Tax policy is often viewed as the primary method to encourage efficient financial behaviors among the population at large. Top economists may debate the extent to which taxation should be utilized to support positive economic objectives and reduce harmful ones, but it is generally agreed that tax policy should create some incentives for people to build wealth. In practice, however, current policy concentrates on helping middle and upper-income taxpayers, but real opportunities for low-income taxpayers are limited.
Short-Term Gains for Long-Term Losses: The Iraqi Response and US Support to Instability in Iraq
Iraq has largely slipped from the American public’s radar. The ongoing civil war in Syria and negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program have taken precedence, followed by deliberations on the United States’ long-term presence in Afghanistan and ongoing instability in Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen. Given this country’s recent history with Iraq, the Iraqi government is facing a very different political climate in Washington when it asks for weapons sales, military training, and other US support.