Discussion Paper
Fiscal and generational imbalances: new budget measures for new budget priorities
Smetters, Kent; Gokhale, Jagadeesh (2003-12)
This paper describes the deficiencies of the measures used to calculate the federal budget, make revenue and spending projections, and assess the sustainability of current fiscal policies. The nature of the deficiencies hides the tremendous impact that Social Security and Medicare commitments will have on the budget in the future, given the way the programs are structured currently and the momentous demographic shift underway as the baby boom generation approaches retirement age. This paper proposes two new simple measures that will enable government officials and the public to calculate more ...
Policy Discussion Papers , Issue Dec

Journal Article
Assessing fundamental tax reform
Altig, David E.; Smetters, Kent; Auerbach, Alan J.; Walliser, Jan; Kotlikoff, Laurence J. (1998-01)
A look at how some basic tax reform proposals stack up against four, sometimes competing, requirements laid out by President Clinton in a December 1997 speech: Is the proposal fiscally responsible? Will it be good for the economy? Will it lead to a simpler tax system? And finally, is it fair to all Americans?
Economic Commentary , Issue Jan

Working Paper
Simulating U.S. tax reform
Altig, David E.; Smetters, Kent; Auerbach, Alan J.; Walliser, Jan; Kotlikoff, Laurence J. (1997)
A presentation of a large-scale, dynamic simulation model for comparing the equity, efficiency, and macroeconomic effects of five alternatives to the current U.S. federal income tax: a proportional income tax, a proportional consumption tax, a flat tax, a flat tax with transition relief, and a progressive variant of the flat tax called the "X tax."
Working Papers (Old Series) , Paper 9712