President Obama and Republicans in Congress continue to wage war over an extension of the payroll tax cut. But missing from the debate is any discussion of comprehensive tax reform that would eliminate payroll taxes altogether.
Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes are the second-largest source of federal revenue, surpassed only by personal income taxes. This week’s chart from Heritage’s 2011 Budget Chart Book depicts federal revenue by source.
That chart would look quite different if Heritage’s tax-reform plan were enacted into law. That plan, part of the Saving the American Dream proposal, prescribes a single, low rate for individuals, replacing all federal income taxes, payroll taxes, the death tax, and most excises.
The business tax code will also be replaced by a new flat business tax, thereby giving all businesses equal treatment and providing the framework for them to compete better in global markets.
This simplified system enables taxpayers to anticipate their tax burden and plan accordingly. The Heritage tax plan encourages economic growth through a lower rate and by removing multiple taxation on the same income. Because the plan taxes income spent on consumption, it eliminates the disincentives families currently face to build savings. Enacting the plan would result in greater economic freedom and opportunity, and it would encourage Americans to be proactive in building financial security for themselves and their families.
President Obama and Republicans in Congress continue to wage war over an extension of the payroll tax cut. But missing from the debate is any discussion of comprehensive tax reform that would eliminate payroll taxes altogether.
Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes are the second-largest source of federal revenue, surpassed only by personal income taxes. This week’s chart from Heritage’s 2011 Budget Chart Book depicts federal revenue by source.
That chart would look quite different if Heritage’s tax-reform plan were enacted into law. That plan, part of the Saving the American Dream proposal, prescribes a single, low rate for individuals, replacing all federal income taxes, payroll taxes, the death tax, and most excises.
The business tax code will also be replaced by a new flat business tax, thereby giving all businesses equal treatment and providing the framework for them to compete better in global markets.
This simplified system enables taxpayers to anticipate their tax burden and plan accordingly. The Heritage tax plan encourages economic growth through a lower rate and by removing multiple taxation on the same income. Because the plan taxes income spent on consumption, it eliminates the disincentives families currently face to build savings. Enacting the plan would result in greater economic freedom and opportunity, and it would encourage Americans to be proactive in building financial security for themselves and their families.
Everyone wants to know more about the budget and here is some key information with a chart from the Heritage Foundation and a video from the Cato Institute.
In the past, wars and the Great Depression contributed to rapid but temporary increases in the national debt. Over the next few decades, runaway spending on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will drive the debt to unsustainable levels.
PERCENTAGE OF GDP
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Source: Heritage Foundation calculations based on data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Institute for the Measurement of Worth, Congressional Budget Office, and White House Office of Management and Budget.
The charts in this book are based primarily on data available as of March 2011 from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The charts using OMB data display the historical growth of the federal government to 2010 while the charts using CBO data display both historical and projected growth from as early as 1940 to 2084. Projections based on OMB data are taken from the White House Fiscal Year 2012 budget. The charts provide data on an annual basis except… Read More
Authors
Emily GoffResearch Assistant
Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy StudiesKathryn NixPolicy Analyst
Center for Health Policy StudiesJohn FlemingSenior Data Graphics Editor
Federal Revenues Have More Than Tripled Since 1965
Overall tax revenues have risen despite a recent decline due to the recession. Congress cut income taxes and the death tax in 2001 and capital gains taxes and dividends in 2003, yet revenues continued to surge even after the tax cuts were passed.
INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS (2010)
Source:White House Office of Management and Budget.