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Taxes and the Economy: An Economic Analysis of the Top Tax Rates Since 1945 (Updated)

Description: Income tax rates are at the center of many recent policy debates over taxes. Some policymakers argue that raising tax rates, especially on higher income taxpayers, to increase tax revenues is part of the solution for long-term debt reduction. This report examines the top tax rates since 1945 and analyzes the ways in which tax rates affect economic growth.
Date: December 12, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Addressing the Long-Run Budget Deficit: A Comparison of Approaches

Description: 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.
Date: November 30, 2012
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery

Description: 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.
Date: November 29, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.; Pettit, Carol A. & Teefy, Jennifer
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Reform: An Overview of Proposals in the 112th Congress

Description: This report gives an overview of tax reform issues. The President and leading members of Congress have stated that fundamental tax reform is a major policy objective for the 112th Congress. Some Members have said that fundamental tax reform is needed in order to raise a large amount of additional revenue, which is necessary to reduce high forecast budget deficits and the sharply rising national debt. Congressional interest has been expressed in both a major overhaul of the U.S. tax system and t… more
Date: October 26, 2012
Creator: Bickley, James M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutionality of Retroactive Tax Legislation

Description: Report that examines the constitutional provisions that might be implicated by retroactive tax legislation, including legislation that seems intended to punish past behavior.
Date: October 25, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.; Meltz, Robert & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Higher Education Tax Benefits: Brief Overview and Budgetary Effects

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the higher education tax benefits that are currently available to students and their families. The report contrasts higher education tax benefits with traditional student aid, presents a brief history of higher education tax policy over the past 60 years, summarizes key features of the available tax benefits, and provides JCT estimates of revenue losses resulting from individual tax provisions.
Date: September 25, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Residential Energy Tax Credits: Overview and Analysis

Description: This report explores one policy option for promoting residential energy efficiency: tax credits. It begins by providing an overview of the current residential energy-efficiency tax credits. The report then goes on to provide an economic rationale for residential energy-efficiency tax incentives, introducing the concept of "market failures" and "market barriers" which may lead to suboptimal or "economically inefficient" investment in energy-efficiency technologies. The final sections of this re… more
Date: September 25, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L. & Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy: Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: The economic rationale for interventions in energy markets helps inform the debate surrounding energy tax policy. This report begins by providing background on the economic rationale for energy market interventions, highlighting various market failures. After identifying possible market failures in the production and consumption of energy, possible interventions are discussed. The report concludes with an analysis of energy tax policy as it stands at the start of the 112th Congress.
Date: September 24, 2012
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

An Overview of Tax Provisions Expiring in 2012

Description: A number of tax provisions have either expired at the end of 2011 or are scheduled to expire at the end of this year. This report provides an overview of these expiring provisions.
Date: September 24, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Taxes and the Economy: An Economic Analysis of the Top Tax Rates Since 1945

Description: This report attempts to clarify whether or not there is an association between the tax rates of the highest income taxpayers and economic growth. Data is analyzed to illustrate the association between the tax rates of the highest income taxpayers and measures of economic growth.
Date: September 14, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Corporate Income Tax System: Overview and Options for Reform

Description: This report (1) briefly reviews the current U.S. corporate tax system; (2) discusses economic factors that may be considered in the corporate tax reform debate; and (3) presents corporate tax reform policy options, including a brief discussion of current corporate tax reform proposals.
Date: September 13, 2012
Creator: Keightley, Mark P. & Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Taxation of Unemployment Benefits

Description: 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.
Date: September 13, 2012
Creator: Whittaker, Julie M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative Proposals in the 112th Congress, and Economic Effects

Description: This report examines the current status, legislative history, and economic effects of the two expensing allowances (Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Allowance) and also discusses initiatives in the 112th Congress to modify them. Expensing is the most accelerated form of depreciation for tax purposes. Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows a taxpayer to expense up to $125,000 of the total cost of new and used qualified depreciable assets it buys and places in service in 2012, wi… more
Date: September 10, 2012
Creator: Guenther, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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501(c)(3) Organizations: What Qualifies as "Educational"?

Description: Report that discusses the legal definition of the term "educational," as well as the constitutional implications of that definition.
Date: August 21, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Expensing Allowances: Current Law, Legislative Proposals in the 112th Congress, and Economic Effects

Description: This report examines the current status, legislative history, and economic effects of the two expensing allowances (Section 179 and Bonus Depreciation Allowance) and also discusses initiatives in the 112th Congress to modify them. Expensing is the most accelerated form of depreciation for tax purposes. Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) allows a taxpayer to expense up to $125,000 of the total cost of new and used qualified depreciable assets it buys and places in service in 2012, wi… more
Date: August 14, 2012
Creator: Guenther, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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501(c)(4)s and the Gift Tax: Legal Analysis

Description: This report discusses whether substantial donations to tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organizations are subject to the federal gift tax.
Date: August 10, 2012
Creator: Luckey, John R. & Lunder, Erika K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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“Amazon” Laws and Taxation of Internet Sales: Constitutional Analysis

Description: 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.
Date: July 26, 2012
Creator: Lunder, Erika K. & Luckey, John R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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An Overview and Comparison of Senate Proposals to Extend the “Bush Tax Cuts”: S. 3412 and S. 3413

Description: This report provides an overview of the Bush tax cuts, followed by brief summaries of the Reid and Hatch proposals, respectively. Revenue loss estimates of certain provisions of these bills are also included, as well as a brief summary of H.R. 8. In addition, detailed summary tables comparing the Reid and Hatch proposals—to each other and to current law—are provided. Finally, this report concludes with a brief overview of the current policy debate surrounding the partial or full extension of th… more
Date: July 25, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts and Deficit Reduction

Description: This report uses the context of the current and long-term economic environment to examine the tax cuts implemented by the George W. Bush Administration, including the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.
Date: July 23, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax Cuts and Deficit Reduction

Description: This report uses the context of the current and long-term economic environment to examine the tax cuts implemented by the George W. Bush Administration, including the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 and the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003.
Date: July 18, 2012
Creator: Hungerford, Thomas L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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2012 Farm Bill: Changing the Treatment of LIHEAP Receipt in the Calculation of SNAP Benefits

Description: This report describes the contents of the 2012 Farm Bill, cost reducing measures in the Farm Bill, and the implications of both of these. Specifically, the report focuses on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) which is a cost saving measure that addresses how certain deductions from income will be calculated.
Date: July 10, 2012
Creator: Aussenberg, Randy Alison & Perl, Libby
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Higher Education Tax Benefits: Brief Overview and Budgetary Effects

Description: This report provides a brief overview of the higher education tax benefits that are currently available to students and their families. The report contrasts higher education tax benefits with traditional student aid, presents a brief history of higher education tax policy over the past 60 years, summarizes key features of the available tax benefits, and provides JCT estimates of revenue losses resulting from individual tax provisions.
Date: July 10, 2012
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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