Equitable Growth delivers letter on proposed IRS rule to expand data sharing with the U.S. Department of Commerce

On April 29, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth delivered a comment letter (opens in a new tab) responding to a proposed rule from the Internal Revenue Service that would expand the amount of administrative tax data that is shared with the U.S. Census Bureau. In the letter, Equitable Growth’s Senior Fellow Austin Clemens explains that these data will greatly assist researchers in academia and at the Census Bureau across a range of subjects.

Equitable Growth grantees use administrative tax data to study a range of policy-relevant topics, among them the long-run consequences of prenatal exposure to pollution, how state taxes affect state-to-state migration for the wealthy, the impact of paid-leave legislation on women’s careers, and much more. Clemens also discusses how these data can support the development of an integrated system of income, consumption, and wealth statistics, as recommended by a recent National Academy of Sciences report.

The U.S. Census Bureau has an impeccable record of protecting the privacy of U.S. citizens, and providing the agency with these additional data is consistent with law governing data sharing between the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the U.S. Department of Commerce. Equitable Growth strongly supports the proposed rule.

Read the full comment letter (opens in a new tab).

Did you find this content informative and engaging? Get Updates