Congressional Research Service Reports - 834 Matching Results
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- Characteristics of and Reporting Requirements for Selected Tax-Exempt Organizations
- This report addresses in summary fashion the differences among several kinds of tax-exempt organizations described in Internal Revenue Code [IRC] subsections 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), 501(c)(6), and section 527. Each of these types of organization has a unique statutory definition, is subject to certain statutory limitations on its activities, enjoys certain benefits from obtaining tax-exempt status, and must share certain information with the general public. Following the report is a table which summarizes this information.
- The Federal Excise Tax on Gasoline and the Highway Trust Fund: A Short History
- Excise taxes have long been a part of our country's revenue history. The federal government first imposed its excise tax on gasoline at a one-cent per gallon rate in 1932 to correct a federal budgetary imbalance. The burden for much of the tax ultimately falls on the consumer. The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 established the federal Highway Trust Fund for the direct purpose of funding the construction of an interstate highway system and aiding in the finance of primary, secondary, and urban routes. This act increased the tax on gasoline from two to three cents per gallon. President Bush recently signed a piece of legislation that calls for the extension of the Highway Trust Fund excise tax and an eventual expiration after September 30, 2011.
- Selected Tax Law Changes Effective January 1, 2002
- This report is a listing of the tax changes which were enacted during 2001 and effective at the beginning of 2002
- 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.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- President George W. Bush has stated that tax reform will be one of his top priorities in the 109th Congress. Some form of a valueadded tax (VAT) has been frequently discussed as a replacement to the U.S. income tax system. In addition, some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax to finance health care reform.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax or finance health care reform. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, national saving, administrative cost, intergovernmental relations, size of government, and public opinion.
- Social Security: Raising or Eliminating the Taxable Earnings Base
- Social Security taxes are levied on earnings up to a maximum level set each year. In 2004, this maximum — or what is referred to as the taxable earnings base — is $87,900. There is no similar base for the Medicare Hospital Insurance (HI) portion of the tax; all earnings are taxable for HI purposes. Elimination of the HI base was proposed by President Clinton and enacted in 1993, effectively beginning in 1994. Recently others have proposed that the base for Social Security be raised or eliminated as well. They complain that taxing earnings only up to a certain level creates a regressive tax. They point out that 94% of all workers whose earnings fall below this level have a greater proportion of earnings taxed than the 6% whose earnings exceed it.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- MMARY Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax, finance health care reform, or to fund America’s war effort. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, national saving, administrative cost, intergovernmental relations, size of government, and public opinion.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax, finance health care reform, or to fund America’s war effort. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, national saving, administrative cost, intergovernmental relations, size of government, and public opinion.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in the feasibility of using a value-added tax (VAT) to either replace all or part of the income tax, finance health care reform, or to fund America’s war effort. A VAT is imposed at all levels of production on the differences between firms’ sales and their purchases from all other firms. Policymakers may be interested in the following aspects of a VAT: revenue yield, international comparison of composition of taxes, vertical equity, neutrality, inflation, balance-of-trade, national saving, administrative cost, intergovernmental relations, size of government, and public opinion.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Value-Added Tax as a New Revenue Source
- No Description Available.
- Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes: Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation"
- No Description Available.
- Tax Reform Act of 1986: Public Law 99-514
- "This Info Pack includes a summary of the [Tax Reform Act of 1986] and provides information on the following topics: general provisions affecting individuals, treatment of real estate and second homes, retirement savings provisions and pensions, [and] corporate tax change overview" (p. 1).
- The Medical Device Excise Tax: Economic Analysis
- This report reviews the issues surrounding the medical devices tax within the framework of basic principles surrounding the choice of commodities to tax under excise taxes. The next section describes the tax and its legislative origins. After that, the report analyzes the arguments for retaining and repealing the tax.
- Tax Deductions for Individuals: A Summary
- This report first describes what tax deductions are, how they vary in their effects on reducing taxable income, and how they differ from other provisions (e.g., exclusions or credits). Next, it discusses the rationale for deductions as part of the tax code. The final section of this report includes tables that summarize each individual tax deduction, under current law. Many of these deductions are part of the permanent income tax code.
- Tax Provisions to Assist with Disaster Recovery
- 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.
- 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.
- Recently Expired Community Assistance Related Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders"): In Brief
- This report briefly summarizes four community assistance-related tax provisions included in the EXPIRE Act, which are (1) the New Markets Tax Credit, (2) Empowerment Zone Tax Incentives, (3) allocation of bond limitations for Qualified Zone Academy Bonds, and (4) the American Samoa Economic Development Credit.
- Expired and Expiring Temporary Tax Provisions ("Tax Extenders")
- This report discusses dozens of temporary tax provisions that expired at the end of 2013, and several other temporary tax provisions that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2014.
- What Happens if H.R. 1 Conflicts with U.S. Tax Treaties?
