Repereusslons of the lax Cuts and Jobs Act on Individual Fil
Solution
A.
The 2018 tax rate brackets and 2018 capital gains tax brackets reflects the 2017 brackets adjusted by C-CPI-U.
The previous tax code used the CPI-U measure to adjust the brackets, while the new code uses the C-CPI-U measure. The first measure, the consumer price index for urban consumers, assumes you purchase the same quantity of each good in the CPI basket over time. In contrast, the C-CPI-U, or chained consumer price index for urban consumers, recognizes that individuals can shift their expenditure patterns toward cheaper goods in the same expenditure category. For example, suppose chicken prices increase while turkey prices remain unchanged. The CPI-U implicitly assumes individuals continue to buy the same quantity of chicken. In contrast, the C-CPI-U recognizes that consumers will see the price change and substitute turkey for chicken.

