America’s new tax law hits research universities

Capitol Hill, home of US Congress, Washington DC, USA.

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Warnings that taxing endowments of top universities under the overhauled tax code will threaten research

The landmark overhaul of the US tax code signed into law by President Trump just before Christmas represents a significant improvement from its earlier iterations but still threatens the country’s major research universities and its global scientific leadership, according to US academic organisations, science advocates and policy analysts. However, the chemical industry is enthusiastic about the changes, which constitute the first major revamp of US tax law in over three decades.