From the category archives:

state & local

Alaska Hopes to Woo Cruise Ships With Tax Break

21 March 2010

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell (R) has announced plans to lower the state’s head tax on cruise-ship passengers by about $12. It’s not simply out of the goodness of his heart: he wants major cruise lines to send more ships to Alaska.
Parnell walked into a firestorm of criticism last week when he attended a cruise [...]

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NJ Governor Takes a Beating for Tax Cuts

18 March 2010

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R) has taken some lumps for his hard nose approach to spending cuts in an efforts to salvage the state’s budget. In his brief stint, Gov. Christie has stood up to teacher’s unions, wealthy municipalities and transit – without too much fuss to date. Property tax rebates are disappearing and [...]

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“The Onion” Coverage of the Soda Tax

14 March 2010

It turns out that more states and localities are considering a soda tax to raise money fight obesity. For a laugh, check out The Onion’s coverage.

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Pennsylvania Plans Tax Amnesty Program

9 March 2010

Hot on the heels of the success of New Jersey’s tax amnesty program, Pennsylvania has decided to give it a whirl.
The amnesty program will kick off April 26 and run 54 days, ending on June 10, 2010. During that time, taxpayers have the opportunity to come clean and pay up. In return, all penalties [...]

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NY Closer to Soda Tax?

8 March 2010

DOH! This version has been corrected. My original source indicated that the proposal was targeted to the city (like Philly) and not the state. Apologies for the error.
Just days after Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter announced plans for Philadelphia to tax soda, New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg signaled that his city supports state efforts to do [...]

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Don’t be too smug, Colorado: Philly can increase taxes with the best of them…

4 March 2010

Just a week after I reported that Colorado was moving to increase taxes on its sugary drinks, Philadelphia Mayor Nutter is expected to announced a new tax on sugary drinks.
Nutter plans to present his 2010-2011 budget on tomorrow. Expected to be included is a 2 cents per ounce tax on sugary drinks. [...]

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Sweet, Sweet Taxes

27 February 2010

Colorado Governor Bill Ritter (D) made headlines all over the country this week when signed a bill adding sales tax to candy and soda. The bill was one of nine bills meant to address the state’s $1.5 billion budget shortfall.
The bill, as in other states like Pennsylvania, is being touted as an elimination of an [...]

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Rendell Takes Cues from the Super Bowl

26 February 2010

To start the second half of the Super Bowl, with the Colts comfortably ahead of the Saints, Coach Sean Payton called for an onside kick. For those of you who don’t follow football, let me tell you: it’s a remarkably gutsy move. It’s a way to get the ball back early, provided that [...]

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Tax Beer? Why? Nothing Helps*

23 February 2010

Beer drinkers in the Mountain State are struggling to raise revenue in a bad economy. Some members of the state’s legislature think they have a solution: tax beer.
West Virginia House Health and Human Resources Committee Chairman Don Perdue, who sponsored the bill, says that an increase in the tax is necessary. His plan to [...]

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Tax Trivia: Football (the European Kind)

27 January 2010

Update: We have a winner! It’s Emily! For the answer, see the comments!
Our next tax trivia question for the giveaway is:
A few years ago, the tax laws in a certain country were changed to benefit wealthy foreigners. The law became known as Beckham’s Law, or Beckham’s Tax, because footballer David Beckham was one [...]

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