Static versus Dynamic Scoring

A source of much spirited debate, budget "scoring" has been used to estimate changes in government revenues and outlays if federal tax and spending programs are altered. Historically, the U.S. federal government has used a "static scoring" methodology that assumes that all policy changes would not affect the size of the economy, regardless of how much businesses invest and hire or how much households save and work. In recent months, initial attempts by the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation raise the possibility that "dynamic scoring"--which takes into account, where appropriate, all behavioral reactions to changes in tax policy--might be more fully adopted. Is dynamic scoring a step in the right direction? And, if so, how it should be carried out? Budget and tax policy experts will define dynamic scoring, the pros and cons of the debate, and how dynamic scoring might be used in the future.

About the Author

 

Kevin A.
Hassett
  • Before joining AEI, Mr. Hassett was a senior economist at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and an associate professor of economics and finance at the Graduate School of Business of Columbia University, as well as a policy consultant to the Treasury Department during the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He served as an economic adviser to the George W. Bush 2004 presidential campaign and as Senator John McCain's chief economic adviser during the 2000 presidential primaries. He also served as a senior economic adviser to the McCain 2008 presidential campaign. Mr. Hassett is a columnist for National Review.

  • Phone: 202-862-7157
    Email: khassett@aei.org
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    Name: Veronika Polakova
    Phone: 202-862-4880
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