Tax Policy: Tax Cuts Versus Tax Reform

2018 ◽  
pp. 59-76
Author(s):  
Nicholas P. Sargen
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renee Irvin ◽  
Jes Sokolowski

AbstractContemporary scholars argue that high wealth donors in the U.S. influence political decision making through generous funding of nonprofit organizations like think tanks. In response to that potential influence, some endorse curbs on implicit subsidies that favor higher-income donors more than lower-income donors. To highlight the debate, this study selects a particular topic – tax policy – that generates highly partisan viewpoints and political agendas. The article first models predicted partisan operational differences, based on donors’ ideological differences. The study then explores the financial, staffing, and board resources of think tanks and associated advocacy organizations. The data were collected in the year immediately prior to the passage of the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, providing a snapshot view of contrasting operations of left-, centrist, and right-leaning tax policy think tanks. Given the notably more generous resources utilized by right-leaning tax policy organizations, it is possible that donor wealth differences enabled right-leaning nonprofits to contribute their influence to get the historic tax reform package passed. However, the successful passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could have resulted as well from the more targeted messaging and narrative framing employed by right-leaning think tanks and advocacy organizations.


1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry Bosworth ◽  
Gary Burtless

The U.S. tax system received two major overhauls during the 1980s: the tax cuts of 1981 and the Tax Reform Act of 1986. Supporters of both reforms argued that major changes in tax policy could boost saving, investment, labor supply, and entrepreneurship. Eventually, it was argued, such changes could reverse the slowdown in economic growth that began in the early 1970s and spur improvements in American living standards. The aim of this paper is to assess whether the goals of increased labor supply and capital formation were achieved.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 73-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Slemrod

Based on the experience of recent decades, the United States apparently musters the political will to change its tax system comprehensively about every 30 years, so it seems especially important to get it right when the chance arises. Based on the strong public statements of economists opposing and supporting the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a causal observer might wonder whether this law was tax reform or mere confusion. In this paper, I address that question and, more importantly, offer an assessment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The law is clearly not “tax reform” as economists usually use that term: that is, it does not seek to broaden the tax base and reduce marginal rates in a roughly revenue-neutral manner. However, the law is not just a muddle. It seeks to address some widely acknowledged issues with corporate taxation, and takes some steps toward broadening the tax base, in part by reducing the incentive to itemize deductions.


1994 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond A. K. Cox ◽  
Robert T. Kleiman ◽  
R. Gene Stout

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Maria R.U.D. Tambunan

ABSTRACTThis article is a critical review and as a means of lesson learned for Indonesia taxation system based on the taxation reform undertaken by Norwegian government as a member of welfare state and OECD, that is considered as a country with high tax ratio. It is also a state which has succeed to realize welfare and income distribution without distort domestic economic stabilization. In this article, it is discussed how the Norwegian government fully aware of the role of tax reform as a mandatory task to reach the state objective by optimizing taxation as instrument of social welfare, productivity improvement and stimulus to realize friendly investment environment. Several tax reform agendas such as reduction of corporate income tax, prevention on profit shifting and until the optimization of the use of big data to support the tax reform. Indonesia on its tax reform agenda which has been commenced in 1983 has transformed significantly for many aspects such as administrative affairs and the way the government to implement the tax policy. These measures have aligned with global tax trend. However, several works remain such less optimize tax ratio during the last one decade.Keywords: tax reform, taxation system, tax administration, tax compliance, tax policy ABSTRAKArtikel ini merupakan critical review sekaligus sebagai sarana pembelajaran bagi sistem perpajakan di Indonesia atas reformasi sistem perpajakan yang dilakukan oleh pemerintah Norwegia sebagai salah satu dari kelompok negara welfare state yang oleh OECD dinilai berhasil memiliki tax ratio yang cukup tinggi sekaligus mampu menciptakan pemerataan penghasilan tanpa mendistorsi kegiatan ekonomi domestik.  Dalam artikel ini diuraikan bagaimana pemerintah Norwegia memahami sepenuhnya bahwa reformasi pajak merupakan suatu keniscayaan untuk mencapai tujuan negara yaitu menggunakan instrumen pajak sebagai instrumen pemerataan sosial, peningkatan produktivitas dan stimulus untuk mewujudkan lingkungan ekonomi yang ramah terhadap investasi. Beberapa agenda reformasi yang diulas seperti kebijakan penurunan tarif pajak penghasilan korporasi, pencegahan terjadinya profit shifting hingga pengoptimalan penggunaan teknologi dan big data dalam sistem perpajakan. Indonesia dalam perjalanan reformasi perpajakan sejak 1983 telah mengalami perubahan yang cukup signifikan baik dalam hal administrasi dan implementasi kebijakan pajak sesuai dengan tren reformasi perpajakan global. Namun, catatan penting dalam perjalanan reformasi perpajakan Indonesia adalah masih rendahnya tingkat kepatuhan dan masih rendahnya tax ratio Indonesia dalam kurun waktu satu decade terakhirKata kunci: reformasi perpajakan, sistem perpajakan, administrasi perpajakan, kepatuhan, kebijakan pajak.


1992 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gregory Ballentine

In this paper, I assess the 1986 Tax Reform Act relative to the tax system that might have evolved over the several years following 1986 had that particular tax reform not been enacted. Had tax reform not been enacted, I believe that the pattern of steady tax increases, particularly corporate tax increases and tax increases on high-income individuals such as occurred in the 1982 and 1984 tax acts would have continued. I also believe that the 1986 Tax Reform Act introduced an income tax system that will be quite stable; broad changes, in particular changes that raise a large amount of income tax revenues, are unlikely for many years. So I am comparing the tax structure of the 1986 Tax Reform Act to a system that, in part, has an inferior structure, but that provides more revenues. Since I believe that the most important tax policy goal in 1986 and later should have been to raise revenues, not to revise the structure of the tax system, I believe that the 1986 Tax Reform Act was harmful. Tax reform not only did not raise revenues, it has made it more difficult to raise revenues in the future, without providing significant offsetting benefits.


2010 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Marie Thow ◽  
Peter Heywood ◽  
Stephen Leeder ◽  
Lee Burns

AbstractObjectiveTo assess critically the scope for public health nutrition taxation within the framework of the global tax reform agenda.DesignReview of the tax policy literature for global policy priorities relevant to public health nutrition taxation; critical analysis of proposals for public health nutrition taxation judged against the global agenda for tax reform.SettingThe global tax reform agenda shapes decisions of tax policy makers in all countries. By understanding this agenda, public health nutritionists can make feasible taxation proposals and thus improve the development, uptake and implementation of recommendations for nutrition-related taxation.ResultsThe priorities of the global tax reform agenda relevant to public health nutrition taxation are streamlining of taxes, adoption of value-added tax (VAT), minimisation of excise taxes (except to correct for externalities) and removal of import taxes in line with trade liberalisation policies. Proposals consistent with the global tax reform agenda have included excise taxes, extension of VAT to currently exempted (unhealthy) foods and tariff reductions for healthy foods.ConclusionsProposals for public health nutrition taxation should (i) use existing types and rates of taxes where possible, (ii) use excise taxes that specifically address externalities, (iii) avoid differential VAT on foods and (iv) use import taxes in ways that comply with trade liberalisation priorities.


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