Cut Subsidies

The federal government subsidizes economic activities in different ways, including direct spending and tax cuts. Every year these subsidies cost taxpayers billions of dollars, yet the government often fails to monitor them for their effectiveness or necessity. ...More

Subsidies such as preferential tax treatment have been especially prone to lax oversight and underestimating the true cost to taxpayers. Loan guarantees, price guarantees, and disaster insurance are also examples of federal subsidies to private industries. Federal subsidies need to be accurately measured and routinely assessed to ensure that taxpayers receive a fair return on their investment. Profitable, well-established industries should not receive taxpayer subsidies in any form.

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All the latest content from TCS in Cut Subsidies
Letters & Testimony

Taxpayers Cannot Afford a $1 Trillion Farm Bill

September 11, 2013

Taxpayers Cannot Afford a $1 Trillion Farm Bill Today, TCS sent a letter urging the House to reject a new trillion dollar farm bill and instead enact a short-term extension.... Read More

Our Take

It’s Been a Busy Summer!

August 09, 2013

It’s Been a Busy Summer! It’s been a busy summer! So far, we’ve been instrumental in exposing corporate subsidies in the farm bill. We gained ground in our fight... Read More

Our Take

USEC Posts Net Loss in Second Quarter; Seeking Further Taxpayer Handouts

August 08, 2013

USEC Posts Net Loss in Second Quarter; Seeking Further Taxpayer Handouts The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) recently released its midterm financial report and in addition to troubling financials,... Read More

Our Take

Senate Finance Subcommittee Discusses Energy Tax Reform

August 01, 2013

Senate Finance Subcommittee Discusses Energy Tax Reform The Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure met Wednesday, July 31 to discuss the... Read More

Our Take

Essential Air Service: Why Reform Isn’t Reducing Overall Cost

July 30, 2013

Early last year, the President signed the “FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012,” authorizing spending for the Federal Aviation... Read More

Our Take

Big Oil Continues to Receive Billions in Taxpayer Subsidies While Profits Soar

July 30, 2013

Big Oil Continues to Receive Billions in Taxpayer Subsidies While Profits Soar As midyear profit results are released this week, the oil and gas industry is asserting itself once more as one of the most lucrative and... Read More

More in-depth material from TCS in Cut Subsidies
Fact Sheet

Department of Energy: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Program

August 29, 2013

Department of Energy: Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Program Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) authorized the Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles... Read More

Fact Sheet

Taxpayer Supports for Biomass in Federal Farm Bill

August 28, 2013

Taxpayer Supports for Biomass in Federal Farm Bill For years, proponents of bioenergy and biofuels promised that the industry would help reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, decrease... Read More

Fact Sheet

Current Agricultural Policy’s Effects on Water Quality

August 21, 2013

Current Agricultural Policy’s Effects on Water Quality For more than 75 years, market-distorting agricultural subsidies have produced numerous unintended consequences that have degraded water... Read More

Fact Sheet

Small Modular Reactors: Federal Subsidies for Mini Nukes

July 23, 2013

Small Modular Reactors: Federal Subsidies for Mini Nukes The Department of Energy (DOE) is asking Congress to provide $452 million in taxpayer subsidies to help license up to two experimental small... Read More

TCS appearances in the media in Cut Subsidies

River Industry Cites Olmsted Failure in Push for Taxpayer Aid

September 16, 2013 | Saint Louis Post-Dispatch

WASHINGTON • For years, the barge industry has complained that aging locks and dams hike the cost of waterborne cargo and pose an... Read More

House Makes Proposal for Waterways Projects

September 13, 2013 | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A bipartisan group of congressional members has introduced legislation that would change the way billions of dollars of water infrastructure... Read More

Taxpayers Turn U.S. Farmers Into Fat Cats With Crop Subsidies

September 09, 2013 | Bloomberg Busineesweek

A Depression-era program intended to save the nation’s farmers from ruin has grown into a 21st-century crutch enabling affluent growers and... Read More

Bloomberg: Wal-Mart Connection Means Taxpayers Pay More for Rogers Airport Tower

August 21, 2013 | Arkansas Business

Bloomberg yesterday took a look at the Rogers Municipal Airport, home to Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s fleet of corporate jets, and finds the... Read More

4 Examples Of Corporate Welfare In Action

August 21, 2013 | MintPress News

While corporations are often painted as the independent drivers of the U.S. economic system, the beacons of small government success aren’t... Read More

Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

August 29, 2013

Back to School

As kids head back to school, teachers are crossing their fingers hoping they won’t have to spend hours... Read More