Congressional Research Service Reports - 50 Matching Results
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- Comparison of 501(c )(3) and 501(c )(4) Organizations
- This paper briefly compares the differences between tax-exempt organizations described in Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3) and those described in section 501(c)(4). Although some organizations can qualify as either a 501(c)(3) or a 501(c)(4) organization, there are two outstanding differences between the two categories which may make one type of exemption more desirable than the other: deductibility of contributions and ability to lobby without significant limits.
- Transportation Fuel Taxes Early in the 105th Congress
- The 105th Congress has reinstated for about half a year the federal excise taxes on fuel used by noncommercial aviation. This follows a similar move by the 104th Congress on aviation fuel taxes, and actions pertaining to the tax on diesel fuel used in recreational motorboats, and to the fuel tax credits given to first purchasers of diesel-powered cars and light trucks. The 104th Congress also debated repeal of the increase of 4.3 cents per gallon in transportation fuel taxes imposed by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (OBRA93) (P.L. 103-66), but no new law resulted.
- Excise Taxes on Alcohol, Tobacco, and Gasoline: History and Inflation Adjusted Rates
- This report provides inflation adjusted excise tax rates for alcohol, tobacco, and gasoline products. The base for computation is November 1951; the adjustments show what the tax rates would be if they had been increased to reflect inflation. All of the above cited commodities had rate increases effective for that date under the Revenue Act of 1951. Just as the Congress was prepared to lower excise tax rates because of peacetime conditions, plans had to be revised as a result of the start of the Korean War. Thus, the Revenue Act of 1951 was born out of revenue needs due to increased military expenditures.
- Marriage Penalty Tax Relief: The Gramm Amendment
- No Description Available.
- Tax Issues: National Public Opinion
- No Description Available.
- Social Security Taxes: Where Do Surplus Taxes Go and How Are They Used?
- The costs of the Social Security program, both its benefits and administrative expenses, are financed by a tax on wages and self-employment income. Commonly referred to as FICA and SECA taxes (because they are levied under the Federal Insurance and Self-Employment Contributions Acts), these taxes flow each day into thousands of depository accounts maintained by the government with financial institutions across the country. Along with many other forms of revenues, these Social Security taxes become part of the government’s operating cash pool, or what is more commonly referred to as the U.S. treasury. In effect, once these taxes are received, they become indistinguishable from other monies the government takes in.
- Gasoline Excise Tax - Historical Revenues: Fact Sheet
- This report provides a fact sheet about the Gasoline Excise Tax - Historical Revenues. The gas tax was regarded as a user tax where the federal government has imposed a gasoline excise tax with the passage of the revenue act in 1932.
- Individual Capital Gains Income: Legislative History
- Since the enactment of the individual income tax in 1913, the appropriate taxation of capital gains income has been a perennial topic of debate in Congress. Almost immediately after the passage of the Revenue Act of 1913, legislative steps were initiated to change and modify the tax treatment of capital gains and losses. This report discusses different tax treatments and revenue acts since 1913. Updated June 29, 1998
- Global Climate Change: The Energy Tax Incentives in the President's FY1999 Budget
- This report describes the Energy Tax incentives in the President's FY1999 budget regarding Global Climate Change.
- The Work Opportunity Tax Credit and the 105th Congress
- The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) was initiated in the Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-188). It is a temporary measure intended to encourage for-profit employers to hire members of specifically designated groups thought to experience recurring problems in the labor market. This document describes the WOTC and identifies issues for members of the 105th Congress.
- Internet Tax Bills in the 105th Congress
- "This report tracks the evolution and content of the Internet tax freedom bills" (p. i).
- Global Climate Change: The Energy Tax Incentives in the President's FY2000 Budget
- This report discusses the FY2000 budget, which includes several energy tax incentives intended to reduce greenhouse gasses linked to possible global warming.
- 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.
- Tax Incentives for Alcohol Fuels
- The blender's tax credits were specifically enacted to complement the excise tax exemptions, so as to help support farm incomes by finding another market for corn, sugar, and other agricultural products that are the basic raw materials for alcohol production. More recently, proponents of expanding the alcohol fuels tax incentives argue that they reduce smog and improve air quality.
