My favorite part of tax law and tax policy, after I’ve sorted through it all in my own head, is picking the brains of my readers. I love hearing what other taxpayers think about tax policy and how the interpretations of the readers might differ from my own. That’s the fun part of having a…
Now that the dust is settling a bit on the SCOTUS decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, questions are starting to come in fast and furious (no, not that fast and furious). One of the most confusing aspects of the decision hinges on the characterization of the mandate as a tax. If…
So first things, first. The Supreme Court upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a little background on the Act can be found here). It was a close decision, with the final vote being 5-4. The opinion was delivered by Chief Justice Roberts, who affirmed the decision along with (generally) Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and…
So today was the day: SCOTUS has ruled on the Affordable Health Care Act (also called “the health care law” and “Obamacare”). The Supreme Court has backed the entire law on a 5-4 with Chief Justice Roberts as the swing vote. Predictably (well, for tax geeks like me), the decision hinged on a number of…
Since we have plenty of time to start complaining and debating early, Congress has decided to jump right in. On tap for this month: the payroll tax cut. The what, you say? Exactly. The payroll tax cut was supposed to be a “temporary” cut in your withholding to make up for the loss of the…
People are always saying that change is a good thing. But all they’re really saying is that something you didn’t want to happen at all… has happened. – from “You’ve Got Mail” I don’t usually write about celebrities – except when they’re in tax trouble. But tonight, I’m making a quick exception. ABCNews has confirmed…
It’s back! I’m thrilled to announce the relaunch of my popular – and fun – series, Getting To Know You Tuesdays. In the series, I ask tax pros a series of questions, some serious, some not so serious. It’s a great way to get to know tax pros around the world and discover that we…
With the ink barely dry on the Supreme Court ruling striking down most of Arizona’s controversial immigration measures (click here to read the opinion on Scribd), tax professionals were collectively wagging their tongues over another immigration-related measure: the IRS crackdown on Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs). Over the weekend, the IRS announced important changes to…
Light up, California! You have no worries. It turns out that, with just a few days left to count and certify ballots, proponents of Proposition 29 are officially conceding that the measure will not pass. The measure, which landed on ballots this month, would have increased the state tax on tobacco in the Golden State…
My son starts summer camp tomorrow. And this is what I have learned as a parent about summer camp: it’s expensive. Super expensive. Last week, I took all three kids to Dick’s Sporting Goods to stock up on camp items: shin guards, mouth guards, cleats, shin guard covers (who knew?), new hockey stick… The list…