Where tax policy meets politics — legislation, elections, and the debates in Washington that decide how (and how much) you’re taxed.
On Monday, President Obama announced Elena Kagan as his nominee to the US Supreme Court to fill the spot soon to be vacated by Justice John Paul Stevens. Stevens, the fourth longest serving Justice in the Supreme Court, has served during the terms of seven presidents (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W….
This week, the internet is abuzz about a provision included in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act that expands reporting requirements related to forms 1099. As per usual, there’s some good information out there and some bad… Let’s see if we can’t sift through it. The…
The most recent statistics show that the federal unemployment rate is at 10.2%, the highest in more than 20 years. Despite indications that the nation’s economy might otherwise be improving, most Americans agree that unless folks can find jobs, a complete recovery is not likely. With pressure from constituents to try to turn things around,…
As the headlines continue to batter Wall Street this week (my favorite story du jour being this one from CNN: “SEC staffers watched porn as economy crashed”), politicians are taking the opportunity to take a second look at a tax aimed at punishing slapping on the wrist warning sending some kind of message to the…
Ray Sansom is not having a good couple of years. After being elected Speaker of the Florida House in 2008, he was forced to take a temporary leave of absence from the position the following January after a scandal surfaced alleging that he had accepted a job in exchange for political favors. Just a few…
At least once a week, I get an email asking me about whether I think that President Obama will launch a national sales tax as part of tax reform efforts. My answer? Nope. I’ve said before that I think tax reform is an enormous undertaking and, let’s face it, with a struggling economy and health…
First it was Geithner. Now Volcker. Volcker, who falls under the “not a spring chicken” heading of politicos, is the current chair of the newly formed Economic Recovery Advisory Board. Before that, the was the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. So, the man has been witness to a…
I’ll confess that I got up today with a bit of fear and trepidation. You see, I had been assured by both sides of the health care reform debate that no matter the final tally, the world would end after the health care vote. Remarkably, Earth is still spinning this morning. The health care reform…
Watching Congress do anything this year is kind of like being forced to sit through “Waterworld”… You thought you knew what you were in for but at some point, it’s just tiresome and long and halfway through, you have no idea what’s really going on. Although, for the sake of clarification, I am in no…
Of course, one of the biggest tax stories of the year would hit while I was on the road… But never fear, I’m on it. And by biggest, I mean huge. Representative Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) has been dodging ethics complaints left and right for a few years now. It’s made news for a few…