Toolkit

Full ART Toolkit

This is the full toolkit from Americans for Responsible Taxes, available as a single PDF file.

Americans for Responsible Taxes is a coalition of concerned communities and
working families united to repeal the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest, reinstate
the estate tax to at least 2009 levels, close tax loopholes, and inform Americans
and their elected officials about the importance of responsible tax and budget policies. ART will engage in grassroots activism, legislative lobbying, public outreach,
and communications work to advance responsible taxation.

Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?

The federal government collects taxes in order to finance various public services. It is therefore instructive as policymakers and citizens weigh key decisions about revenues and expenditures to examine what the government does with the money it collects.

Refundable Tax Credits

Refundable tax credits are a useful tool for increasing income and rewarding work for low- and middle-income families. Congress has the opportunity this year to promote work and parental responsibility by making permanent the improvements in several tax credits enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Estate Tax

The federal estate tax is imposed on an estate, not the heirs, when wealth transfers from very large estates. It is a highly progressive tax that raises a significant amount of revenue to fund vital services. The country desperately needs this revenue for education, health, nutrition, and other priorities to promote a competitive workforce and ensure opportunity for every American.

Corporate Income Tax

Federal corporate income taxes, which are levied on corporations’ profits, have declined significantly over the last few decades. Corporate tax receipts accounted for approximately 32 percent of total federal revenues in 1952 but fell to 12 percent of total federal revenue as of 2008 and to just 6.5 percent in 2009.

All Americans Pay Taxes

It was all over the news on Tax Day: 47 percent of Americans don’t pay taxes. This claim was a misleading and just plain wrong analysis of a report from the Tax Policy Center, which estimated that 47 percent of Americans don’t pay federal income taxes. But all Americans pay taxes— federal, and state and local.

Hot Topic

The Tax Compromise is Just the Start

While Congress and the President have reached a temporary deal on the Bush era tax cuts, there is still much work to be done. Click below to see what issues are still in play, and what’s up next for the tax debate.

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