Leonard Burman

Leonard Burman is a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute and co-director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. He is an expert in public finance and modeling the effects of government policies on individuals' and firms' decisions. He has held high-level positions in both the executive and legislative branches, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Analysis at the Treasury from 1998 to 2000, and as Senior Analyst at the Congressional Budget Office. At Treasury, he was responsible for the development and economic analysis of tax policy proposals. He played a lead role in the design of the administration's proposal for Universal Savings Accounts, aimed at expanding retirement savings for the millions of workers who currently lack coverage. Dr. Burman is also a Visiting Professor at Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute, and had previously taught economics at George Washington University and Bates College. Dr. Burman is the author of The Labyrinth of Capital Gains Tax Policy: A Guide for the Perplexed, and numerous articles, studies, and reports. Dr. Burman's current research is focused on the changing role of taxation in social policy, pension and retirement policy, and tax policy with respect to health insurance.