Tax Foundation's Tax Policy Podcast

Congressman Jim McCrery, the winner of this year's Tax Foundation Distinguished Service Award, represents Louisiana's 4th Congressional District, encompassing northwest and west central Louisiana, and is serving his tenth and final term in the U.S. House of Representatives. McCrery is the ranking minority member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and also serves on the Joint Committee on Taxation. Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge talks with Congressman McCrery about his...

While most people on the street and in the media were focusing on the Presidential race as well as major Congressional elections, there were many tax-related measures on the ballot in many states. In this edition of the Tax Policy Podcast, Tax Foundation Tax Counsel Joseph Henchman talks with Josh Culling, State Government Affairs Manager at the National Taxpayers Union, about the results of some of these initiatives in various states as well as what the trends might be when it comes to...

Last month, the Tax Foundation released the 2009 State Business Tax Climate Index, a measure of the "business-friendliness" of each state's tax system, providing a roadmap for state lawmakers concerned with keeping their states tax-competitive. In Part Three of the Tax Policy Podcast's Index Tour, we talk with Christopher Summers of the Maryland Public Policy Institute. Maryland had a large slide down our Index, going from 24th in 2008 to 45th in 2009. Chris...

Last month, the Tax Foundation released the 2009 State Business Tax Climate Index, a measure of the "business-friendliness" of each state's tax system, providing a roadmap for state lawmakers concerned with keeping their states tax-competitive. In Part Two of the Tax Policy Podcast's Index Tour, we talk with Bill Felkner, President of the Ocean State Policy Research Institute in Providence. Rhode Island moved up from 49th to 46th on the Index, and Felkner provides some...

Last month, the Tax Foundation released the 2009 State Business Tax Climate Index, a measure of the "business-friendliness" of each state's tax system, providing a roadmap for state lawmakers concerned with keeping their states tax-competitive. In Part One of the Tax Policy Podcast's Index Tour, we talk with Gregg Edwards of the Center for Policy Research of New Jersey, explaining why the Garden State ranks dead last in the Index and what legislators in Trenton can do...

We continue our discussion on corporate taxes with Chris Edwards, Director of Tax Policy Studies at the Cato Institute. Chris has written a new book with Cato Senior Fellow Daniel Mitchell called Global Tax Revolution: The Rise of Tax Competition...

Wyoming has the best, and New Jersey has the worst, tax systems when it comes to "business friendliness," according to the Tax Foundation's recently completed 2009 State Business Tax Climate Index, a ranking of the 50 state tax systems that provides a roadmap for state lawmakers concerned with keeping their states tax-competitive. Keeping a state competitive in today's global marketplace can be difficult, but there is one factor lawmakers have direct control over: the quality of...

In the midst of an economic and financial crisis that is gripping America and the rest of the world, corporate taxes and America's economic competitiveness in a global marketplace seem to be a low priority in lawmakers' minds. Yet, America's corporate tax system has become increasingly out of line compared to our counterparts in the industrialized world. In this edition of the Tax Policy Podcast, Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge interviews Glenn Hubbard, currently Dean of the Columbia...

With less than a month before the election, Sens. Obama and McCain are criticizing each other's tax plans more than ever.  With their claims repeated in TV ads, speeches and debates, the Tax Foundation decided to do a little fact-checking.   Tax Counsel Joseph Henchman and Senior Economist Gerald Prante have recorded two podcasts. The first, which was released last week and can be found here, is a summary of the tax proposals offered by Sen. Barack...

With 33 days left to go in this historic Presidential election, various claims are made from the Obama and McCain campaigns on each other's tax proposals. With those claims repeated on ads, speeches and debates, the Tax Foundation decided to do a little fact-checking.   Tax Counsel Joseph Henchman and Senior Economist Gerald Prante have done two podcasts. The first, below,  is a summary of the tax proposals offered by Sen. Barack Obama (31 minutes, 55 seconds.) The second podcast will be...

In this podcast, Jim Tisch, President and CEO of Loews Corporation, and Ed McClellan, Tax Counsel at PricewaterhouseCoopers, talk to Tax Foundation President Scott Hodge about the problem of the Untied States' high corporate capital gains rate. Mr. Tisch and Mr. McClellan explain the difference between the individual capital gains rate and the corporate capital gains rate, the problem of "locked-in" assets and their detrimental impact on business decisions and job creation, the...

In this podcast, Nina Olson, the nation's Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS and the recipient of the Tax Foundation's 2007 Public Sector Distinguished Service Award, discuses with Scott Hodge the role of the Taxpayer Advocate in protecting taxpayer rights, the independence of the office, and the annual report she submits to Congress identifying problems facing taxpayers. Ms. Olson...

Dr. William Gentry joins Tax Foundation Vice President for Economic Policy Robert Carroll to discuss who bears the burden of the corporate income tax. Dr. Gentry is an economics professor at Williams College in Massachusetts and recently wrote a paper for the Treasury Department titled...

Economic author and syndicated columnist Bruce Bartlett, a former executive director of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), discusses his new study on the national retail sales tax known as the FairTax. He offers his criticisms of the proposal and details on other ideas for fundamental tax reform.  Bartlett's Tax Notes article, "Why the FairTax Won't Work," is attached below. For a competing view on the FairTax, listen to Prof. Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Professor of...

Peter Merrill, head of PricewaterhouseCoopers' National Economic Consulting group, discusses his study that shows the United States has the OECD's second-highest corporate tax rate but realizes the fourth-lowest revenue from the tax. He offers his thoughts on the causes of and solutions to this problem, and ways for the U.S. to become more competitive and efficient. ...

Alex Brill of the American Enterprise Institute discusses a new study he has done on corporate tax rates across the world and shares his observations, findings and suggestions for the future. He points out that the U.S. rate is well above that of competing nations and that the U.S. should lower its rate dramatically to improve international competitiveness. ...

In this podcast, Congressman Tom Reynolds of New York discusses the debate over private equity and carried interest, the future of the AMT, and the politics and possibilities of tax reform.

Should the federal income tax be abolished, and if so, what type of tax should replace it? What is the best solution to the Social Security problem, and can the system be reformed without increasing payroll taxes? What is the purpose of taxes, and how has a misunderstanding of the real purpose of taxation contributed to the problems with the current tax code? In this podcast, Senator Robert Bennett discusses tax compliance costs, the regressivity of payroll taxes, the benefits of...

Why are distributional analysis studies that focus solely on taxes incomplete? What can be gained from examining the spending side of the fiscal equation, and how can a recognition of the importance of both sides help policymakers seeking to fundamentally reform the tax code? In this in-depth podcast, Tax Foundation economist Andrew Chamberlain discusses the importance of taking into account the progressivity of federal spending, which income groups pay the most taxes and receive the...

Which types of taxes should state and local governments rely on most heavily?  Should state sales taxes exempt food and services (such as heath care and legal services), and should stares provide tax "holidays"? At the national level, would a consumption-based tax such as a value-added tax (VAT) or national retail sales tax be a better choice than the income tax? In this wide-ranging podcast, Dr. William Fox—economics professor and director of the Center for Business and Economic...