We examine retirement savers' choices between front- and back-loaded tax incentives, such as traditional and Roth IRAs, respectively. With equal dollar contribution limits, back-loaded plans shelter more funds than front-loaded plans. This implies that Roth IRAs can be the preferred choice even...

We examine the evolution of marginal federal income tax rates from 1980 to 1995 using panel and crosssectional data. Marginal rates fell dramatically for most taxpayers. Whereas in 1980 three-quarters of taxpayers faced statutory tax rates above 15 percent, less than one-quarter of taxpayers...

We examine retirement savers' choices between front- and back-loaded tax incentives, such as traditional and Roth IRAs, respectively. With equal dollar contribution limits, back-loaded plans shelter more funds than front-loaded plans. This implies that Roth IRAs can be the preferred choice even...

Between fiscal year 2000 and fiscal year 2003, federal revenues fell by $243 billion, putting them at their lowest level relative to GDP in over 40 years. The decline in revenues came after a period of rapidly rising revenues between 1994 and 2000. This paper looks at the sources of the decline...

About one-third of the disbursements from pension plans are in the form of lump-sum distributions. In this paper, we use tax-return data to study the incidence and disposition of lump-sum distributions. We find that most lump-sum distributions are small, and the probability of rolling a lump sum...

Tabulates cross-sectional and panel data on changes in reported incomes for the period 1989-1995. Shows that reported income for high-income taxpayers (especially wages and salaries) fell from 1992 to 1993 following the 1993 tax increase. By 1995, however, the decline for the highest income...