Congressional Budget Office

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Congressional Budget Office

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Poverty and Income Security

The share of people living in the United States in families with income below the official federal poverty threshold has fluctuated between about 11 percent and about 15 percent over the past several decades. CBO analyzes a wide variety of federal programs that aim to reduce poverty, alleviate some of poverty's adverse consequences, and enhance income security.

Sub-Topics:

  • Food and Nutrition Programs
  • Medicaid and CHIP
  • Social Security
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  • Taxes for Low-Income Households (EITC)

related publications


  • Offsetting a Carbon Tax’s Costs on Low-Income Households: Working Paper 2012-16

    November 13, 2012
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Offsetting Costs of a Carbon Tax on Low-Income Households

presentation

November 16, 2012

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  • Supplemental Material

  • blog post
  • Illustrative Examples of Effective Marginal Tax Rates Faced by Married and Single Taxpayers

related publications


  • The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2008 and 2009

    July 10, 2012

  • Historical Effective Federal Tax Rates: 1979 to 2005

    December 11, 2007

  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

    April 19, 2012
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Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Low- and Moderate-Income Workers

report

November 15, 2012

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monthly archive

  • May 2013 (2)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (22)
  • February 2013 (10)
  • January 2013 (11)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (10)
  • October 2012 (4)
  • September 2012 (6)
  • August 2012 (5)
  • July 2012 (11)
  • June 2012 (8)
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CBO Releases a Report on Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Low- and Moderate-Income Workers

blog post

November 15, 2012


  • Related Documents

  • Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Low- and Moderate-Income Workers
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Illustrative Examples of Effective Marginal Tax Rates Faced by Married and Single Taxpayers: Supplemental Material for Effective Marginal Tax Rates for Low- and Moderate-Income Workers

data or technical information

November 15, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 799 kb)

related publications


  • Offsetting Costs of a Carbon Tax on Low-Income Households

    November 16, 2012

  • The Estimated Costs to Households From the Cap-and-Trade Provisions of H.R. 2454

    June 19, 2009

  • The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

    April 19, 2012

  • Options for Offsetting the Economic Impact on Low- and Moderate-Income Households of a Cap-and-Trade Program for Carbon Dioxide Emissions

    June 17, 2008

  • The Estimated Costs to Households From the Cap-and-Trade Provisions of H.R. 2454

    June 19, 2009

  • The Distributional Consequences of a Cap-and-Trade Program for CO2 Emissions

    March 12, 2009

  • The Distribution of Revenues from a Cap-and-Trade Program for CO2 Emissions

    May 07, 2009
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Offsetting a Carbon Tax’s Costs on Low-Income Households: Working Paper 2012-16

working paper

November 13, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 143 kb)

Abstract

Terry Dinan

Imposing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions would reduce the damage from climate change but would also impose a larger burden, relative to income, on low-income households than on high-income households. This paper evaluates two broad groupings of options for reducing the regressive effects of a carbon tax; one group of options would affect large segments of the economy, for example by reducing payroll taxes, and the other group of options would be targeted at low-income households, for example by providing an additional payment to households currently receiving electronic transfer benefits. Each option is evaluated based on the percent of low-income households that it would affect, whether it would provide comparatively larger benefits for lower-income households, its administrative costs, and its implications for economic efficiency, specifically whether it would increase incentives to work and invest and whether it would preserve the incentives to reduce emissions that the carbon tax would create. The broad based options could potentially provide support for a relatively large share of low-income households, but some of those options would provide relatively small benefits to those households. Options specifically targeting low-income households could be most effective in reaching households that do not file income taxes or that do not have earnings. Three of the seven options considered would increase the incentive to work or invest and all but one of the options would preserve the incentive to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.


monthly archive

  • May 2013 (2)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (22)
  • February 2013 (10)
  • January 2013 (11)
  • December 2012 (4)
  • November 2012 (10)
  • October 2012 (4)
  • September 2012 (6)
  • August 2012 (5)
  • July 2012 (11)
  • June 2012 (8)
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As the Population Ages, Social Security’s Spending Is Projected to Outpace Its Tax Revenues

blog post

October 2, 2012


  • Supplemental Material

  • Supplemental Data for Long-Term Social Security Projections
  • blog post

related publications


  • Social Security Policy Options

    July 01, 2010

  • An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022

    August 22, 2012

  • The 2012 Long-Term Budget Outlook

    June 05, 2012

  • CBO's 2011 Long-Term Projections for Social Security: Additional Information

    August 05, 2011

  • Background Paper: CBO's Long-Term Model: An Overview

    June 26, 2009
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The 2012 Long-Term Projections for Social Security: Additional Information

report

October 2, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 362 kb)

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Supplemental Data for CBO's 2012 Long-Term Projections for Social Security

data or technical information

October 2, 2012

read complete document  (xls, 169 kb)

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related publications


  • Payments of Penalties for Being Uninsured Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

    April 22, 2010
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Payments of Penalties for Being Uninsured Under the Affordable Care Act

report

September 19, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 129 kb)

related publications


  • H.J. Res. 118, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health

    September 17, 2012

  • H.J. Res. 118, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health

    February 27, 2013
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H.J. Res. 118, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Office of Family Assistance of the Administration for Children and Families of the Department of Health

cost estimate

September 17, 2012

read complete document  (pdf, 25 kb)

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