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Pass-throughs are b�Silent Majorityb� in Tax Reform Debate

As Washington adjusts its focus towards the new Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction, many observers expect the same sort of partisan ideological gridlock that has seized much of the process to this point, but there are those that see a realistic path to a successful compromise by the “super” committee, and they see this scenario reached through some sort of revenue-neutral reform of the tax code. The top tax writers in Congress intend to move forward the tax reform debate this year, through the deficit reduction effort or separately, and have already begun calling corporate CEOs to the table to

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2019-02-01T20:24:45+00:00August 9, 2011|

Tax Policy and the “Joint Committee”

Does the debt deal include tax policies? Step One of the plan includes $917 billion in spending cuts only. But Step Two calls on a special “Joint Committee” to develop an additional package of deficit reduction that could include revenue provisions. Here are the details.

Under the plan, the new Joint Committee would be made up of six members each from the House and Senate, evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. This Joint Committee would be asked to develop a package of deficit reductions equal to $1.2 trillion or more, and to report that package out by November 23rd. It would

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2019-02-01T20:24:45+00:00August 2, 2011|

The Gang Falls Short

With less than two weeks to go before the Treasury-announced August 2nd deadline to raise the debt ceiling, members of Congress are desperate for some sort of plan that will break the current stalemate over what type of deficit reduction should accompany the ceiling increase. So are the financial markets, to judge by their reaction.

This desperation perhaps explains the energy with which members of both parties received the “Gang of Six” plan released Tuesday.

We caution our members not to get too excited. While there are several very positive aspects of the Gang’s plan, this proposal will not be ready to

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2019-02-01T20:48:05+00:00July 21, 2011|

Ryan on S-Corps and Taxes

Earlier this morning, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) cited from our Ernst & Young study to defend Main Street businesses. We had been in to see Chairman Ryan back during our annual Board meeting. Apparently, our message connected!

As the Chairman notes:

“We don’t think raising tax rates in 2013 is helping the economy today. Not only is the actual rate going to 39.6, when you take the other stuff that was in Obamacare and everything else, the effective marginal tax rate goes to 44.8 percent. Here is the problem: 54 percent of workers in America get their jobs from

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2019-02-01T20:48:05+00:00July 15, 2011|

The President and Cantor on Taxes

The Hill was all atwitter last evening with rumors that some sort of deal had been reached over raising the debt ceiling and the deficit reduction package that needs to accompany that legislation.

In moments like these, the question we ask is: A deal between whom? Certainly not the President and House Republicans, which is the ”deal” that matters most at this moment. Nonetheless, the news yesterday gives us some additional insight into where negotiations stand.

The three moving parts behind the rumor were: 1) the pending meeting today between the President and Hill leadership; 2) the President’s concession that both Social

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2019-02-01T20:48:05+00:00July 7, 2011|