In the run-up to this weekend's G-8 summit at Camp David, journalists have unfavorably compared European "austerity" with Barack Obama's economic policies.

At this event, Alan Viard will present the X tax proposal while James Mackie of the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Chris Edwards of the Cato Institute will offer commentary.

This nation employs several methods for taxing capital income, both at the individual and the corporate level.  There is a massive economic literature that documents strong theoretical and empirical support for the United States to reduce its capital taxes

Are Americans better off today than they were before Barack Obama was elected to office? Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist and economist John Lott, Jr. argue in "Debacle: Obama’s War on Jobs and Growth and What We Can Do Now to Regain Our Future" that spending increases, mounting debt, new regulations and higher tax rates answer this question with a resounding “no.”

The following is a summary highlighting testimony by AEI Director of Economic Policy Studies Kevin Hassett to the Joint Economic Committee at a hearing entitled "How the Taxation of Capital Affects Growth and Employment."

Today, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) economist and tax expert Alex Brill released a pro-growth, progressive, and practical tax reform proposal. Brill explains that six simple changes to the tax code can create an economic environment that improves our global competitiveness.

Austerity measures in Europe have been the topic of a heated and mostly confused debate in the economic world. During the May summit of the leading industrial nations at Camp David, German chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders pushed for continued European austerity. Keynesian critics argue that these policies destroy economic growth.

Growth is slowing, but the politicians at fault haven't heeded calls for serious reform.