The Tax Policy Center and UCLA host a tax policy conference today at UCLA on Federal Tax Reform Beyond the Beltway: How Federal Tax Reform and Tax Policy Will Affect State and Local Governments (live webcast here):

Families, businesses, and policymakers are increasingly frustrated by the complexity, inefficiency, and inequity of America’s federal tax system. As a result, there is growing pressure for fundamental federal tax reform. Several major reform proposals have already surfaced. However, to date, the analysis of tax reform options has generally focused on their effects on the federal tax system, the federal budget, and the national economy. Those concerns are important, but so too are the potential effects on state and local governments. Those governments play leading roles in supplying essential public services such as education and criminal justice and in funding health care, transportation infrastructure, and other services. Please join us for a day-long conference examining how federal reform will affect state and local governments at a conference on February 3, 2012 at UCLA.

Panel #1:  Tax Policy in a Federalist System:

• Kim Rueben (Tax Policy Center) & Kirk Stark (UCLA), How Federal Tax Policy Affects State and Local Policy; Promises and Pitfalls of Reform
• Walter Hellerstein (Georgia), Federal-State Tax Coordination: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• Moderator:  Valerie Chang (MacArthur Foundation)
• Discussant:  Darien Shanske (UC-Hastings)

Panel #2:  What Would a Federal VAT Mean for the States?

• Jim Nunns & Eric Toder (both of the Tax Policy Center), The Effect of a Federal VAT on U.S. State and Local Governments
• Michael Smart & Richard Bird (both of the University of Toronto), Implementing a VAT in a Federal System—Lessons from Canada
• Moderator:  Ingrid Schroeder (Pew Charitable Trusts)
• Discussant:  Charles McLure (Stanford)

Panel #3:  Federal Tax Reform and Low Income Households

• Elaine Maag (Tax Policy Center), How Would Federal Reform Change State Income Tax Systems for Low-Income Families?
• Brian Galle (Boston College), Reforming Unemployment Insurance Rules: Can States Really Repay their Loans?
• Moderator:  Kirk J. Stark (UCLA)
• Discussant:  Tracy Gordon (Tax Policy Center)

Panel #4:  How Will Federal Reform Affect Other State Policies?

• Jon Rork (Reed College) & Karen Conway (University of New Hampshire), How Would Federal Reform Change State Income Tax Systems for Seniors?
• Andrew Hanson (Georgia State) & David Albouy (Michigan), Federal Reform and What it Means for Housing
• Moderator:  Howard Gleckman (Tax Policy Center)
• Discussant:  Julie Cullen (UC-San Diego)