Taxes directly affect Americans by compelling them to surrender part of their income to the government, and indirectly since the taxing power can positively or negatively affect economic growth.
In the U.S., our tax regimes are in serious need for reform, both at the state and federal level. Our tax code fails to sufficiently incentivize investment, the primary driver of economic growth. And it hobbles U.S. companies as they compete internationally.
IPI believes that the purpose of taxes is to raise the revenue necessary to fund the legitimate functions of government while imposing the least possible impact upon the functioning of the economy. We therefore believe that taxes should be simple, transparent, neutral, territorial and competitive.
Because of its tremendous potential to stimulate real long-term economic growth, tax reform should be a top priority of policymakers.
Coalition Letter in Support of Permanent Internet Tax Freedom
Since 1998, the federal government has prohibited states and localities from imposing such taxes. This has helped Americans from all backgrounds gain access to the Internet. The economic and educational benefits of this policy are vast and immeasurable. It is long past time for Congress to make permanent the ban on Internet access taxes.
Should Food Stamps Be Restricted to Healthy Food Products?
Maine Governor Paul LePage wants to make the food stamp program more of a safety net and less of a hammock. Former Texas Senator Phil Gramm would have agreed.
'Tis the Season for PITFA
Speaker Ryan has an opportunity to make his mark by moving pieces of legislation that are relatively non-controversial and have broad support. The most obvious candidate is the Internet Tax Freedom Act (ITFA), set to expire Dec. 11, which bans taxes on Internet access and bans taxes that discriminate against ecommerce.
What Bernie Sanders Can Learn from a New York Times Reporter About French Tax Policy
Will one socialist learn from another socialist about marginal tax rates? Probably not.
Why Republican Presidential Candidates Should Abandon Their VAT Tax Proposals
To introduce a hidden tax as part of a tax plan is a sure path to failure of transparency, and a failure to serve the citizens.
The Most Important Tax Reformer Was Not On the Debate Stage
For tax reform, new Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady's priorities matter more than those of any presidential candidate.
If Donald Trump Becomes President, 6 Stocks to Buy
If Donald Trump were successful, multinationals like Apple, Google, they wouldn't have to try to use the tax system to hide their profits in other countries, IPI's Merrill Matthews tells The Street's Emily Stewart.
Don't Bother with myRA
Today, the Treasury Department rolled out the new myRA retirement accounts with almost no fanfare. And it’s easy to see why: The myRA is a retirement savings policy embarrassment.
Budget Deal Perpetuates the Social Security Trust Fund Fiction
The budget deal perpetuates the Social Security trust fund fiction by borrowing from one trust fund that has loaned its assets for IOUs to save another trust fund which has spent its IOUs.
RIP: Budget Sequester, 2013-2015
The budget sequester had a short but meaningful life. It successfully helped to control federal spending, which is why Democrats and many Republicans had to snuff it out.