Congressional Research Service Reports - 74 Matching Results
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- Flat-Rate Tax Proposals
- In recent months there has been a growing congressional interest in the advantages and disadvantages of revamping our current tax system for a flat-rate tax method. Supporters of the new proposal argue that such a plan would promote productivity, simplify present IRS tax forms, save the public billions of dollars that presently go to tax-preparation professionals, and enhance Federal revenue by closing numerous tax loopholes and special deductions that are now enjoyed by relatively few. Opponents believe, however, that the tax burden under a flat-rate plan might fall more heavily upon the middle class and, unless exceptions were made, would hurt educational institutions and charities. Problems with popular tax deductions, such as home mortgage interest, would have to be addressed. This packet provides background materials which discuss the practical and theoretical issues that surround a flat-rate tax, including the probable redistribution of the tax burden under various rates and income bases.
- The Effects of Indexation on Tax Revenues and Distributional Effects of the U.S. Individual Income Tax System: A Historical Simulation
- This report compares the actual tax revenues and distribution of the tax burden under the Federal individual income tax from 1971 to 1981 with estimates of what they would have been under the 1971 tax structure if indexed for inflation and under the 1971 tax structure if left unchanged. Policy implications of the comparison are discussed.
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
- Recent changes in the Nation's tax laws have made Individual Retirement Accounts available to many people previously excluded. This report provides general information on IRAs including material explaining these recent changes and their consequences.
- 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.
- Marriage Penalty Tax Relief: The Gramm Amendment
- No Description Available.
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): Legislative Issues in the 105th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Taxpayer Protections in the IRS Restructuring Bill: Attorneys' Fees and Damages for IRS Abuses
- No Description Available.
- Taxpayer Protections in the Proposed IRS Restructuring Act: Burden of Proof
- No Description Available.
- Transportation Fuel Taxes, Legislative Issues, and the Transportation Equity Act
- In reauthorizing federal surface transportation programs this year (P .L 105-178), Congress has modified the attributes of some of the transportation fuel excise taxes that fluid. those programs and others. Since the federal government first started taxing transportation fuels, the issue of how the revenues should be used has played a major role in determining whether and which transportation fuels should be taxed; and by how much. Congress changed several aspects of transportation fuel taxation in 1997, most notably redirecting revenues from deficit reduction to the trust funds established for transportation-related projects This report provides the context for federal excise taxes on transportation fuels describes recent developments, and outlines the structure of those taxes on the major fuels with respect to levels, disposition of revenues, effective dates, and expiration dates. This report will be updated as legislative activity warrants.
- PILT (Payments in Lieu of Taxes): Somewhat Simplified
- Under current federal law, local governments are compensated through various programs for losses to their tax bases due to the presence of most federally owned land. Some of these programs are run by specific agencies, and apply only to that agency's land. The most widely applicable program, while run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), applies to many types of federally owned land, and is called "Payments in Lieu of Taxes" or PILT. The level of payments is calculated under a complex formula.
- 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
- 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.
- 527 Organizations: How the Differences in Tax and Election Laws Permit Certain Organizations to Engage in Issue Advocacy without Public Disclosure and Proposals for Change
- This report compares the tax and election laws relating to political organizations and political committees in an attempt to highlight the differences between them, and discusses some of the proposals in the 106th Congress to require additional reporting by organizations engaging in political activities. This report does not address the taxation of other tax-exempt organizations making political expenditures taxable under IRC § 527. The report will be updated as new proposals are reported.
- Marriage Penalty Legislation: A Comparison of Alternate Proposals
- No Description Available.
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs): Issues and Proposed Expansion
- No Description Available.
- The Individual Alternative Minimum Tax: Interaction with Marriage Penalty Relief and Other Tax Cuts
- No Description Available.
- The Marriage Tax Penalty: An Overview of the Issues
- No Description Available.
- The Level of Taxes in the United States, 1940-2000
- No Description Available.
- Economic Issues Surrounding the Estate and Gift Tax: A Brief Summary
- Supporters of the estate and gift tax argue that it provides progressivity in the federal tax system, provides a backstop to the individual income tax and appropriately targets assets that are bestowed on heirs rather than assets earned through their hard work and effort. However, progressivity can be obtained through the income tax and the estate and gift tax is an imperfect backstop to the income tax. Critics argue that the tax discourages savings, harms small businesses and farms, taxes resources already subject to income taxes, and adds to the complexity of the tax system.
