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Issues concerning the major tax bills passed by Congress in 2001 are examined. Topics include the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which provides a $1.3 tril 10-year tax cut; the PATRIOT Act, which increases the Treasury Dept's ability to monitor bank secrecy as a way to prevent terrorism; P.L. 107-90, which increases retirement benefits for railroad workers and decreases railroad company retirement taxes; and political developments affecting tax legislation, such as the decision by Vermont's Senator James M. Jeffords to leave the Republican Party and become an Independent.

The political aspects of planning an economic stimulus package in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on Sep 11, 2001, are examined, focusing on hopes for a bipartisanship approach that have failed to materialize. Topics include negotiations within the Senate Finance Committee, Democratic accusations that Republicans are providing unnecessary tax benefits to corporations, comparisons between House and Senate bills, and positions of Pres George W. Bush's administration.

Issues related to a legislative package cleared by the Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee by a 11 to 10 vote are examined, focusing on the tax cuts and spending proposals in the package designed to boost the economy in the aftermath of the Sep 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Topics include Republican argments that the package includes too much spending, prospects for an eventual bipartisan compromise, and specific provisions proposed by the Senate Finance bill and in a separate House bill.

Issues concerning congressional legislation regarding sales tax simplification and business activity tax nexus, as it relates to Internet taxation, are examined, focusing on efforts by the Multistate Tax Commission to preserve state taxation rights.

Issues concerning an economic stimulus package, involving tax cuts and spending, legislators would like to pass quickly in the aftermath of the Sep 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Wash DC are examined. Topics include Pres George W. Bush's plan to cut taxes for low- and middle-income taxpayers and to eliminate the corporate alternative minimum tax; Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill's testimony before the Senate Finance Committe; and tax cuts being negotiated, such as the payroll tax cut, marginal rate cuts, unemployment benefits for displaced airline employees, and net operating losses.

A summary of the more than 250 tax bills introduced by the Senate in 2001 is presented, focusing on purpose of bills and number of cosponsors. Topics include income tax relief for individuals, including alternative minimum tax relief; tax bills regarding both individuals and businesses, including bills related to health care and small business; and tax bills primarily affecting business, including banking, insurance, communications, and the energy industries.

A review of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 is presented, focusing on the major topics in the Act and the sections of the tax code that define them. Topics include income taxes; estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes; retirement plans; provisions related to Alaska Native Settlement Trusts, Holocaust victims, corporate extimated tax, tax deadlines; the fact that the Act sunsets after Dec 31, 2010; and a listing of all tax code sections affected by the Act.

Issues related to the legislative success of Pres George W. Bush's tax cut proposal and his future legislative agenda in the context of a Democratically-controlled Senate are examined. Topics include phase-in periods for the new tax law, implications for future Democrat tax bills, a provisions that sunsets the new tax law after Dec 30, 2010, and rearrangement of Senate committees under Democratic leadership.

Issues concerning the $1.35 trillion, 11-year tax cut passed by Congress on May 26, 2001 are examined. Topics include the history of President George W. Bush's tax cut proposals, an overview of the bill, and a timetable outlining how various tax cuts and benefits will be implemented.

Issues concerning final congressional negotiations regarding Pres George W. Bush's tax cut proposal are examined. Topics include Republican hopes to send the legislation to the president's desk by Memorial Day, Democratic delays, the impact of the announcement by Republican Senator James M. Jeffords that he is leaving the Republican Party, and final amendments to the legislation.

Issues regarding the political negotiations in the House and Senate among Republicans and Democrats, as the final version of a $1.35 tril 11-year tax cut is created, are examined. Topics include the roles of Senate Finance Committee members Charles Grassely and Max Baucus in the process and compromise on tax rate cuts.

Issues related to the House of Representatives passing by a vote of 230 to 198, during the week of Mar 5, 2001, H.R. 3, the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Act of 2001, are examined, focusing on Democratic opposition to the bill and the political aspects of the forthcoming Senate debate. Topics include tax cut benefits to the poor and middle classes and support by some senators for a trigger mechanism, that insures surplus estimates are met, before tax cuts take effect.

Issues related to Pres George W. Bush's proposal for a $1.6 tril 10-year tax cut plan are examined, focusing on adjustments Republicans would like to make to the plan and disagreements Democrats have about the plan. Topics include Bush's delivery of the plan to Congress on Feb 8, 2001; its similarity to his campaign promises; the Republican Study Committee's recommendations for capital gains tax cuts and elimination of communication excise taxes; and Democrats belief that Bush's tax cut favors the wealthy.

Issues related to educational and tax reforms to be initiated by Pres George W. Bush at the beginning of the 107th Congress are examined. Topics include the importance Bush is placing on his educational legislation, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott's opinion on comprehensive tax reforms, and the relationship between the tax proposals of the 106th Congress and the 107th Congress.

Issues related to the budget and tax policies negotiated at the end of the 106th Congress are examined. Topics include the difference between the final $31 bil in tax cuts over 10 years and the initially proposed $240 bil in tax cuts over 10 years, tax breaks for low-income communities, medical savings accounts, a House reversal of an installment accounting change, and antidisclosure rules affecting the IRS and taxpayers.

The author discusses problems experienced by the IRS in properly planning the financing of agency modernization efforts. Topics include getting Congress to approve multi-year projects and the IRS' changing vision of modernization.

Issues related to tax bills passed by Congress just before the beginning of the Republican and Democratic national conventions are examined, focusing on bills that gained bipartisan support but will still be vetoed by Pres Clinton and on a bill worked out in a compromise between Clinton and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert.

Issues related to the projected $2 tril non-social-security government surplus between 2000 and 2010 and its impact on tax reform are examined, focusing on Republicans efforts to pass individual tax cut bills and the Democrat response. Topics include estate tax reform and the marriage tax penalty.