A number of recent proposals have called for broadening the individual income tax base while lowering statutory income tax rates. Such proposals would eliminate or curtail various preferential income tax provisions and use some or all of the resulting revenue to lower statutory tax rates. In...

This paper consists of three parts. First, I review the legislative history related to the enactment of two major tax cut proposals during George W. Bush's presidency, the first in 2001 and the second in 2003. Second, I present results from a simple tax calculator that calculates the expected...

The Senate Finance Committee has concluded its consideration of the America's Healthy Future Act of 2009. The legislation intends to address a number of policy objectives, but one overriding concern is controlling the rising cost of health care. As a recent White House report notes, "Americans...

List of illustrations -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- Why tax consumption? -- The case for the X tax -- Maintaining progressivity -- Fringe benefits and transfer payments -- Business firms -- Financial services -- International transactions -- The transition -- The nonbusiness sector --...