Our Federal corporate tax laws provide numerous incentives intended to promote certain activities, industries and job creation. Some argue that these measures are ineffective while others say that they do not go far enough in stimulating the economy and employment. Four examples of tax incentives offered by the Federal government are: (1) the Credit for Increasing Research Activities (IRC Section 41), (2) the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (IRC Section 51), (3) the Energy Tax Credit (IRC Section 48), and (4) the Domestic Manufacturing Deduction (IRC Section 199).

For each of the four above federal corporate tax programs:

Provide an overview of the program citing changes in the legislation since inception.

Analyze the effectiveness of the program in terms of meeting its intended purpose.

Evaluate unintended tax and non-tax consequences of this legislation that have resulted from its passage.

Next, design and describe specific modifications that you would recommend to each of the above-mentioned programs. Evaluate the projected impact of these changes including the effect, if any, to:

Gross National Product

Unemployment rate

Federal tax revenue

Finally, include in your analysis a discussion of the likelihood of passage of these proposed changes taking into account the potential effect of these changes on federal deficit levels and the political process involved in enacting federal tax reform.