Blog: The Fine Print / Revenue & Spending

Policy Efficiency: Min. Wage vs. Tax Credits

Mar 9, 2007 by Dana Chasin

During the long pause between introduction of the minimum wage hike legislation in Congress and its (presumed) eventual passage, we have time to reflect on its efficiency vs. tax credits as a means of increasing the income of low-wage workers. The issue has arisen as some policymakers have wondered if expanding the Earned-Income Tax Credit might not be a more efficient means to this end. A recent treatment of the subject by Max Sawicky of the Economic Policy Institute, A Fish is Not a Fowl, walks us through almost every aspect of the trade-off, reaching this conclusion:

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IRS to Privatize Regulation

Mar 9, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Ace investigative tax reporter David Cay Johnston has tracked down another ridiculous IRS proposal: outsource the writing of IRS regulations to the people they regulate. Check out the story in today's New York Times. Money quote (from our executive director): Looking at the issue in its broadest terms, Gary D. Bass, executive director of OMB Watch, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization that tracks the Office of Management and Budget, warned that the Bush administration was turning over too much government responsibility to those it is supposed to be keeping an eye on.

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Waxman Introduces Contract Reform Bill

Mar 9, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), chairman of the House committee on government reform and oversight, has introduced a bill that would go a long way toward reforming the contracting process. The bill would make publicly available more information on contracts, fix parts of the contracting process that have been exploited by wasteful contractors, and move towards closing the revolving door between government employees and contractors. We look forward to see where Waxman takes this bill. Meanwhile, check out FedSpending.org for the most comprehensive data set out there on government contracting.

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House Dems. to Add Min. Wage to the Supplemental?

Mar 8, 2007 by Dana Chasin

Bizarre as it might seem, the Wall Street Journal is reporting "a surprising addition [to the Iraq supplemental bill] by the Democratic leadership: a minimum wage increase." What does this mean, asssuming Pelosi and Co. go forward with the plan?
  • first, the Democratic leadership must be despairing that House liberals aren't seeing enough anti-war ammunition in the supplemental to support it
  • second, leadership impatience with the minimum wage tax package logjam may have reached the point where it simply wants to cut the gordian knot

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OMB to Launch Earmarks Website next Monday

Mar 8, 2007 by Dana Chasin

As promised, OMB will launch its earmark identification-and-tracking database website next Monday, March 12. The database's operational definition of eamarks and the information about them are outlined in attachments included in this January 25 memo from OMB Director Rob Portman. Among the information to be reported on each earmark:
  • earmark cost
  • identification of recipient
  • description of project
  • whether the earmark is statutory or non-binding
  • the relevant bill or report language

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Senate Min. Wage Tax Package: a Closer Look

Mar 8, 2007 by Dana Chasin

House Ways and Means chair Charlie Rangel (D-NY) may be figuring that a public airing of the Senate's $8.3 billion tax package will break the impassse on the minimum wage bill now tied up in conference. Rangel has announced a March 14 hearing that will focus on Senate bill provisions he and Committee ranking member Jim McCrery (R-LA) have long objected to, specifically, those which:
  • change the tax treatment of certain leases entered into before March 12, 2004, i.e., very retroactively

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Like Father, Like Son

Mar 8, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Bill Gates announced his opposition to estate tax repeal yesterday. Gates' father, Bill Gates Sr., has been a leader in the movement to oppose estate tax repeal and reductions.

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Walter Reed: At Root, A Budget Issue

Mar 8, 2007 by Matt Lewis

Fred Kagan of Slate has a good article on the budget woes that very likely contributed to the situation at Walter Reed and all across the military. His basic point: the discretionary budget for veteran's health benefits has not been keeping up with need (sound familiar?).

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Sen. Finance Cmte. Tacitly OKs Pay-Go Regime Change

Mar 7, 2007 by Dana Chasin

On Mar. 2, Senate Finance Committee chair Max Baucus (D-MT) and ranking member Charles Grassley (R-IA) submitted a Committee "Budget Views and Estimates" ($) letter to the Senate Budget Committee that conveys very few specific views, with these notable exceptions:
  • AMT Relief: the AMT hold-harmless provisions "will require an extension for calandar years 2007 and 2008" -- a development we recently noted

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GSA's Long War on Accountability

Mar 7, 2007 by Matt Lewis

As the saga of the General Services Administration (Or GSA, a government agency that handles contracts for other agencies) Adminstrator Lurita Doan unfolds, let's take a look back at everything that got us where we are. There seem to be four things at issue: a contract with Sun Microsystems, a contract with a friend of Doan's, the GSA's inspector general's budget, and talk of GSA employees engaging in electoral campaigning. So far, it amounts to abuses of power, a war on accountability, and potential violations of federal law. Here's a condensed timeline of what we know so far:
  • January 2006: The GSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducts a pre-audit of a contract renewal with Sun Microsystems. It concludes that GSA could get a better deal with a different company.
  • July 25th: Doan allegedly intervenes to steer a $20,000 contract to a long-time friend, Edie Fraser.

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