Böcker i (NBER) National Bureau of Economic Research Tax Policy and the Economy-serien

This volume presents five new studies on current topics in taxation and government spending. Mark Shepard, Katherine Baicker, and Jonathan Skinner explore implementation aspects of a Medicare-for-All program, which provides a uniform health insurance benefit to everyone, and contrast it with a program providing a basic benefit that can be supplemented voluntarily. John Beshears, James Choi, Mark Iwry, David John, David Laibson, and Brigitte Madrian examine the design and feasibility of firm-sponsored "rainy day funds," short-term savings accounts for employees that can be used when faced with temporary periods of high expenditure. Robert Barro and Brian Wheaton investigate the impact of taxation on choice of corporate form, on the formation and legal structure of new businesses, and indirectly on productivity in the economy. Jonathan Meer and Benjamin Priday examine the impact of the 2017 federal income tax reform, which reduced marginal tax rates and the incentive for charitable giving, on such giving. Finally, Casey Mulligan analyzes the impact of the Affordable Care Act on whether firms employ fewer than 50 employees, the employment threshold below which they are exempt from the requirement to provide health insurance to their employees.

There is no question that the United States is facing significant fiscal challenges. This book also includes a final paper that shows how uncertainty about the restoration of US fiscal balance imposes additional efficiency costs on the economy in consumption, saving, labor supply, and portfolio decisions, and how it reduces individual welfare.

Tax policy was a central part of the recent hyperpartisan debates over the "fiscal cliff." This title features six papers by leading scholars who bring their considerable expertise to bear on issues related to education funding, labor supply, taxation, fiscal adjustments, and the overall US fiscal outlook.