Distribution of Federal Taxes
- Report
The Distribution of Household Income in 2021
New policies implemented by the federal government affected transfers and taxes in 2021. The policies largely benefited lower- and middle-income households. But income inequality still increased, mainly because of realized capital gains.
- Presentation
Trends in the Distribution of Household Income From 1979 to 2021
CBO regularly analyzes the distribution of income in the United States and how it has changed over time. This slide deck presents the distributions of household income, means-tested transfers, and federal taxes between 1979 and 2021.
- Report
The Distribution of Household Income in 2020
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing federal response had significant effects on the distribution of household income. Income inequality before transfers and taxes increased, but inequality after transfers and taxes decreased.
- Presentation
Trends in the Distribution of Household Income From 1979 to 2020
CBO regularly analyzes the distribution of income in the United States and how it has changed over time. This slide deck presents the distributions of household income, means-tested transfers, and federal taxes between 1979 and 2020.
- Blog Post
A Call for New Research in the Area of Taxes and Transfers
To enhance its work for the Congress, CBO is looking for new research on how changes in federal policy affect different households, and how taxes affect the way businesses are legally structured.
- Working Paper
Current Work on the Distributional Analysis of Household Income Resulting From Policy Changes: Working Paper 2022-09
This paper introduces a standardized framework to analyze how policy changes alter the distribution of household income to complement CBO’s analyses of policy changes’ budgetary and economic effects.
- Report
The Distribution of Household Income, 2019
CBO regularly analyzes the distribution of income in the United States and how it has changed over time. This report presents the distributions of household income, means-tested transfers, and federal taxes between 1979 and 2019.
- Presentation
How CBO Analyzes the Distribution of Household Income, Means-Tested Transfers, and Taxes
Presentation by Bilal Habib, an analyst in CBO’s Tax Analysis Division, to the Committee on National Statistics of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
- Report
The Distribution of Major Tax Expenditures in 2019
CBO examined how the benefits from major tax expenditures in the individual income tax and payroll tax systems were distributed among households in different income groups in 2019.
- Working Paper
How Changes in the Distribution of Earnings Affect the Federal Deficit: Working Paper 2021-12
This paper examines how the federal budget deficit would have differed in 2018 under four scenarios that vary the distribution of labor earnings while leaving aggregate earnings unchanged.