Food for thought

Angry Bear reaches back into the archives for an idea he had about a year ago.

The idea:

Here's a proposal I'd like to see analyzed: means-tested matches, on a sliding scale, to Roth and Traditional IRA contributions, with EITC recipients getting some amount match-free.

And his comment today:

Amidst all of the talk over privatization, I've yet to hear much along these lines. But this is a form of "ownership society" I could support -- as long as (1) it is in addition to Social Security, (2) it is funded out of the general fund and not Social Security taxes, and (3) it is funded in a revenue-neutral fashion by, e.g., partially reinstating the estate tax.

I'm inclined to think that this sort of thing could turn out to be a little expensive, and if it were implemented I think there would eventually be a discussion about reducing Social Security benefits as people increasingly rely on these accounts.

But I'll agree with him on one thing. I would like to see it analyzed.