- The Flat Tax and Other Proposals: Effects on Housing
- Several proposals for major reform of the Federal income tax system, including replacement of the current tax with a new type of tax, have been introduced or considered in the 104th Congress. Among the most widely discussed are the flat tax, a value-added tax, a national sales tax, a proposal for a direct consumption tax (called the USA tax), and income tax reform. Most of these new taxes convert the tax base from an income to a consumption base, most eliminate deductions for mortgage interest and property taxes, and most flatten the rate structure--in some cases by adopting a single tax rate. While these tax revisions touch on all aspects of the economy, this paper focuses on the effects on housing.
- Revenue Legislation in the Congressional Budget Process
- Most of the laws establishing the federal government's revenue sources are permanent and continue year after year without any additional legislative action. Congress, however, typically enacts revenue legislation, changing some portion of the existing tax system, every year. Revenue legislation may include changes to individual and corporate income taxes, social insurance taxes, excise taxes, or tariffs and duties. Congressional consideration of revenue legislation is governed by various constitutional provisions and procedural rules.
- Tax Benefits for Education in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997
- No Description Available.
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): Legislative Issues in the 105th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Capital Gains Taxes: Distributional Effects
- This report presents several different measures of the distribution of the capital gains tax are presented. These measures examine the absolute and relative distribution across income classes, the effects on the distribution of taxes, and the proportion of the population affected by the tax.
- Cigarette Taxes to Fund Health Care Reform: An Economic Analysis
- A cigarette excise tax increase of 75 cents per pack has been proposed to finance part of the President's universal health care program. The tax enjoys considerable public support, would raise about $11 billion per year, and would be relatively simple to administer because it would increase an existing manufacturer's excise tax. This report discusses these rationales, as well as other effects of and concerns about the tax, organized into topics of market failure as a justification for the tax (i.e., economic efficiency); potential for revenue; equity; and the job loss the tax might cause in tobacco growing regions.
- Budget Surpluses: Economic Effects of Debt Repayment, Tax Cuts, or Spending - An Overview
- Updated projections released on July 15 by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicate budget surpluses rising from $63 billion (0.9% of GDP) in FY1998 to more than $100 billion (1.3% to 1.5% of GDP) from FY2002 through FY2005 and over $200 billion (1.8% to 1.9%) from FY2006 through FY2008.1
- Lobbying Regulations on Non-Profit Organizations
- This report is intended to provide a brief overview of the various potential restrictions, rules or regulations upon lobbying activities of non-profit organizations.
- Taxpayer Protections in the Proposed IRS Restructuring Act: Burden of Proof
- No Description Available.
- Lobbying Regulations on Non-Profit Organizations
- This report is intended to provide a brief overview of the various potential restrictions, rules or regulations upon lobbying activities of non-profit organizations.
- Fish and Wildlife Service: Compensation to Local Governments
- The Refuge Revenue Sharing Fund (RRSF) was enacted in response to the concern of local governments regarding losses to their tax base due to the presence of federally owned land under the jurisdiction of the Fish and Wildlife Service. This report outlines recent history of RRSF payment levels. It examines the RRSF and describes how the fund differs in its treatment of reserved and acquired lands under the jurisdiction of FWS. The report also examines the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program in detail.
- IRS Reform: Innocent Spouse Rule
- Married couples filing joint tax returns are liable individually and as a couple for all taxes due on the return with a limited exemption for innocent spouses. This report discusses joint and several liability, which has been the subject of much criticism and calls for reform or elimination.
- IRS Reform: Innocent Spouse Rule
- Married couples filing joint tax returns are liable individually and as a couple for all taxes due on the return with a limited exemption for innocent spouses. This report discusses joint and several liability, which has been the subject of much criticism and calls for reform or elimination.
- Effects of Flat Taxes and Other Proposals on Housing: An Overview
- Studies have estimated that some of these revisions would cause a decline in demand for houses and significant reduction in house prices--perhaps in excess of 15 percent. These studies, however, presumed a fixed supply of housing; even a limited supply response would greatly decrease predicted asset price effects. Supply response is likely to be large in the long run and not insignificant in the short run. Effects on housing demand might also be mitigated by increases in savings rates and lower interest rates. Thus, effects of the flat tax on housing prices are likely to be limited in the short run and very small in the long run. Rental housing demand, on the other hand, would be encouraged with a shift to a consumption tax base.
- Taxpayer Protections in the IRS Restructuring Bill: Attorneys' Fees and Damages for IRS Abuses
- No Description Available.