Abstract
The paper proposes a tax framework that would reduce pressure on wage labor while restoring progressivity at the top. Its design includes a refundable time-investment credit, relief for low-to-moderate W-2 wages, and narrower treatment of selected capital preferences, accompanied by administrative reporting and audit mechanisms.
What the paper contributes
- Time spent acquiring skills is treated as a possible policy object rather than an invisible private cost.
- The proposal separates labor-side relief from capital-side preference reform.
- Administrative feasibility and reporting design are part of the proposal, not afterthoughts.
Publication boundary
This page is a curated public reading copy assembled from the matching Dropbox preprint controller and the author-linked SSRN record. It does not mirror the private archive or reproduce alternate drafts.
The SSRN result reports 42 downloads and 202 abstract views. This page presents a policy proposal as a proposal; it does not describe the model as enacted law, fiscal scoring, or independent legal advice.
References
- SSRN Harsh Wardhan, Siddhartha, The Wardhan Tax Doctrine: Time-as-Deduction, W-2 Relief, and an Eisenhower-Era Return to Progressivity (with IRC Amendments) (2025), SSRN abstract 5477606.Open source ↗
Source notes
- Selected from a matching Volume III SSRN submission package and ranked by the retrieved public usage signals.
- The page distinguishes policy design from enacted law and avoids reproducing private financial or asset-protection material.
Limitations and unresolved boundaries
- The paper is a proposal and does not provide an official budget score or legislative adoption record.
- Tax-law effects require jurisdiction-specific legal and fiscal review.
- Downloads and abstract views are not quality ratings.
Suggested citation
Siddhartha Harsh Wardhan. “The Wardhan Tax Doctrine: Time-as-Deduction, W-2 Relief, and an Eisenhower-Era Return to Progressivity.” Independent Observer, 3 October 2025.