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Mr. Gary Robbins

November 5, 1995

Eating Out Our Substance (II): How Taxation Affects Investment

In a previous report (#131), we showed that the recent decline in America's saving rate is tied to the tax treatment of capital. In this report, we show that a similar relationship exists between business capital formation and the tax treatment of new investment.The results of this study have clear implications for tax policy and the tax reform debate. The evidence suggests that lowering taxes on capital may produce enough positive economic effects to offset most or all of the static revenue loss. Unfortunately, the current practice of government revenue estimators is to deny that any relationship exists between the aftertax return to capital and capital formation. Unless this practice is corrected, the outcome of the upcoming tax reform debate will produce unintended consequences and missed opportunities for the economy and the budget.
September 12, 1995

Eating Out Our Substance: How Taxation Affects Saving

This report is the first step in a long project of making the case that in order to stimulate the economy through increased saving and investment, that United States should change its tax policy to remove the penalties on saving and investment. In ohter words, to move toward the taxation of consumption. This report is chock full of data, tables, and formulas, and the data is available in a Lotus spreadsheet on the File Download Page of this Web site (see table of contents).
April 1, 1995

Salvaging Social Security: The Incredible Shrinking Trust Fund, and What We Can Do About It

In only six short years, the Social Security trust fund has lost $8.8 trillion, or three-fourths of its projected balance. This study explains what happened, and what we can do about it.
March 12, 1995

Reversing the Decline in Saving and Investment: Depreciation Reform through Neutral Cost Recovery

This is a 6-page analysis of the House Republican "Contract With America" proposal to reform business depreciation rules.

March 12, 1995

Reducing Tax Rates on the Savings of Average Americans

A 6-page analysis of the House Republican "Contract With America" proposals to expand the availability of IRAs, and to increase the unified estate tax credit.

February 1, 1995

Cooking the Books: Exposing the Tax and Spend Bias of Government Forecasts

Published in Cooperation with the Lehrman Institute.

Faulty static government forecasting methods that are biased in favor of spending and against tax cuts have contributed to out-of-control government spending and spiralling budget deficits. Dynamic scoring, which better reflects the reaction of taxpayers and businesses to changes in tax law, should be incorporated into the government forecasting process. This paper is the definitive case for dynamic scoring.
September 1, 1994

Looking Back to Move Forward: What Tax Policy Costs Americans and the Economy

A survey of major tax bills since 1954, demonstrating that, with a few notable exceptions, the constant effort to make the tax code "fairer" by raising tax rates on capital and labor have resulted in a tax code that discourages business formation, job creation, and capital formation, thus limiting growth.
September 1, 1994

Putting the Economy Back on the Growth Track: Six Steps to "Upsize" the Economy

The U.S. economy is lagging in GDP growth relative to recent history. This study proposes and evaluates a package of six changes to the tax code that would increase job creation and GDP growth, and restore long-term growth prospects.
August 1, 1994

Neutral Cost Recovery: Investing for Growth, not Planning for Taxes

An examination of a proposed change in the tax code revising the rules for business depreciation, taking into account inflation and the time value of money. This proposal was part of the House Republican's Contract with America.
May 1, 1994

Putting Capital Back to Work for America

An evaluation of six proposal for capital gains tax relief, comparing them with regard to their effect on the economy.

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