Empirical analysis of whether state and local retail taxes are fully shifted to consumers. Compares two different time periods, 1925-1939 and 1947- 1977, and contrasts increases in each period.

This paper illustrates how different assumptions about household portfolio behavior influence estimates of the amount of individual income tax revenue that would be collected if the interest tax exemption for state and local government bonds were repealed or curtailed. Using data from the 2004...

This paper explores the contribution that public choice models can make to the traditional efficiency and distributional analyses of tax policy. It notes the relative lack of attention to political economy issues in public finance, at least in comparison with other policy-oriented subfields in...

This paper presents new evidence on the level and distribution of income and payroll tax burdens for U.S. families over the 1979-99 period. During this period, payroll taxes have become an increasingly important component of the tax burden for many low- and middle-income families. This paper...

This paper explores the current tax treatment of non-qualified immediate annuities and distributions from tax-qualified retirement plans in the United States. First, we describe how immediate annuities held outside retirement accounts are taxed. We conclude that the current income tax treatment...

Analysis of state-level balanced budget requirements, and discussion of whether lessons learned in that context might be applied in the federal context. Points to links between state balanced budget mechanisms and fiscal institutions and policy.

This paper compares the value of one dollar of an asset held in a tax–deferred account with one dollar of a similar asset held in a taxable account from the standpoint of providing future retirement income. Taxes that are due when assets are withdrawn from some retirement saving plans can make...

Many economists and policy analysts argue that broadening the tax base is one of the most efficient ways to raise income tax revenues. Current tax deductions, credits, and exclusions, which are collectively known as "tax expenditures," reduce tax revenues and create complicated incentives that...

This paper examines how the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) affects the weighted average marginal tax rates that apply to various components of taxable income and the subsidy rates on various income tax deductions. It also considers how several AMT reform proposals would affect the number of AMT...

We analyze how changes in the income tax deduction for home mortgage interest would affect loan-to-value ratios on owner-occupied homes, the distribution of income tax liabilities, and the consumption of housing services. Using the 2004 Survey of Consumer Finances, we estimate that repealing the...