The Hope Tax Credit, the L ifetime Learning Tax Credit and the Tuition and Fees Deduction are the first forms of federal student aid administered through the tax code. In this paper, which is the first to explore the effects of the three programs, I use policy-induced variation in the value of...

Tax-based federal student aid — the Hope Tax Credit, Lifetime Learning Tax Credit, and Tuition Deduction — marks a new paradigm for federal aid by offering tax incentives for postsecondary enrollment for the middle class. I exploit policy-induced variation in tax-based aid eligibility to...

The mortgage interest deduction (MID) is costly, and half the benefits accrue to the top 10 percent of taxpayers. This paper analyzes how five modifications to the MID would affect federal individual income tax revenue and the distribution of the tax burden. Under full repeal, federal individual...