Congressional Research Service Reports - 24 Matching Results

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Analysis of the Tax Exclusion for Canceled Mortgage Debt Income

Description: 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.
Date: December 30, 2015
Creator: Keightley, Mark P. & Lunder, Erika
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Effect of Base-Broadening Measures on Labor Supply and Investment: Considerations for Tax Reform

Description: This report attempts to show how options to broaden the tax base by placing limitations on itemized deductions can potentially work against the expansionary effects of reducing marginal tax rates. The report also addresses other common base-broadening provisions that increase the effective marginal tax rate on the return to capital.
Date: October 22, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G. & Marples, Donald J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief

Description: 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.
Date: October 5, 2015
Creator: Stupak, Jeffrey M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Provisions that Expired in 2014 ("Tax Extenders")

Description: This report provides a broad overview of tax extenders -- a collective of temporary tax provisions for which measures have regularly extended the provisions when expired or expiring. Fifty-two temporary tax provisions expired at the end of 2014.
Date: September 4, 2015
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage: Background and Economic Analysis

Description: 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 Cadilla… more
Date: August 20, 2015
Creator: Lowry, Sean
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Selected Recently Expired Individual Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders"): In Brief

Description: This report briefly summarizes and discusses four items categorized as individual tax provisions that are regularly extended for one or two years (tax extenders). These items include deductions for elementary and secondary school teachers, deductions for state and local taxes, deductions for tuition and related expenses, and exclusions for employer-provided transit and parking benefits.
Date: August 20, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Federal Tax Treatment of Married Same- Sex Couples

Description: This report provides an overview of the federal tax treatment of same-sex married couples, with a focus on the federal income tax.
Date: July 30, 2015
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.; Pettit, Carol A. & Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes): Somewhat Simplified

Description: This report explains Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT), with an analysis of the five major factors affecting the calculation of a payment to a given county. It also describes the effects of recent legislative changes to PILT.
Date: July 27, 2015
Creator: Corn, M. Lynne
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Reform in the 114th Congress: An Overview of Proposals

Description: This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
Date: July 9, 2015
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F. & Keightley, Mark P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Internet Tax Freedom Act: In Brief

Description: 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.
Date: June 11, 2015
Creator: Stupak, Jeffrey M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC): An Economic Analysis

Description: This report discusses the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), which is a refundable tax credit available to eligible workers earning relatively low wages
Date: June 2, 2015
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Research Tax Credit: Current Law and Policy Issues for the 114th Congress

Description: Technological innovation is a primary engine of long-term economic growth, and research and development (R&D) serves as the lifeblood of innovation. The federal government encourages businesses to invest more in R&D than they otherwise would in several ways, including a tax credit for increases in spending on qualified research above a base amount. This report describes the current status of the credit, summarizes its legislative history, discusses policy issues it raises, and describes legisla… more
Date: May 22, 2015
Creator: Guenther, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Incentives: Measuring Value Across Different Types of Energy Resources

Description: This report presents a comparison of the cost of tax incentives associated with fossil and renewable energy resources, relative to amount of energy produced using each type of resource. The report also reviews other analyses that compare the cost of energy tax incentives relative to production, across different types of energy technologies.
Date: March 19, 2015
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F. & Stupak, Jeffrey M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Research Tax Credit: Current Law and Policy Issues for the 114th Congress

Description: This report describes the current status of the research tax credit, summarizes its legislative history, discusses policy issues it raises, and describes legislation to modify and extend it.
Date: March 13, 2015
Creator: Guenther, Gary
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Tax-Preferred College Savings Plans: An Introduction to 529 Plans

Description: This report provides an overview of the mechanics of 529 plans and examines the specific tax advantages of these plans for those families saving for college.
Date: February 23, 2015
Creator: Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Provisions that Expired in 2014 ("Tax Extenders")

Description: This report provides a broad overview of the tax extenders that retroactively extend expired tax provisions, including the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014, which made tax provisions that had expired at the end of 2013 available to taxpayers for the 2014 tax year.
Date: February 6, 2015
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dependent Care: Current Tax Benefits and Legislative Issues

Description: This report discusses current tax treatment of dependent care expenses under those two provisions and options for changing those policies. Two income tax provisions help taxpayers pay for the costs of caring for children and older dependents who cannot care for themselves.
Date: February 4, 2015
Creator: Meyerson, Noah P.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Dynamic Scoring

Description: This report explains dynamic scoring, including the types of effects incorporated and the types of models used, as well as what groups conduct or have conducted macroeconomic analysis of tax changes.
Date: January 21, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Tax Havens: International Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Description: The first section of this report reviews what countries might be considered tax havens, including a discussion of the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) initiatives and lists. The next two sections discuss, in turn, the corporate profit-shifting mechanisms and evidence on the existence and magnitude of profit-shifting activity. The following two sections provide the same analysis for individual tax evasion. The report concludes with overviews of alternative policy opti… more
Date: January 15, 2015
Creator: Gravelle, Jane G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Constitutional Authorities Under Which Congress Regulates State Taxation

Description: This report discusses these authorities and several of the possible limitations. It also provides examples of where Congress has appeared to act under each authority.
Date: January 2, 2015
Creator: Lunder, Erika K. & Thomas, Kenneth R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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