Econ Comments & Analysis
The American | The Left’s Flip-Flop on the Bush Tax Cuts
Opponents of the Bush tax cuts have done a silent flip-flop on whether those cuts helped the middle class.
Bloomberg | Obama’s Sanctimony Proves Who the Real Scrooge Is
As right as Dickens. That’s what U.S. President Barack Obama suggested about his tax plan when he recently used “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens to frame his case for rate increases.
Politico | Gas tax: On the table, but not in the conversation
Washington is abuzz with talk about the income tax — but Americans may not be aware there is another rate on the table. Amid the fiscal cliff debate, there’s a revenue option that would re-examine the way roads and bridges have been funded over the past 50 years: the federal gas tax.
Blogs
Economist | Revenue today or revenue tomorrow
Many developed countries are seeking new sources of tax revenue to balance their budgets today. They also face aging populations expecting long, comfortable retirements. A new paper from Harvard economists Raj Chetty and Steve Friedman, partnered with Danish researchers, may offer a solution.
Political Calculations | The Flat Tax the U.S. Effectively Already Has
Harvard economist Greg Mankiw offered a unique observation following the release of the findings of a CBO study on the effective marginal tax rates that many Americans really pay on their incomes, after taking into account any government assistance they might receive and the income levels at which their welfare benefits phase out
