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What Are the Major Federal Taxes? • Personal income tax • Corporate income tax • Social security tax Transparency 16-1 Exhibit 1 Major Federal Taxes SOURCE: Council of Economic Advisers, Economic Report of the President, 1999. Transparency 16-2 Three Income Tax Structures Exhibit 2 Transparency 16-3 What are the Major Federal Government Spending Programs? • • • • • • National defense Income security Health Medicare Social security Net interest on the National Debt Transparency 16-4 Exhibit 3 Major Federal Spending Programs SOURCE: Council of Economic Advisers, Economic Report of the President, 1999. Transparency 16-5 DEBT AND DEFICITS • BUDGET DEFICITS occur when government expenditures exceed tax receipts • A BUDGET SURPLUS occurs when tax receipts exceed government expenditures Transparency 16-6 CYCLICAL DEFICITS • The portion of the deficit that is a result of an economic downturn • many economists (Keynes) believe that deficits are natural and necessary during recessions because tax revenues fall and benefit payments rise • Our problem is that we have continued to run deficits in expansionary periods Transparency 16-7 STRUCTURAL DEFICITS • The structural deficit is the portion of a budget deficit which exists when the economy is operating at full employment • Total Budget Deficit = structural deficit + cyclical deficit Transparency 16-8 National Debt • NATIONAL DEBT is the total sum of what the federal government owes its creditors (the sum of past deficits) Transparency 16-9 Exhibit 5 Public Debt for 1987–1999 The 1999 amount is for November 1999. SOURCE: Bureau of the Public Debt. Transparency 16-10 Deficits and Debt as % of GDP Exhibit 5 Transparency 16-11 NATIONAL DEBT • As the debt grows, interest on the debt grows in its share of the budget. • The portion of the budget that can be cut in order to balance the budget is SHRINKING Transparency 16-12 PORTION OF THE BUDGET THAT IS CONSIDERED UNTOUCHABLE • Interest on the Debt 14% • Social Security 22% • untouchable total 36% • National Defense 20% • Total 56% Transparency 16-13 WHO BEARS THE BURDEN OF THE DEBT? • CURRENT GENERATION - if crowding out occurs then households are giving up consumption to pay for increases government spending • FUTURE GENERATIONS - will have to pay higher taxes to pay off the bonds when they come due. They bear the cost while the bondholders receive the payoffs. Transparency 16-14 COUNTERPOINT • WE-OWE-IT-TO -OURSELVES - if American taxpayers make payments to American bondholders, money is simply shifted from one pocket to another. • Only works if debt is held domestically (currently 14-18% is held by foreigners) Transparency 16-15