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Policymakers should not tax the actuarial value of Medicare or the value of other in-kind benefits (see also

Limitations can be set on the exclusions for other employer-provided benefits such as life insurance, tuition, and parking.

Eligibility for the exclusion for employer-provided health insurance should be determined based on the employer's coverage rules. 

Lawmakers should maintain the tax-deferred status of employer-provided pensions as a critical way of promoting retirement savings. 

The threshold for the medical expense deduction should be kept as low as possible.

Congress and the states should extend the EITC to workers with low incomes who have no dependents regardless of age, including those ages 65 and older, provided they are not dependents themselves.

Policymakers should retain estate and inheritance taxes as important components of our tax structure. 

Federal and state estate and inheritance taxes should affect only the largest transfers. 

Deficit-reduction efforts should avoid cuts in programs that serve low- and moderate-income populations. 

States should not tie essential spending programs to unstable revenue sources. 

The federal government must strive for long-term fiscal balance.