2012 Elections
  • Obama’s Bargain: Lower Rates for Higher Spending

    President Obama intends to make one last pitch for a “grand bargain” of new spending and tax policy on Tuesday that will attempt to marry corporate tax reform with funding for jobs to benefit the...

  • Ominous Signs for the GOP in 2014

    By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

    The conventional wisdom is that Republicans are in good shape going into next year’s congressional elections. Gerrymandering and the enormous benefits of incumbency virtually guarantee them continued...

  • Trading Tax Write-Offs for Real Growth

    By Andrew Fieldhouse, The Fiscal Times

    Overhauling the tax code is a wonky fixation of the D.C. policymaking elite, for good reason — it’s an area loaded with policy nuance, lobbying intrigue and major ramifications for long-term fiscal...

  • IRS Scandal: How the Brouhaha Went Bust

    By Peter Weber, TheWeek.com

    Rep. Darrell Issa is still banging the scandal drum. Is anyone listening anymore?

  • Beer, Burgers, and a Two-Man Blitz on Tax Reform

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) are keeping hope alive that the tax code can be rewritten. Both peg the odds of successful reform at more than 50 percent, according to a joint lunch...

  • What Does a Trillion Really Look Like?

    By David Cay Johnston, Columbia-Journalism-Review

    Throughout the weeks of intense coverage over the scheduled end of the Bush income tax cuts and the Obama payroll tax cut, reporters routinely cited dollar estimates in the millions, billions, and...

  • Jack Lew, GOP Chief Tormentor, as Treasury Secretary

    By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

    President Obama has chosen Jacob (Jack) Lew, a strong ally of liberal Democrats whose style has aggravated congressional Republicans, to succeed outgoing Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner. The...

  • Cliff Deal May Have Set Back Tax Reform for Good

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    President Obama and congressional Republicans are both hyping the chances for tax reform this year, but several signs suggest it’s already time to craft an obituary for this perennial initiative...

  • Deductions that Reward the Worst Managed States

    Why not do away with the deduction for state and local taxes? This loophole cost the country $46.5 billion in lost revenue in fiscal 2011, and essentially rewards the fiscal mismanagement of high-tax...

  • More Popular Than Congress: Cockroaches, Traffic, Root Canals

    By The Fiscal Times Staff

    According to a new poll -- and facing low approval ratings after a historically unproductive 112th session and a series of last-minute showdowns over fiscal matters -- Congress is now less popular...