- President Bush's Tax Proposal: A Brief Overview
- No Description Available.
- Forms that Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes: Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation"
- This report presents Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation" related to Forms that incorporate abroad for Tax purposes.
- Super-Majority Voting Requirement for Tax Increases: An Overview of Proposals for a Constitutional Amendment
- No Description Available.
- Marriage Tax Penalty Relief Provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
- No Description Available.
- Estate Tax: Legislative Activity in 2002
- The provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16) are scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2010. On April 18, 2002, the House passed legislation, H.R. 586, that would remove the sunset provision and thereby make permanent all other provisions of the tax cut law enacted in June 2001. This includes making permanent the repeal of the estate tax. On June 6, the House passed a free-standing estate tax repeal bill. H.R. 2143 would remove the sunset provision of EGTRRA solely with respect to the estate tax provisions of the 2001 Act.
- A Tax Limitation Constitutional Amendment: Issues and Options Concerning a Super-Majority Requirement
- Proposals to limit the federal government’s authority to raise taxes have been made several times in recent years. Most frequently, these proposals call for limits on Congress’s ability to pass revenue measures. Typically, limitation proposals would allow increases in tax revenues only under one of two circumstances. First, tax revenues could increase under existing tax laws as a result of economic upturns. Alternatively, they could increase because of a new law, but only if it were passed by a super-majority (typically two-thirds or three-fifths). Questions about how such proposals might be applied in practice have not been clearly answered. Congress has previously considered such proposals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001. In each case the proposal has failed to achieve the two-thirds majority necessary for passage. Most recently, the House considered H.J.Res. 96 on June 12, 2002. The measure failed to achieve the necessary two-thirds, 227-178. This report will be updated to reflect any further legislative actions on such proposals.
- Fact Sheet on Congressional Tax Proposals
- After passing a major multi-year tax cut in Mid-2001 (which was sunsetted after ten years) and a stimulus bill in 2002, Congress is considering energy tax subsidies, tax incentives for charitable giving deductions, pension diversification in the wake of the ENRON problems, and tax shelters. The House has passed several bills that would make the multiyear tax cut permanent as well as a bill to speed up certain provisions.
- Major Tax Issues in the 107th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Pension Reform: The Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001
- No Description Available.
- Export Tax Benefits and the WTO: Foreign Sales Corporations and the Extraterritorial Replacement Provisions
- The U.S. tax code’s Foreign Sales Corporation (FSC) provisions provided a tax benefit for U.S. exporters. However, the European Union (EU) in 1997 charged that the provision was an export subsidy and thus contravened the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. A WTO ruling upheld the EU complaint, and to avoid WTO sanctioned retaliatory tariffs, U.S. legislation in November 2000 replaced FSC with the “extraterritorial income” (ETI) provisions, consisting of a redesigned export tax benefit of the same magnitude as FSC. The EU maintained that the new provisions are also not WTO-compliant and asked the WTO to rule on the matter.
- Energy Tax Policy
- Omnibus energy legislation (H.R. 4) that is now in conference would expand energy tax incentives significantly. The House passed the bill on August 2, 2001, and the Senate approved its version April 25, 2002. Several energy tax issues are addressed in these bills: 1) tax incentives to increase the supply of oil and gas, and the demand for coal; 2) energy tax issues relating to energy conservation and energy efficiency; 3) energy tax issues relating to alternative fuels; 4) selected issues relating to electricity restructuring; and 5) expiring energy tax provisions.
- Energy Tax Policy
- President Bush has issued a comprehensive energy policy initiative, which includes limited energy tax measures; the Administration has criticized such measures as being inconsistent with its free market philosophy. Several of the issues that drove energy policy and energy tax policy during the 106th Congress are extant: 1) tax incentives to increase the supply of oil and gas; 2) energy tax issues relating to energy conservation and energy efficiency; 3) energy tax issues relating to alternative fuels; 4) energy taxes/subsidies and residential energy costs; and 5) issues relating to electricity restructuring. In addition, there are certain energy tax provisions that are either expiring or are time-sensitive that the 107th Congress may choose to take action on.
- Internet Tax Bills in the 108th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Taxpayer Protection and IRS Accountability Act of 2003, H.R. 1528
- No Description Available.
