The Quest For Tax Reform

Papers presented at a conference, "The Royal Commission on Taxation: 20 years later", in Toronto at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University in March 1987.--pref.

Many books have been written about tax reform, but none offer the pragmatic and understandable approach that you’ll find in this treatise filled with a nonpartisan set of solutions to fix an antiquated and indecipherable tax system. James C. Tanner, a certified public accountant with more than four decades of experience, explores how we can: • Create a fair and logical tax framework by rethinking income exclusions, exemptions, deductions, credits, tax brackets, capital gains, and other tax alternatives; • reform tax expenditures, including health insurance and medical costs, home mortgage and other interest deductions, retirement plan deductions, charitable donations, and capital gains on assets sold and transferred; • lower the tax rates for most individual and corporate taxpayers while making our US companies more competitive with their foreign counterparts. Tanner also outlines how historical decisions and legislative proposals led to our current tax laws under the premise that we can’t fix them without understanding why they were created in the first place. For those who want to participate in the national debate on federal tax reform, it begins with a firm understanding of the system and the practical proposals in Tax Reform with the 20/20 Tax.

New York Times bestelling author T. R. Reid travels around the world to solve the urgent problem of America's failing tax code, unravelling a complex topic in plain English - and telling a rollicking story along the way. The U.S. tax code is a total write-off. Crammed with loopholes and special interest provisions, it works for no one except tax lawyers, accountants, and huge corporations. Not for the first time, we have reached a breaking point. That happened in 1922, and again in 1954, and again in 1986. In other words, every thirty-two years. Which means that the next complete overhaul is due in 2018. But what should be in this new tax code? Can we make the U.S. tax system simpler, fairer, and more efficient? Yes, yes, and yes. Can we cut tax rates and still bring in more revenue? Yes. Other rich countries, from Estonia to New Zealand to the UK—advanced, high-tech, free-market democracies—have all devised tax regimes that are equitable, effective, and easy on the taxpayer. But the United States has languished. So byzantine are the current statutes that, by our government’s own estimates, Americans spend six billion hours and $10 billion every year preparing and filing their taxes. In the Netherlands that task takes a mere fifteen minutes! Successful American companies like Apple, Caterpillar, and Google effectively pay no tax at all in some instances because of loopholes that allow them to move profits offshore. Indeed, the dysfunctional tax system has become a major cause of economic inequality. In A Fine Mess, T. R. Reid crisscrosses the globe in search of the exact solutions to these urgent problems. With an uncanny knack for making a complex subject not just accessible but gripping, he investigates what makes good taxation (no, that’s not an oxymoron) and brings that knowledge home where it is needed most. Never talking down or reflexively siding with either wing of politics, T. R. Reid presses the case for sensible root-and-branch reforms with a companionable ebullience. This affects everyone. Doing our taxes will never be America's favorite pastime, but it can and should be so much easier and fairer.

Reform of the United States tax system has become a central political issue. Assessing Tax Reform is a concise, nontechnical book to help general readers and students understand the tax reform issues Congress is now debating. Henry Aaron and Harvey Galper lay out the major alternative proposals and analyze principles of taxation that can be used for judging them. They explore the issues surrounding a move to a comprehensive income tax, a cash-flow tax, and the value-added tax or other consumption-based taxes. They show the conflicts and opportunities resulting from large current government deficits and the move for tax reform. In addition to clarifying the problems that must be solved if large-scale, long-term reform is to be achieved, the authors describe alternative strategies for increasing revenues quickly. They also present their own program for a fair, efficient, and less complex tax structure. They conclude with an examination of the political pitfalls that continue to make any major improvements in the tax system hard to enact.

Papers presented at a conference held at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, in Apr. 2006.

An authoritative but accessible reference, this book enables anyone to truly understand both the background and operation of the U.S. tax system and current tax reform proposals. Dissatisfaction with high taxes is literally an American tradition; indeed, the American Revolution that led to the founding of the United States started as a tax revolt. Today, widespread displeasure with our tax system continues, as demonstrated by the strong anti-tax position of the recent Tea Party movement. Tax Reform: A Reference Handbook, Second Edition introduces lay readers to taxes in general, the U.S. tax system in particular, and the issues involved in reforming the system. Details regarding past tax reform measures are provided to lend relevance and perspective to recent tax reform proposals, such as replacing the income tax (and the IRS) with a federal sales tax. The author stresses political rather than technical issues, and presents all viewpoints on this hotly debated topic fairly.