Spending Transparency

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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more news

The Bush Tax Cuts are No Worse than the Reagan Tax Cuts?

There seems to be a common misperception that while things are pretty bad, the country survived the Reagan tax cuts, and the Bush tax cuts aren’t that much worse. All that progressives need to do is continue working against any more tax cuts and advocating for adequate appropriations funding, and we'll get through it. This complacency is misplaced and dangerous. The tax cuts, the fiscal condition of the federal government and the states, and the politics are very different. Conservatives have been working on a long-term agenda of shrinking government by reducing revenue. Movement conservative Grover Norquist wants to cut spending on federal programs in half within the next generation; in his words: "kill the taxes and you kill the government."

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2001 Recession In Perspective: Economic and Budget Situation

Aug 22, 2003 by Guest Blogger

OMB Watch - 2001 Recession In Perspective: Economic and Budget Situation

A comparison of the last three recessions shows that even while declines in total output in the 2001 recession were smaller than average, the recovery has been weaker than average. In particular, the employment situation has seen substantial deterioration relative to the start of the recession as well as compared to past recessions.

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OMB Watch on Estate Tax Tour

On behalf of Americans for a Fair Estate Tax, a coalition of nonprofit organizations opposing the repeal of the estate tax, OMB Watch economist John Irons will be traveling the country in early September – from Washington, D.C., to Washington State, Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, and a number of places in between – to discuss recent reports assessing the impact of estate tax repeal on charitable giving. These local events will be organized by United for a Fair Economy, the Fair Taxes for All coalition, and their local affiliates.

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2001 Recession In Perspective: Economic and Budget Situation

A comparison of the last three recessions shows that even while declines in total output in the 2001 recession were smaller than average, the recovery has been weaker than average. In particular, the employment situation has seen substantial deterioration relative to the start of the recession as well as compared to past recessions.

The budget outlook is particularly troubling. Despite the relatively small drop in total output, federal government revenue has dropped to record levels, and record surpluses have turned into record deficits in a few short years. Comparisons with past recessions show that the deterioration in the budget situation is unlikely to be due to the economic situation, and that current tax and budget policy are likely to blame.

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Latest from the TPC

Aug 15, 2003 by Guest Blogger

Tax Policy Center | A Project of the Urban Institute & the Brookings Institution

Here's the latest from the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center:

(1) The State Fiscal Crisis: Why it Happened, What to do About it Peter Orszag Milken Institute Review Third Quarter, 2003

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New Budget Articles

Aug 11, 2003 by Guest Blogger

New OMB Watcher articles are up...

OMB Watch - The Watcher - August 11, 2003 Vol. 4 No. 16 -

Economy and Jobs Update: More Weakness in GDP and Employment
Disturbing Pattern Emerging on Government Budget Analyses
States Struggle to Fund Medicaid

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September Will be Appropriations Month

Looking foward to a hectic September...

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Internal Revenue Service Scales Back EITC Certification Plan

Initial Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plans to "pre-certify" certain recipients of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) have come under considerable criticism by advocates during the past few months. After agreeing to allow a comment period on the process and the forms, the IRS substantially modified the program. See the IRS press release.

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State Budget Cuts - From the Ridiculous to the Tragic

A random Internet search reveals the extent of state budget cuts -- from the ridiculous to the horrific, from frugal penny-pinching to measures that may be penny-wise but are ultimately pound-foolish.

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States Struggle to Fund Medicaid

Health care for low-income and disabled people is being slashed as states face their third consecutive year of fiscal crisis. In 2003, almost every state legislature cut benefits, eligibility, or payments to health care providers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In March of 2003, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimated that based on proposed or recently enacted legislation, 1.7 million people would lose coverage, and many others will lose various health benefits such as prescription drugs, dental, vision, and home health care even though they remain insured.

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