The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, which became law in mid-March, left out the mandate to increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, but it did lead to a promising, open policy discussion about current minimum wage standards. In this blog post, public finance fellow Joyce Beebe considers some of the pros and cons of increasing the minimum wage and possible future developments. Continue Reading
The discussion about Robinhood and its retail traders would not be complete without mentioning the recent GameStop stock trading frenzy. This blog post — the second in this series — will consider what happened and what kind of tax policy proposals are being proposed as a result. Continue Reading
With many workers spending more time at home, the pandemic has led to the rise of online trading — the buying and selling of assets through a brokerage’s internet-based platform. This comes with a whole host of important tax considerations, many of which may be unfamiliar for new traders. Continue Reading
Does Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package do enough to get Americans through the pandemic? Public finance fellow Jorge Barro answers critical questions about the stimulus measure. Continue Reading
As the Budget Control Act nears expiry, it is important to reflect on its effectiveness — does the BCA provide a framework for curtailing unsustainable deficits and moving to a sustainable fiscal policy? Continue Reading
Driven by pandemic-related concerns, more and more American consumers are shifting away from cash toward digital payment transactions. This reflects our developing society, and we should address the underlying challenges that exclude some communities from being part of this progress. Continue Reading
It is important in this time to take stock of the changes that the economy will face, both as a whole and within the banking industry, and how Dodd-Frank and its liquidity measures may have to be altered to best stabilize the sector. However, these changes must be made with the post-COVID economy in mind, not one of never-ending stimulus and stay-at-home orders. Continue Reading