Blog Profile / Business in The Beltway
| URL : | http://blogs.forbes.com/beltway/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | Business & Finance | |
| Posts on Regator: | 312 | |
| Posts / Week: | 2.7 | |
| Archived Since: | February 28, 2011 | |
Blog Post Archive
Paul Ryan Proves It: We Can’t Balance The Budget With Spending Cuts
The congressman proves with hard, relatively specific numbers in his budget proposal that he can’t get there from here.
Will Obama’s 2013 Budget Raise Or Lower Taxes? Yes.
Ryan's fiscal plan lacks credibility. Obama's budget lacks imagination and courage, but at least the president offers a complete package that doesn’t dig a deeper hole than the one we are already in.
Paul Ryan’s Mystery Meat Budget
The Republican congressman's fiscal plan airily promises both trillions of dollars in tax cuts and a nearly balanced budget within a decade, but he never says how he’d get there.
Time to End Washington’s Trust-Fund Gimmicks
Why does government bother with trust funds? As the Senate’s just-passed highway bill proved yet again, Congress is turning these funds into little more than accounting shams. In theory, it makes sense to establish special accounts where designated revenues are set aside for a specific purpose. But in practice, is grossly abusing the idea. There is a [...]
Obama Isn’t Driving Up Gas Prices, But He Should
Carbon taxes, in any form, have become exceedingly politically incorrect. But they were a good idea when McCain and Gingrich supported them. And they still are.
Google Isn’t ‘Leveraging Its Dominance,’ It’s Fighting To Avoid Obsolescence
If regulators force the search giant to stop evolving, the market will simply pass it by.
After Bush Tax Cuts, Payments By Wealthy Actually Increased
The tax debate is gaining momentum and attracting much attention. Tax initiatives are a central feature of the President’s proposed 2013 budget and what happens with tax policy will be a key discussion point in the upcoming presidential election. We, as citizens, need to ask a very important question: “In addressing tax policy changes should [...]
Just How Big Is The Payroll Tax Cut?
The 2-percentage-point payroll tax cut extended by Congress in December and again last week will save workers a total of $114 billion this year, according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. Spread over nearly 160 million workers, that’s an average tax cut of $714. Yet the typical news report says “the average worker earning $50,000 [will] take [...]
We Can Find Better Ways To Tax The Rich Than ‘Buffett Rule’ Bill
In his State of the Union speech, President Obama’s called for a new law that would require high-income people to pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. In response, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) have introduced the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012, a proposal designed to meet [...]
What Tax Reform Would Mean For The States
What would fundamental changes in the federal tax code mean for state and local governments? Would it limit their ability to raise or borrow money? Would it make their revenue systems more or less progressive or even work more smoothly? Last Friday, I participated in a joint Tax Policy Center and UCLA Law School conference [...]
The Facts On Tax Rates: Who Pays What
The current discussion led by President Obama that top earners are not paying “their fair share” of taxes is not supported by the facts. His claim could result from an unfortunate reliance on anecdotal information or (as is more likely) a political strategy to gain support for tax increases from an unwitting public and media. [...]
A Tax Reform Proposal That Might Work: Bring On The VAT
A well-designed Value-Added Tax could simplify the tax code for most households and finance significant reductions in corporate and individual income tax rates without adding to the budget deficit. And it could be a key piece of a revenue system that is both progressive and less intrusive in economic decisions than today’s law. That’s [...]
What the Romney and Gingrich 1040s Tell Us About How We Tax The Rich
Earnest Hemingway: I am getting to know the rich. Mary Colum: I think you’ll find the only difference between the rich and other people is that the rich have more money. It turns out that when it comes to taxes, at least, Ms. Colum, was mostly—but not entirely–right. To see why, let’s take a quick [...]
Feds Should Stay Out Of Google-Twitter Social Search Spat
By Berin Szoka, & Ryan Radia As has become customary with just about every new product announcement by these days, the company’s introduction on Tuesday of its new “Search, plus Your World” (SPYW) program, which aims to incorporate a user’s + content into her organic search results, has met with cries of antitrust foul [...]
Why Should The NFL, Soup Kitchens And PACs Get The Same Tax Advantages?
Do we want to continue to grant special tax treatment to what are obviously commercial enterprises? Should the Tax Code be used as a tool to hide the names of mega-givers to political candidates or the activities of lobbyists?
Tax Rates, Tax Revenues And The GDP
In a recent interview the president stated that you cannot lower tax rates and raise revenue without getting it from the middle class and the poor. It is unfortunate that the political rhetoric aimed at pitting folks in different income groups against each other is not supported by the facts. Not long ago this country [...]
Macro Santa And The Austerity Grinch
The year is nearly over. The holidays have arrived. The news media is stirring with visions of holiday consumer spending sugar plums, terrifying debt crisis, and depression. ‘Tis the season for John Maynard Keynes! That’s right, there’s no better time to reflect on the maestro of modern macro and more importantly his many modern followers. [...]
Skepticism Needed on Senate Call For FTC Probe Of Google
Sens. Kohl and Lee are putting pressure on the FTC not merely to investigate, but to reach a particular conclusion and bring a case in court.
A Two-Month Payroll Tax Cut Is Dumb, And So Is How Congress Got There
House Republicans are right about one thing at least: Extending this year’s payroll tax cut for two months is ridiculous. The trouble is they are largely to blame for the very policy they are criticizing. Congress got itself in this mess because a few dozen self-styled tea partiers have refused since last summer to help build a [...]
As House Reneges On Payroll Tax Deal, Where Is The Business Community?
Business men and women of America: Is this an economy where we want to hit the brake to the tune of extracting around $150 billion in tax breaks and benefits? Tell the obstructionists in Washington 'no.'