The Labyrinth of Capital Gains Tax Policy

Download or read book The Labyrinth of Capital Gains Tax Policy written by Leonard E. Burman and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Few issues in tax policy are as divisive as the capital gains tax. Should capital gains--the increase in value of assets such as stocks or businesses--be taxed at all? If so, when should they be taxed--when they are earned, or when they are realized? Should taxes be adjusted for inflation? And should gains be taxed at both the individual and corporate levels? In this book, Leonard Burman cuts through the political rhetoric to present the facts about capital gains. He begins by explaining the complex rules that govern the taxation of capital gains, examines the kinds of assets that produce them, and the factors that can lead to gains or losses. He then reviews the effects of capital gains taxation on saving and investment and considers the arguments for and against indexing capital gains taxes for inflation, as well as other options for altering the current system.