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Curated by Project Syndicate

The GOP Tax Package

20 commentaries

Congressional Republicans’ tax plan, most economists agree, will hurt America's poor and middle class while causing the fiscal and external deficits to soar. PS writers examine the plan’s likely impact on the US economy and American politics.

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  1. Making America’s Deficits Great Again
    Donald Trump Saul Loeb/Getty Images

    Making America’s Deficits Great Again

    Jan 15, 2018 Jeffrey Frankel shows that, no matter how one measures it, the Republicans' tax cut will worsen the US trade balance.

  2. Saving America from Trump’s Tax Reform
    Pedestrians look at diamonds in a window display along 5th Avenue Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    Saving America from Trump’s Tax Reform

    Jan 8, 2018 Laura Tyson & Lenny Mendonca lament that the new legislation does nothing to address the US economy's most pressing challenges.

  3. The US Donor Relief Act of 2017
    Donald Trump speaks about the passage of tax reform legislation Saul Loeb/Getty Images

    The US Donor Relief Act of 2017

    Jan 2, 2018 Joseph E. Stiglitz says that the Republicans’ tax legislation will lead to an even more unequal society – and a worse economy.

  4. Another Look at Tax Reform and Economic Growth
    Legislation and regulation books are stacked Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    Another Look at Tax Reform and Economic Growth

    Dec 19, 2017 Michael J. Boskin argues that the GOP plan, while far from ideal, will have a significant positive effect on investment.

  5. Robert Barro’s Tax-Reform Advocacy: A Response
    Getty Images anti-tax placards
    Free to read

    Robert Barro’s Tax-Reform Advocacy: A Response

    Dec 15, 2017 Jason Furman & Lawrence H. Summers raise fundamental objections to the economic model used to defend and promote the Republican tax plan.

  6. How US Corporate-Tax Reform Will Boost Growth
    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

    How US Corporate-Tax Reform Will Boost Growth

    Dec 13, 2017 Robert J. Barro predicts that the Republicans’ final tax package will provide a substantial economic stimulus over ten years.

  1. stiglitz331_serggnGetty Images_techregulation serggn/Getty Images

    A Big Defeat for Big Tech

    Joseph E. Stiglitz

    Tech companies know that if there is an open, democratic debate about data security, consumers’ concerns about digital safeguards will win out. And while the industry's lobbyists tried to ensure that no such debate could ever occur, one of their more cynical moves has now been exposed and thwarted.

    details how the industry tried to slip extraordinary protections against regulation into US trade agreements.
  2. zizek27_Giles ClarkeGetty Images_jimmycherizier Giles Clarke/Getty Images

    Haiti’s Proud Boys

    Slavoj Žižek

    If we measure a failed state by the cracks in the edifice of its power, reflected in brewing ideological civil wars, deadlocked assemblies, and increasingly insecure public spaces, we must recognize that the United States is not so unlike Haiti. Both have given rise to violent gangs with political ambitions.

    warns that rich Western democracies are not immune to politically motivated gang violence.
  3. hedegaard11_y Dursun AydemirAnadolu via Getty Images_parliament elections Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images

    Unity Is Europe’s Greatest Asset

    Connie Hedegaard emphasizes the importance of stability amid persistent economic and geopolitical crises.
  4. qian34_PEDRO PARDOAFP via Getty Images_immigration PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

    The Truth About US Immigration

    Nancy Qian warns that overheated campaign-season rhetoric is dangerously polarizing and ultimately self-defeating.
  5. mueller51_ David McNewGetty Images_gop trump David McNew/Getty Images

    The Zombification of Political Parties

    Jan-Werner Mueller argues that Donald Trump’s capture of the GOP’s organizational machinery recalls authoritarian tactics elsewhere.
  6. basu100_David Dee DelgadoGetty Images_newyork David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

    The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

    Kaushik Basu highlights the potential benefits of emphasizing adherence to the spirit of laws, if not their letter.
  7. brown106_KOLA SULAIMONAFP via Getty Images_nigeriaschool Kola Sulaimon/AFP via Getty Images

    For Nigeria’s Schools, Safety Must Come First

    Gordon Brown writes that the latest mass abduction of students underscores the dilemma facing parents throughout the country.
  8. owoo1_disabled iStock / Getty Images Plus

    Give Women with Disabilities a Chance

    Nkechi S. Owoo explains what is needed to protect and empower one of the world’s most vulnerable demographic groups.
  9. op_mkurz3_Spencer PlattGetty Images_rustbelt Spencer Platt/Getty Images

    How Capitalism Became a Threat to Democracy

    Mordecai Kurz examines the economic policies and market dynamics that have ushered in America's Second Gilded Age.

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