This week’s Fix the Tax Code Friday is related to last week’s question – but with a twist. Earlier in the week, I posted about the potential for corporate tax breaks for companies who are repatriating funds to the U.S. Among the companies which appear to have interest in such a move is Apple, which…
It’s Fix the Tax Code Friday! On yesterday, I reported on a potential tax break for companies in San Francisco (clearly directed towards Twitter) meant to encourage companies to invest in a specific part of the city. We have similar breaks in Philadelphia and indeed across the country. But is it a good thing? Is…
The latest point of contention in the “will they or won’t they?” session of Congress is whether to extend tax cuts to the “rich.” There seems to be a lot of discussion about what constitutes rich. Some in Congress have indicated that taxpayers making more than $200,000 per year are rich with others suggesting $250,000…
I have to say that I remain fascinated by the vote in Washington state that would have transferred a majority of the tax burden onto the upper wage earners (those earning more than $200,000 as individuals and $400,000 as married couples). Despite the fact that most Washington taxpayers would be financially better off under the…
If you follow me on Social Media at all (I’m on twitter here and Facebook here), you’ve probably heard me grumbling about the riots in France this week. I’ll admit it: it’s not about the French, I’m totally being selfish. My husband and I have been planning a trip to France for awhile (it just…
Yesterday, the National Retail Federation made news for its economic analysis of a Value Added Tax (VAT). The study considered the addition of a VAT to the existing tax structure, something that just won’t happen. But assuming that the existing tax structure was somehow tweaked, there is likely some limited support for a VAT (click…
This week, Congress has been sparring over the best way to fix the economy. It looks like, one way or the other, we’re going to have some tax cuts. The specifics have yet to be worked out. Many are pushing for individual tax rate cuts while others believe that cutting corporate tax rates (something Speaker…
Although the Bush tax cuts are making the most news these days (a logical focus considering the size and scope of the cuts), Congress is considering a number of other tax-related proposals. Among the concerns is what to do about the Making Work Pay Credit. The credit was only made law for two years (2009…
Today’s Fix the Tax Code Friday question is inspired by a comment on yesterday’s post from TexasEd: What if there was no such thing as filing status? No single, no married filing separate, no married filing jointly, no head of household, no qualifying widow with dependent child. Just one taxpayer per return. What do you…
In this era of offshore accounts and banking secrecy, you can’t turn sideways without hearing someone call for more transparency. I get it – I believe that transparency is generally a good thing, especially in government. But how much is too much? The Norwegians have made news for their “skatteliste,” or “tax list” which includes…