- Flat Tax Proposals and Fundamental Tax Reform: An Overview
- The idea of replacing our current income tax system with a "flat-rate tax" is receiving renewed congressional interest. This report contains information on recent developments regarding flat-rate taxes, the relationship between income and consumption, international comparisons, other fundamental tax reforms, and descriptions of selected proposals.
- 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.
- A Value-Added Tax Contrasted with a National Sales Tax
- Proposals to replace all or part of the income tax, proposals for national health care, and a proposal to finance America’s war effort have sparked congressional interest in the possibility of a broad-based consumption tax as a newsource of revenue. A value-added tax (VAT) or a national sales tax (NST) have been frequently discussed as possible new tax sources. Both the VAT and the NST are taxes on the consumption of goods and services and are conceptually similar. Yet, these taxes also have significant differences. This issue brief discusses some of the potential policy implications associated with these differences.
- Revenue Legislation in the Congressional Budget Process
- This report discusses revenue legislation, which 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.
- Estate Tax Legislation in the 108th Congress
- Under provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16, enacted June 7, 2001), the estate tax is scheduled to be repealed in 2010 but reinstated in 2011. All tax cut provisions of EGTRRA are scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2010. This report tracks actions in the 108th Congress to permanently repeal the estate tax or to retain but alter the tax.
- Fact Sheet on Congressional Tax Proposals in the 108th Congress
- This report discusses the President, House and Senate tax proposals. Beyond the comprehensive tax proposals, both the House and the Senate have considered a range of targeted tax proposals. One of the first tax-related measures considered during the 108th Congress would provide tax reductions to armed services personnel. Congress has also initiated reconsideration of legislation not completed in the 107th Congress: tax incentives for charitable giving deductions, pension diversification, energy taxation, and tax shelters.
- Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes: Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation"
- This report provides information about the Corporate "Inversions" and "Expatriation" on Firms That Incorporate Abroad for Tax Purposes where increasing number of U.S firms have altered their structure by substituting a foreign parent corporation for a domestic one.
- Major Tax Issues in the 108th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Tax Cut Bills in 2003: A Comparison
- No Description Available.
- Energy Tax Incentives: A Comparison of the Senate Finance Committee Bill (S.1149) and the House Bill (H.R.6)
- The 108th Congress is considering two major bills to provide tax incentives to increase the supply of, and reduce the demand for, fossil fuels and electricity: S.1149, the Energy Tax Incentives Act of 2003, approved by the Senate Finance Committee (SFC) on April 2, 2003 (superseding S. 597), and H.R. 6, introduced as H.R. 1531 and approved by the House on April 11, 2003, by a vote of 247-175.
- Tax Benefits for Health Insurance: Current Legislation
- No Description Available.
- Estate Tax Legislation in the 108th Congress
- Under provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16, enacted June 7, 2001), the estate tax is scheduled to be repealed in 2010 but reinstated in 2011. All tax cut provisions of EGTRRA are scheduled to sunset on December 31, 2010. This report tracks actions in the 108th Congress to permanently repeal the estate tax or to retain but alter the tax.
- Retirement Savings and Household Wealth: A Summary of Recent Data
- No Description Available.
- Federal Taxation of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Effects on New Drug Development and Legislative Initiatives in the 109th Congress
- No Description Available.
- Extending the 2001, 2003, and 2004 Tax Cuts
- This report discusses the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 (JGTRRA, and the Working Family Tax Relief Act of 2004 (WFTRA). Since all of the tax reductions provisions of all three of these acts expire at some point in the future, Congress faces the issue of whether to extend and/or make the reductions permanent. Extending these tax reductions, however, is likely to significantly reduce federal revenues in the future.
- 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.
- Estate Tax Legislation in the 109th Congress
- Under provisions of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA, P.L. 107-16), the estate tax and generation-skipping transfer tax are scheduled to be repealed effective January 1, 2010. But the estate tax repeal, and all other provisions of EGTRRA, are scheduled to sunset December 31, 2010. If the sunset provision is not repealed, or the law is not otherwise changed beforehand, in 2011 estate and gift tax law will return to what it would have been had EGTRRA never been enacted. The unified estate and gift taxes will be reinstated with an exclusion amount of $1 million. The maximum tax rate will revert to 55%.