David R. Burton focuses on tax matters, securities law, entitlements and regulatory and administrative law issues as The Heritage Foundation’s senior fellow in economic policy. Read his research.
View all authorsPoliticsCommentary
Taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidizing banks and large corporations. Nor should government be making bank failures more likely. But Congress just introduced bipartisan legislation that would… Read More
LawCommentary
Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, and Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, have introduced the Dismantle DEI Act. The bill, S. 4516, and its House counterpart, HR 8706,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Lawmakers snuck the Corporate Transparency Act into the 1,480-page National Defense Authorization Act in 2021. The measure is targeted squarely at small businesses with fewer… Read More
LawCommentary
The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday adopted a final rule to require public companies to disclose climate-related information in financial statements and other reports… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
In the midst of a recession, with inflation eating away an average of $6,800 in purchasing power from the incomes of families with two workers,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
For many years, researchers at The Heritage Foundation have pointed out that U.S. financial markets have been highly regulated for more than a century, especially after the… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Progressives and some Republicans are trying to sneak a bill into the National Defense Authorization Act that would impose a beneficial ownership reporting regime on… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Millions of Americans live in fear of another financial crisis, so they are willing to go along with extensive regulation of the financial sector. Unfortunately,… Read More
PoliticsCommentary
Roger Scruton has died. Conservatism has lost one of its great thinkers. Scruton, who died Jan. 12 at age 75, authored more than 50 books… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Securities and Exchange Commission beginning next year will require broker-dealers to report securities transactions to CAT NMS LLC, a Delaware-based limited-liability company jointly owned… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
The Unlocking Capital for Small Businesses Act of 2019 (H.R. 3768), introduced by Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., would provide a safe harbor for finders and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
As the table below shows, the number of broker-dealers in the U.S. declined by 29 percent between 2003 and 2017. Over the same period, the… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has introduced a constructive bill (S. 2499) that would accomplish two desirable policy objectives. The bill would help investors by providing… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is expected to be signed into law today, would reform the tax code by lowering federal marginal rates… Read More
EconomyCommentary
On Wednesday, two House Financial Services Committee subcommittees will hold a joint hearing about two bills, one of which is the Counter Terrorism and Illicit… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The House passed its version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Thursday, a bill that would reform the tax code by lowering marginal… Read More
EconomyCommentary
House Republicans unveiled their plan to update the nation’s tax code on Thursday. If they are successful at passing the plan—known as the Tax Cuts… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
House Republicans released a blueprint for tax reform on Friday. If Congress follows the architecture the blueprint lays out, it will create a strongly pro-growth tax… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has released a plan to update the way businesses deduct the cost of capital expenses. Wyden is right to focus on… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
Equity crowdfunding, created by the JOBS Act in 2012, will finally become legal on May 16th. The tax code, however, makes it almost impossible for… Read More
EconomyCommentary
When a company would like to sell stock, it must register with the Securities and Exchange Commission unless an exemption applies, per the Securities Act. It’s… Read More
EconomyCommentary
President Obama is submitting his final budget to Congress this week. Regardless of the contents of this budget, the president’s fiscal legacy is largely already… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Department of Labor recently proposed seven rules imposing new obligations on firms selling securities to retirement plans and individual retirement account (IRA) investors. If… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The United States has the most damaging business tax system in the developed world because it taxes its businesses at high rates, taxes them on… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Ohio, is poised to reintroduce legislation that would make permanent so-called “bonus depreciation.” This legislation would enable businesses to deduct half their capital… Read More
Commentary
On March 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a final rule amending Regulation A that will help mid-sized companies seeking to raise capital… Read More
EconomyAnalysis
The U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, is the only major country to tax its businesses on income earned outside… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Should an individual be able to commit fraud and not face jail time or at least serious civil consequences? Too often we have seen multi-billion… Read More
EconomyCommentary
President Obama has proposed a fiscal year 2016 budget that raises $3.5 trillion in fiscal year 2016 and $45 trillion over 10 years. In his budget,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
IRS Commissioner Josh Koskinen complained recently about Congress cutting the agency’s budget by $350 million in the recent budget deal. Koskinen warns that taxpayer service… Read More
