Media reports on the IRS’s Direct File pilot program tend to repeat a few key talking points: claiming that the program is “free,” widely accessible, and popular with taxpayers. But these misleadingly rosy narratives overlook serious flaws with the program…
Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year, but thankfully, Congress is taking action. The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which packages an extension of the…
The next month will be one in which Congress finally gets down to brass tacks on what the tax reform bill long talked about will actually look like. While most of the tax provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and…
Iowa Senator Jason Schultz provides a rule that should guide policymakers when it comes to tax policy. The “Schultz Rule” states that when it comes to spending “both Republicans and Democrats need to realize that tax policy is affected by…
Republicans claim they are slashing government, but they’re about to explode the budget deficit to extend President Donald Trump’s tax cuts — which would balloon interest payments on the national debt, already one of the largest expenses in the federal…
“No tax on tips!” This was the battle cry of Trump’s successful 2024 campaign. Yes, there was “Build the wall!” But that was background, part of the familiar chorus, an old favorite. The 2024 Trump campaign was, after all, a…
A desperate email hit my inbox today: a husband, voice breaking through text, juggling care for his sick wife, aging parents, and his own failing health. “Any help for home caregivers?” he pleaded. The answer stings: almost none. While 65…
The U.S. federal government has a debt problem. At $36.2 trillion (or about 125 percent of GDP), this burden is already so great that it cannot be paid back any time soon and would take decades of concerted efforts to…
You can say what you want about Elon Musk, but he is able to pinpoint in a single tweet some of the most dysfunctional aspects of our federal government. For instance, he recently noted that “Simplifying the tax code will…
