In Case You Missed It...

This week on Off the Charts, we focused on the federal budget and taxes, housing policy, health care, and Social Security.

• On the federal budget and taxes, Chye-Ching Huang debunked the claim that allowing the top income tax rates to return to Clinton-era levels would discourage high-income taxpayers as a group from working.  She also pointed to a New York Times op-ed by long-time financier and former Obama Administration official Steven Rattner that calls for raising capital gains and dividend tax rates.  Chuck Marr explained why policymakers should extend the payroll tax cut for one year.  Paul Van de Water listed the conditions under which switching to a new inflation measure for various benefit programs and parts of the tax code might make sense.  We also explained why tax expenditure reform should complement — not replace — letting the high-income Bush tax cuts expire.
• On housing policy, Douglas Rice explained why a budget deal that lacks significant revenues could be worse for low-income housing recipients than no deal at all.  He also listed four steps to preserve needed low-income housing assistance in tough budgetary times.
• On health care, January Angeles discussed why New Jersey would benefit from adopting health reform’s Medicaid expansion for low-income adults.
• On Social Security, Kathy Ruffing showed how demographic and economic factors help determine what share of a state’s working-age population receives disability payments.

In other news, we released papers on how a deficit-reduction deal without substantial new revenues could force deep cuts in housing assistance and why restraining tax expenditures should complement the expiration of high-income tax cuts.  We also updated our chart book on the legacy of the Great Recession and our backgrounder on the number of weeks of unemployment benefits available in each state. A variety of news outlets featured the Center’s work and experts recently.  Here are some highlights: Good News: The Payroll Tax Cut Is Now Part of the Tax Debate Huffington Post November 30, 2012 Budget Office warns, extend unemployment benefits or kill the recovery MSNBC November 30, 2012 This Week in Poverty: A Wake Up Call on Housing and Homelessness The Nation November 30, 2012 Hunger in Plain Sight New York Times Opinionator Blog November 27, 2012 A better stat for inflation Washington Post, Op-Ed November 25, 2012 For richer, for poorer: Alabama’s damaging income gap is bad for all in the state Anniston Star, editorial November 19, 2012 Thanksgiving, a time to pull together Toledo Blade, editorial November 18, 2012