Water is essential for life. Inadequate potable water supplies lead to poverty, disease, starvation, and civil strife. Climate change is likely to put more pressure on the world’s supply of fresh water. Rising sea levels will introduce salt into some fresh water systems. As high mountain snow...

In the United States, approximately 80 percent of commuters drive to work alone. Why do United States commuters persist in driving alone when the evidence is clear that they are wasting time and money, exposing themselves to the risk of accidents, polluting their neighborhoods and damaging their...

Clean, renewable energy from the sun and wind — the green revolution is supposed to change the world. Since 2005, the United States has increased government investment in renewable energy generation, both from direct subsidies and indirectly through tax subsidies. But before renewable energy...

The deduction for qualified residence interest (QRI) is the second largest individual tax expenditure, after the exclusion for employer provided health insurance. While homeownership has long been viewed as a social good, the QRI deduction has faced criticism. Commentators have argued that it is...

This essay examines the Chief Counsel’s role in the tax system and attempts to assess the ways in which it may affect revenue. The essay specifically discusses the revenue impacts of regulations and litigation led by the Office of Chief Counsel. Ultimately, the essay calls on Congress to...

This is an Article about how to redesign the federal tax system so that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can administer it more effectively given that Congress is only willing to let the IRS have around 82,000 employees and a $12 billion budget. As the IRS Oversight Board and the National...

Policymaking lawyers and economists are different types of people who come together in the policymaking realm. Sometimes policymakers rely on economic analysis to make decisions. Sometimes policymakers use economic analysis to support decisions already made. In particular, economic analysis has...

The United States faces an infrastructure crisis. The United States has funded its transportation system with a dedicated tax on gasoline, which has not been increased for over two decades. The funding structure for highways and transit is not working for today's transportation needs. As motor...

This article is a condensation and summary of the “Lincoln-Douglas Debate on Whether to Repeal Code 1031” held at the Teaching Tax Committee meeting at the 2105 ABA Section of Taxation Midyear Meeting in Houston, Texas. The article provides a brief history of section 1031. It then presents...

For the last ten years, I have been considering how the tax system affects the sustainability of our planet and our economy. Businesses and consumers are subject to tax-imposed costs that affect decisions about activities and investments. In some cases, Congress shifts costs by lessening the tax...