The two main health care reform bills that Con­gress is currently debating each include some form of "play-or-pay" employer mandate: America's Afford­able Health Choices Act of 2009 (H.R. 3200)[1] and the Affordable Health Choices Act.[2] The House "Blue-Dog compromise," a version of H.R.… Read more

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C., and concern over rising layoffs, policymakers are thinking of reducing payroll taxes to bolster the economy.1 One way Congress can lower payroll taxes would be to repeal a little-known temporary surtax on wages and salaries under the… Read more

Americans are understandably confused by the rhetoric in Washington over the possible impact of President Bush's tax and budget plans on federal programs, especially Medicare. The arcane character and complexity of Medicare's financing formulas as well as the federal budget make it easy for opponents of the President's plan to misrepresent Medicare's true financial condition… Read more

Both houses of Congress recently completed their work on the budget resolution for fiscal year (FY) 2002.1 In addition to increasing federal spending, Congress has voted to return $100 billion in excess tax revenues, spread across this fiscal year and FY 2002, to those who pay income or payroll taxes.… Read more

The dynamic U.S. economy is characterized by an extraordinary degree of income mobility that has been all but ignored in the recent debate on reducing federal income tax rates and phasing out the death (estate) tax. Opponents of tax relief are criticizing commonsense reforms because they claim that "only the rich" will benefit. Yet… Read more

Official estimates--even from the Bush Administration--greatly overstate the revenue "cost" of President George W. Bush's tax reduction plan. The reason: Official "bean-counters" typically assume that changing tax rates causes little or no change in work and investment. In reality, of course, quite the opposite is true. Major changes in tax policy do cause… Read more