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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Taxes

News                                                                                                                             
Politico | Some say add fee to energy production
With pencils being sharpened on a debt deal, all eyes are on the gas tax as a possible savior for transportation spending. But another option that may cause lawmakers less heartburn is being obscured by the gas tax dust: linking energy production with infrastructure spending.

Econ Comments & Analysis                                                                                            
WSJ | Obama Vetoes a Carbon Tax—in Europe
President Obama has said he’s going to continue his crusade against carbon energy in a second term, and we believe him. Yet there he was Tuesday signing a bipartisan bill shielding U.S. airlines from paying a carbon tax merely for flying to Europe.
CNBC | Mortgage Interest Deduction, Once a Sacred Cow, Is Under Scrutiny
Many home buyers deduct their mortgage interest when assessing their tax bill, a perk that has helped bolster the income of millions of families - and the broader housing market.

Blogs                                                                                                                             
National Review | The Buffett Tax Twists
Yesterday in the New York Times, Billionaire Warren Buffett renewed his call to increase taxes on the rich. While I wished he would spend half the time and energy he spends calling for tax increases on advocating spending cuts, the piece does have a few interesting features.
AEI | 3 charts that show just what’s happened to the tax code since 1979
From 1979 through 2000,  all of the changes in the tax code before the Bush tax cuts effectively reduced the average tax rate for the bottom 80 percent of earners and raised the average tax rate for the top 20 percent.