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...

  • GOP Regains High Ground with Cliff Counteroffer

    By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

    he House Republicans regained some of the high ground on Monday – in a burst of bipartisanship -- by embracing the framework of the president’s own fiscal reform guru, Democrat Erskine Bowles.

  • Dumping the Mortgage Tax Break Can Cost, Not Give

    By Knowledge Wharton, Knowledge@Wharton

    The mortgage interest deduction, considered by many to be the sacred cow of tax breaks, has joined the list of possible items on the chopping block in the growing debate between President Obama and...

  • White House Says GOP Counteroffer Isn't Balanced

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    President Obama has been pressing congressional Republicans for their alternative to his tax-heavy plan for trimming the budget deficit—but he might not be too thrilled with the substantial...

  • Your Money: Over the Cliff and Into Tax Hell

    By Kay Bell, Bankrate

    In a few weeks, tax laws U.S. taxpayers have enjoyed for more than a decade are scheduled to expire. Along with long-standing and historically low tax rates, several popular tax credits and...

  • Cliff Stalemate Takes a Huge Toll on Manufacturing

    By Edward Krudy, Reuters

    Manufacturing unexpectedly contracted in November to its lowest level in more than three years, as companies worried about whether lawmakers in Washington could reach a budget deal in time avert a...