Congressional Research Service Reports - 55 Matching Results

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Coal Excise Tax Refunds: United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Co.

Description: In 1998, a U.S. district court held that the imposition of the coal excise tax, or black lung excise tax, on coal destined for export was unconstitutional. The process of refunding the tax has been controversial. This is because some coal producers and exporters have attempted to bypass the limitations in the Internal Revenue Code's refund scheme for bringing suit under the Export Clause in the Court of Federal Claims, seeking damages from the United States in the amount of coal excise taxes pa… more
Date: May 16, 2008
Creator: Lunder, Erika
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Alternative Minimum Tax for Individuals: Legislative Activity in the 110th Congress

Description: The alternative minimum tax (AMT) for individuals was originally enacted to ensure that all taxpayers, especially high-income taxpayers, pay at least a minimum amount of federal taxes.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.
Date: July 1, 2008
Creator: Maguire, Steven & Teefy, Jennifer
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Treatment of Employer Educational Assistance for the Benefit of Employees

Description: Educational assistance offered by employers to their employees may be exempt from federal income tax under Section 127 and Section 132 of the Internal Revenue Code. Section 127 is the employer educational assistance exclusion; Section 132, the fringe benefit exclusion for working condition benefits (e.g., job-related eduction) among other benefits. Congress established the two tax provisions well before it enacted to her higher education tax benefits meant to assist taxpayers, their spouses, an… more
Date: July 3, 2008
Creator: Levine, Linda
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Disaster Tax Relief for the Midwest

Description: The Midwestern Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2008 is intended to assist with the recovery from the severe weather that affected the Midwest during the summer of 2008. The Jobs, Energy, Families, and Disaster Relief Act of 2008 includes some similar provisions, but these are not limited to the Midwest disaster. The disaster relief in the three bills is similar to that provided to assist with the recovery from the 2005 hurricanes and the 2007 Kansas tornadoes. This report broadly discusses the disas… more
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Lunder, Erika
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Tax Exclusion for Employer-Provided Health Insurance: Policy Issues Regarding the Repeal Debate

Description: Employer-provided health insurance is excluded from the determination of employees' federal income taxes, resulting in significant tax savings for many workers. The federal income tax exclusion -- the focus of this report -- is criticized for several reasons. These arguments about the exclusion merit careful consideration as Congress is starting to debate broad health care reform for the first time in 15 years. This report discusses this issue at length, including advantages and disadvantages t… more
Date: November 21, 2008
Creator: Lyke, Bob
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Farm Promotion ("Check-off") Programs

Description: The U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 affirmed the constitutionality of the so-called beef check-off program, one of the 18 generic promotion programs for agricultural products that are now active nationally. Supporters view check-offs as economically beneficial self-help activities that need minimal government involvement or taxpayer funding. Producers, handlers, and/or importers are required to pay an assessment, usually deducted from revenue at time of sale - thus the name check-off. However, some … more
Date: October 20, 2008
Creator: Becker, Geoffrey S.
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Federal Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Taxes: A Description of Current Law

Description: This report contains an explanation of the major provisions of the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes. The discussion divides the federal estate tax into three components: the gross estate, deductions from the gross estate, and computation of the tax, including allowable tax credits. The federal estate tax is computed through a series of adjustments and modifications of a tax base known as the "gross estate." Certain allowable deductions reduce the gross estate to the … more
Date: January 5, 2008
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A History of Federal Estate, Gift, and Generation-Skipping Taxes

Description: Three primary categories of legislation pertaining to transfer taxes have been introduced in the 110th Congress. As noted above, the repeal of the estate and generation-skipping taxes is not permanent. One category would make the repeal permanent. (See, H.R. 411 and H.R. 2380). Another category would accelerate the repeal of these transfer taxes. (See, H.R. 25, H.R. 1040, H.R. 1586, H.R. 4042, S. 1025, S. 1040, and S. 1081). The third would reinstate these taxes at lower rates and/or in a manne… more
Date: January 3, 2008
Creator: Luckey, John R.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Statutory Individual Income Tax Rates and Other Elements of the Tax System: 1988 through 2008

Description: This report summarizes information about the tax brackets and other key elements of the tax system that determine taxpayer's statutory marginal tax rate. Such elements include tax brackets, exemptions, standard deductions, etc. Statutory individual income tax rates, also referred to as “statutory marginal tax rates,” are the rates of tax applicable to the last (marginal) increment of taxable income. Statutory rates play an important role in determining the real marginal tax rates, which affect… more
Date: May 21, 2008
Creator: Shvedov, Maxim
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Treaty Legislation in the 110th Congress: Explanation and Economic Analysis

