Examines how effective federal tax rates will change over the coming decade under current law -- that is, if the provisions of tax laws enacted in 2001, 2002, & 2003 phase in, phase out, & ¿sunset¿ as scheduled. Under current law & the assumption that incomes grow at a constant rate, the overall effective federal tax rate drops from 21.5% in 2001 to 19.6% in 2004. It then rises irregularly over the subsequent decade as tax provisions phase in & out. The increases in the effective tax rate between 2005 & 2010 & between 2011 & 2014 occur primarily because rising real incomes move taxpayers into higher tax brackets & the alternative minimum tax affects more taxpayers over time. Charts & tables.

Since the federal income tax was significantly expanded in 1940, several dozen major tax bills have been enacted. Inevitably, discussions (and disagreements) have arisen concerning the relative size of the bills effects on federal revenues.This paper uses revenue estimates from Treasury and the Joint Committee on Taxation to compare the relative size of the revenue effect of the major tax bills enacted after 1939 using four different measures. An appendix provides a short list of the major provisions in the bills.

The president of Forbes, Inc. presents his argument for a flat tax, suggesting that the new tax would be fair and efficient, with the new tax form being no bigger than a postcard and without any of the loopholes that currently exist.

Why policymaking in the United States privileges the rich over the poor Can a country be a democracy if its government only responds to the preferences of the rich? In an ideal democracy, all citizens should have equal influence on government policy—but as this book demonstrates, America's policymakers respond almost exclusively to the preferences of the economically advantaged. Affluence and Influence definitively explores how political inequality in the United States has evolved over the last several decades and how this growing disparity has been shaped by interest groups, parties, and elections. With sharp analysis and an impressive range of data, Martin Gilens looks at thousands of proposed policy changes, and the degree of support for each among poor, middle-class, and affluent Americans. His findings are staggering: when preferences of low- or middle-income Americans diverge from those of the affluent, there is virtually no relationship between policy outcomes and the desires of less advantaged groups. In contrast, affluent Americans' preferences exhibit a substantial relationship with policy outcomes whether their preferences are shared by lower-income groups or not. Gilens shows that representational inequality is spread widely across different policy domains and time periods. Yet Gilens also shows that under specific circumstances the preferences of the middle class and, to a lesser extent, the poor, do seem to matter. In particular, impending elections—especially presidential elections—and an even partisan division in Congress mitigate representational inequality and boost responsiveness to the preferences of the broader public. At a time when economic and political inequality in the United States only continues to rise, Affluence and Influence raises important questions about whether American democracy is truly responding to the needs of all its citizens.

We live in a world that is not governed by Truth. Disagreements surround us. Recent Presidential elections are hotly contested and won by the narrowest of margins. Charges of misinformation, fake news, and bias abound. Everyone claims they are correct; they have the Truth. Seeking Truth looks at both the philosophical and practical issues of Truth to understand how we come to know what we know and why we disagree so much. More importantly, it lays out how we can disagree in ways that avoid division and polarization and instead move to build a consensus on the Truth. Seeking Truth addresses things like how to think about what you believe, how to handle disagreement and errors positively, how do you know if you are open-minded, and how to make better decisions. Seeking Truth uses a lot of examples to make this case. To avoid current disputes, most are drawn from history, as people in various times and settings sought to understand how nature works, what happened in a particular event, or what is the best way to proceed or govern ourselves. Science, history, politics, business, all of these areas involve Truth in one way or another. Seeking Truth will help you become a better thinker, a more critical thinker, and one who moves closer to the Truth.

"In a series of intriguing, entertaining, and thought-provoking short essays, Mitch explains the secrets of staying solvent with strong financial growth in today's complex investing climate."--Back cover