- This report discusses what happens if a new U.S. tax law contradicts existing U.S. international tax treaties, with considerations for Congress.
- What Share of Taxpayers Would See a Tax Increase or a Tax Decrease Under a Senate Version of the Tax Reform Bill
- This report provides a brief overview and charts illustrating statistics about who would receive tax cuts, tax increases, or stay the same under the Senate version of the Tax Reform Bill.
- The Federal Tax System for the 2017 Tax Year
- This report describes the current federal tax structure and provides some statistics on the tax system as a whole, as of 2017.
- Tax Treaty Legislation in the 110th Congress: Explanation and Economic Analysis
- 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.
- Value-Added Tax (VAT) as a Revenue Option: A Primer
- This report summarizes issues, arguments, and concerns relevant to a value-added tax (VAT).
- Tax Policy and Disaster Recovery
- This report discusses, in broad terms, disaster-related tax policy. Challenges associated with using the tax code to deliver federal financial assistance following natural disasters are also discussed.
- Tax Benefits for Families: Recent Changes for the Head of Household Filing Status
- This report describes the recent changes to file a federal income tax return as a head of household.
- 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.
- Major Tax Issues in the 108th Congress
- Tax policy is frequently considered by policymakers as a tool for boosting economic performance in various ways, and the likely economic effects of tax policy are often hotly debated. A brief overview of the current economic context is thus a good starting point for looking at tax issues facing the current Congress. This report provides an overview of major tax issues. The report begins by describing three aspects of the economic context in which the tax policy debate during 2004 is likely to occur: the general state of the U.S. economy; the position of the federal budget; and the level of taxes in the United States.
- Certain Temporary Tax Provisions Scheduled to Expire in 2009 (“Extenders”)
- This report discusses numerous temporary tax provisions exist in the tax code. Often referred to as “extenders,” these provisions were originally enacted with an expiration date that has then been temporarily extended, in some cases numerous times.
- Tax Credits for Individual Development Accounts
- An individual development account (IDA) is a structured savings instrument for lower income individuals. This report discusses legislation introduced in the 108th Congress to establish IDA programs utilizing tax benefits to encourage program development.
- Energy Tax Incentives in the 108th Congress: A Comparison of the House and Senate Versions of H.R. 6 and the Senate Finance Committee Amendment
- This report discusses energy taxes incentives, which have long been an integral component of this nation’s energy policy. Efforts to significantly expand existing energy tax subsidies have been undertaken since the 106th Congress, but controversy over various non-tax energy policy provisions — corporate average fuel economy standards, the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge, etc. — have helped stall the legislation.
- Federal Excise Tax on Tires: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
- This report examines the history of the federal excise tax on tires. The excise tax on tires was first levied in 1918 mainly because of revenue needs brought about by World War I. The tax was reduced after the war, and then repealed in 1926. The levy was reintroduced during the Great Depression at a time when federal individual income tax revenues were plummeting, and was increased to help finance World War II. Today, the premise for the excise tax on tires is that heavier vehicles cause greater damage to both roadways and bridges, and that the excise tax on tires resembles a pricing mechanism that is a proxy for highway wear-and-tear charges.
- Federal Taxation of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Effects on New Drug Development and Legislative Initiatives in the 109th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization: An Overview of Selected Provisions in Proposed Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Brownfields Tax Incentive Extension
- This report discusses the brownfields tax incentive, which expires on December 31, 2007. Enacted in 1997, the provision allowed a taxpayer to fully deduct the costs of environmental cleanup in the year the costs were incurred, rather than spreading the costs over a period of years.
- Tax Reform in the 114th Congress: An Overview of Proposals
- This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
- Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Federal Income Tax
- This report addresses some of the frequently asked historical, constitutional, procedural, and legal questions concerning the federal income tax.
- Major Tax Issues in the 108th Congress
- This report provides an overview of major tax issues. It begins by describing three aspects of the economic context in which the tax policy debate during 2004 is likely to occur: the general state of the U.S. economy; the position of the federal budget; and the level of taxes in the United States.
- Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues
- This report provides historical context regarding energy tax policy and discusses what may lie ahead.
- Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) Filers and the Child Tax Credit: Overview and Legislation
- This report discusses the child tax credit, which was created by the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (P.L. 105-34) to help ease the financial burden on families when they have children. The ACTC is available to taxpayers with little or no federal income tax liability.
- EU State Aid and Apple's Taxes
- This report discusses the recent investigations by the European Union (EU) regarding claims that certain countries had provided illegal state aid via favorable tax rulings.
- Tax Reform in the 113th Congress: An Overview of Proposals
- This report provides background information regarding tax reform and discusses ways to make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient.
- The Excise Tax on High-Cost Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance: Estimated Economic and Market Effects
- This report examines several issues: it evaluates the potential of the Cadillac tax to affect health insurance coverage (and, therefore, the health market), and examines the expected incidence (burden) of the tax--that is, which group will pay the price of the tax.