Description: This report discusses the proposals that are designed to curb “treaty shopping” — instances where a foreign parent firm in one country receives its U.S.-source income through an intermediate subsidiary in a third country that is signatory to a tax-reducing treaty with the United States.
Date: May 22, 2008
Creator: Marples, Donald J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues

Description: This report discusses the history, current posture, and outlook for the federal energy tax policy. It also discusses current energy tax proposals and major energy tax provisions enacted in the 109th Congress.
Date: June 10, 2008
Creator: Lazzari, Salvatore
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Conservation Reserve Program Payments: Self-Employment Income, Rental Income, or Something Else?

Description: This report outlines the history of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the changing positions of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), pertinent case law, and other provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Several possible approaches to the taxation of CRP payments are discussed.
Date: April 14, 2008
Creator: Pettit, Carol A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Taxation of Overseas Investment and Income: Background and Issues

Description: This report analyzes how the current U.S. tax system applies to foreign investment undertaken by U.S. firms abroad, and how that application was changed by recent legislation. It also assesses the impact of the tax system and legislation, and concludes by discussing a variety of issues in international taxation that Congress may face in 2008 and beyond. It begins with a brief examination of the data on international investment.
Date: May 21, 2008
Creator: Marples, Donald J.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Expenditures and the Federal Budget

Description: This report discusses tax expenditures, the federal budget and the reform of the federal tax system and provides tax expenditure analysis. The perception that the federal tax system is too complex and unfair could lead to public support for tax reform. Past efforts to reform the federal tax system have included policies to rein in the use and expense of tax expenditures--the special deductions, exclusions, exemptions, and credits resulting in revenue losses.
Date: August 19, 2008
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Foreign Tax Credit's Interest Allocation Rules

Description: This report discusses the foreign tax credit's interest allocation rules, which alleviate the double-taxation that would result if U.S. investors' overseas income were to be taxed by both the United States and a foreign country.
Date: August 20, 2008
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G. & Marples, Donald J.
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Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Individual Retirement Accounts and 401(k) Plans: Early Withdrawals and Required Distributions

Description: This report summarizes the provisions of law that govern the taxes applicable to pre-retirement distributions from retirement accounts, and the situations in which distributions must be taken from a plan in order to avoid a tax penalty.
Date: October 27, 2008
Creator: Purcell, Patrick
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Issues Relating to Charitable Contributions and Organizations

Description: This report focuses on deductions for charitable contributions, and on institutions that are generally eligible for deductible charitable contributions, such as social welfare organizations, educational institutions, nonprofit hospitals, and churches, along with conduits to those institutions such as private foundations, donor-advised funds, and supporting organizations.
Date: August 5, 2008
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Gap: Administration Proposal to Require Information Reporting on Merchant Payment Card Reimbursements

Description: The high current and forecast budget deficits as well as pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) procedures have resulted in congressional and executive branch interest in raising additional revenue through proposals for improved tax compliance. The Bush Administration’s FY2009 budget includes a proposal (the proposal) to require each payment card processor to inform the IRS on the net dollar amount paid to reimburse each merchant (i.e., seller) for his payment card receipts in a calendar year. Payment cards con… more
Date: April 28, 2008
Creator: Bickley, James M.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Deductions for Catastrophic Risk Insurance Reserves: Explanation and Economic Analysis

Description: According to the Insurance Services Office, Inc., (ISO), the property/casualty (p/c) insurance industry paid $62.2 billion in catastrophe losses from 24 disasters and more than 4.4 million claims in 2005, making 2005 the most costly year for catastrophe losses. This report begins by providing some background on the market for catastrophe insurance. It continues by describing the proposal for tax-deductible reserve accounts as set forth in H.R. 164/S. 926 of the 110th Congress, and concludes by … more
Date: June 5, 2008
Creator: King, Rawle O.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Estate Tax Legislation in the 110th Congress

Description: This report examines current legislation regarding estate taxes. Under provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16), the estate tax exclusion is scheduled to continue to rise, from $2 million for decedents dying in 2008, to $3.5 million in 2009. The estate tax is repealed for decedents dying in 2010 only.
Date: February 14, 2008
Creator: Noto, Nonna A.
Item Type: Refine your search to only Report
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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