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...

  • From the Fiscal Frying Pan into the Debt Ceiling Fire

    Only a year ago, Washington was transfixed by a battle between President Obama and Republican lawmakers over raising the national debt ceiling. The Treasury will once again begin to run out of cash...

  • Cliff Abyss: AMT Tax Will Body Slam Middle Class

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    No part of the fiscal cliff could body slam the middle class quite like the Alternative Minimum Tax—possibly heaping a surprise IRS tab on 28 million families that would average $1,800 each.

  • Who Should Pay for Big Bird and Downton Abbey?

    Surprise! Federal spending rose 16 percent year-over-year in October, the first month of the new fiscal year. The deficit, now at $120 billion – was 22 percent higher than a year ago. This – in an...

  • Durbin on ‘Scary’ Need to Slow Medicare Spending

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin asked his fellow Democrats to swallow some tough medicine on cuts to Medicare: Even without the fiscal cliff, the health insurance program for seniors needs to trim its...

  • CEO: Health Care Tax Could Hinder Innovation

    By Arlene Weintraub, The Fiscal Times

    Gary Guthart, the CEO of Intuitive Surgical, talks about the potential effects of a new 2.3 percent excise tax on medical device sales, how the health care industry should be looking at costs, and...