If the United States switched to a broad-based consumption tax, then all forms of saving would enjoy the tax-preferred status reserved primarily for retirement saving vehicles under the current income tax system. Because pensions have other unique characteristics besides their tax advantage,...

The Two Percent Plan (TTP) is a plan to save Social Security based on personal retirement accounts financed initially out of the budget surplus; this article discusses issues regarding problems the TTP can address and a way the TTP can be efficiently implemented.

Shows how current social security benefit rules have created a variety of social security net marginal tax rates that differ by age, sex, marital status and income in ways that reduse the equity and efficiency of the social security program.