern to policymakers: potential revenue effects, effectiveness, and economic efficiency.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT): Income Entry Points and “Take Back” Effects
- This report examines the alternative minimum tax for individuals (AMT), which was originally enacted to ensure that high-income taxpayers paid a fair share of the federal income tax.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT): Income Entry Points and “Take Back” Effects
- This report describes how the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is ineffective under the tax reductions of 2004-2007.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report discusses the alternative minimum tax (AMT), which was enacted to ensure everyone pays a minimum of federal taxes.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals
- This report provides a brief overview of the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, discusses the issues associated with the current system, and describes current legislation to amend the AMT. The report will be updated as legislative action warrants.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Activity in the 110th Congress
- This report discusses the legislative activity in the 110th Congress related to the alternative minimum tax (AMT), which was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Activity in the 110th Congress
- The alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes. However, the AMT is not indexed for inflation, and this factor, combined with recent reductions in the regular income tax, has greatly expanded the potential impact of the AMT. This report explains legislation for the FY2009 budget compromise, which includes an offset AMT patch.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives and Their Revenue Effects
- This report describes the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), specifically revenue effects of modifying AMT and Legislative Initiatives.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives and Their Revenue Effects
- This report discusses legislative initiatives regarding the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, which was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, paid at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives and Their Revenue Effects
- This report discusses legislative initiatives regarding the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, which was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, paid at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives and Their Revenue Effects
- This report discusses legislative initiatives regarding the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals, which was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, paid at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives in the 109th Congress
- This report describes the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), specifically revenue effects of modifying the AMT and Legislative Initiatives.
- The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Initiatives in the 110th Congress
- This report discusses the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals that was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.
- Alternative Minimum Taxpayers by State
- This report discusses the alternative minimum tax (AMT) with respect to the percentage of taxpayers who fall under the AMT as divided by state. The report also briefly addresses related legislation.
- Alternative Minimum Taxpayers By State: 2003, 2004, and Projections for 2007
- This report describes the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), specifically the number of people affected in the years 2004-2007.
- 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.
- “Amazon” Laws and Taxation of Internet Sales: Constitutional Analysis
- This report covers ways in which states are attempting to capture taxes on Internet sales. Two basic approaches include imposing tax collection responsibilities on the retailer, and requiring remote sellers to provide tax information to the state and/or it's customers. This report covers the legality of both options.
- "Amazon Laws" and Taxation of Internet Sales: Constitutional Analysis
- This report focuses on the ways in which the states' efforts to impose requirements on out-of-state retailers are limited by the Constitution. The report discusses recent state legislation as well as legislation introduced in the two most recent Congresses.
- "Amazon Laws" and Taxation of Internet Sales: Constitutional Analysis
- As more purchases are made over the Internet, states are looking for new ways to collect taxes on online sales. There is a common misperception that the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from taxing Internet sales. This report discusses "Amazon laws", which try to capture uncollected taxes on Internet sales and yet still comply with the Constitution's requirements.
- The American Opportunity Tax Credit: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options
- This report provides both an in-depth description of the American Opportunity Tax Credit, an analysis of its economic impact, and an overview of various policy options.
- The American Opportunity Tax Credit: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options
- This report provides both an in-depth description of this tax credit and an analysis of its economic impact. This report is organized to first provide an overview of the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), followed by a legislative history that highlights the evolution of education tax credits from proposals in the 1960s through the recent extension of the AOTC at the end of 2012. This report then analyzes the credit by looking at who claims the credit, the effect education tax credits have on increasing college attendance, and administrative issues with the AOTC. Finally, this report concludes with a brief overview of various policy options, including tax law changes proposed in Chairman Camp's tax reform bill3 and in the President's FY2015 budget request.
- The American Opportunity Tax Credit: Overview, Analysis, and Policy Options
- This report gives an overview of the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC)—enacted on a temporary basis by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and extended through the end of 2012 by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010— which is a partially-refundable tax credit that provides financial assistance to taxpayers who are attending college, or whose children are attending college. There are a variety of policy options mentioned in the report regarding the AOTC, including extending the credit, extending a modified AOTC, or repealing the Hope and Lifetime Credits and extending a modified AOTC that includes provisions included in these credits.
- An Analysis of Tax Provisions Affecting Business Investment: Depreciation and the Investment Tax Credit
- This report discusses tax laws related to depreciation and business investment.
- An Analysis of the “Buffett Rule”
- This report examines the Buffett rule, but uses a measure of income that captures the ability to pay taxes and incorporates the effect of the corporate income tax in addition to the individual income tax and the payroll tax. The Buffet rule states that "no household making over $1 million annually should pay a smaller share of its income in taxes than middle-class families pay" and is named after Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. The report includes figures, tables, and appendices to illustrate calculations and issues involved with the topic.
- An Analysis of the Geographic Distribution of the Mortgage Interest Deduction
- This report analyzes variation in the mortgage interest deduction tax expenditure across states. Tax expenditures, such as the mortgage interest deduction, can generally be viewed as government spending administered via the tax code, or as tax incentives that are intended to achieve particular policy objectives. Regardless of the interpretation, tax expenditures provide a benefit to qualifying taxpayers by lowering their federal tax liabilities.
- Analysis of the Tax Exclusion for Canceled Mortgage Debt Income
- This report begins with an overview and analysis of the historical tax treatment of canceled debt income. Next, the changes enacted by recent legislation are reviewed. A discussion of policy options concludes.
- An Analysis of the Tax Treatment of Capital Losses
- This report provides an overview of issues related to the tax treatment of capital losses. It explains the current income tax treatment of losses, describes the historical treatment of losses, provides examples of the tax gaming opportunities associated with the net loss deduction, examines the distributional issues, and discusses the possible stimulative effects of an increase in the net loss deduction.
- Anti-Tax-Shelter and Other Revenue-Raising Tax Proposals
- This report is on Anti-Tax-Shelter and Other revenue-raising Tax Proposals.
- Anti-Tax-Shelter and Other Revenue-Raising Tax Proposals Considered in the 108th Congress
- Several bills introduced in the 108th Congress included revenue-raising provisions, particularly those aimed at tax shelters that are generally used by corporations. In 2003, anti-sheltering provisions were included in several bills. This report is an overview of the revenue-raising provisions in the original reported versions of H.R. 2896 and S. 1637 and the final anti-sheltering bill as enacted.
- Application Process for Seeking 501(c)(3) Tax-Exempt Status
- Charities and other entities seeking tax-exempt status as 501(c)(3) organizations generally must apply to the Internal Revenue Service. This report provides an overview of the application process.
- Average Effective Corporate Tax Rates: 1959 to 2005
- This report examines average effective corporate tax rates of domestic nonfinancial corporations. Generally, the average effective corporate tax rate is total corporate tax receipts divided by corporate profits.
- Aviation Taxes and the Airport and Airway Trust Fund
- This report discusses the reauthorization of excise tax revenues for the airport and airway trust fund, which has been a contentious issue for the last two years. Most of the concern during this period was about future funding needs for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The issue, somewhat unexpectedly, became an element of the tax plans embedded in House and Senate FY1998 budget reconciliation proposals. The House proposed a major structural change in how aviation taxes would be imposed.
- Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS): OECD Tax Proposals
- This report first reviews the basics of international tax rules. It then discusses the various action items organized into Action Item 1, which relates to the digital economy and proposes standards only with respect to VATS; Action Items 2-5, 7, and 8-10, items related primarily to profit shifting; Action Item 5, which relates to harmful tax practices; Action Item 6, regarding tax treaties; and Action Items 11-15, which are primarily administrative in nature.