Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Steve Johnson (UNLV) delivered the inaugural E.L. Wiegand Lecture at UNLV on Administrability-Based Tax Simplification, published at 4 Nev. L.J. 573 (2004). Here is a summary of the lecture:

Our topic is simplification of the federal tax law, particularly the federal income tax. Simplification has been called the “Holy Grail” of tax policy. Like the Grail, simplification is both important and elusive. Quests for both are easy to start but difficult to bring to successful conclusion. We will consider the topic from five perspectives. First, the federal income tax is now our main tax, and it probably will continue to be. So, our attention should be on fixing the income tax to the greatest extent possible. Second, in fixing the income tax, simplification should be a high priority. Third, effective simplification requires putting heavy emphasis — far more than it receives today — on administrability. Fourth, we’ll consider precedents: examples of administrability-based income tax provisions already in the Code. Finally, I’ll offer three administrability-based simplifying income tax reforms that could be effected immediately.