Where tax policy meets politics — legislation, elections, and the debates in Washington that decide how (and how much) you’re taxed.
Argh. Can our debate on health care and taxes get any worse at this point? After New York tried – and failed – to tax sugary soft drinks as part of a so-called “fat tax”, you’d think the matter would be put to rest. But that’s far from how our Senate works. If it doesn’t…
Republicans in the Senate have made it clear that they are not fans of President Obama’s proposals to close international tax “loopholes.” Specifically, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) decried the proposal, claiming that, “Amount to a tax increase during a recession, which would likely drive jobs overseas.” Of course, the Obama administration is painting…
Last week, I was sitting on a panel for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. My topic was holding business interests in trusts. While many of the other panelists had to craft their talks in terms of federal estate taxes, my topic touched on a much broader range of issues – including a topic that is of…
No extensions necessary for President Obama and Vice President Biden. Both have their tax returns for 2008. Here’s the scoop: President Obama and his wife reported $2.7 million in 2008, about $1.5 million less than they reported in 2007 (I guess the recession has hit everyone). A majority of their income came from royalties from…
I’ve promised to share more commentary about today’s Tea Party. Here’s a link that a reader shared: Crashing the Tea Party | BlogHer (Hat Tip @kbladow on twitter)
My four year old is obsessed with tea parties right now. If she were aware that tomorrow was National Tea Party Day, she’d be absolutely delighted. Once she realized that meant little in the way of fancy dresses, she’d be pretty disappointed. Thousands of taxpayers across America, however, are energized about the National Tea Party…
Taxpayer asks: Hi there, I’ve purchased a new vehicle in 2009 on Jan. 31. The original provision of the new bill that was passed by the Senate stated that it would be from mid November 2008 through Jan. 1, 2010. I saw your response where Congress has now said that new vehicles purchased from Feb….
What’s worse than your Governor trying to sell a Senate seat? Making you pay for his defense. Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (yes, I can now write “former”) has run out of cash. His campaign funds were frozen at the request of prosecutors. And his legal bills are mounting. So, what’s a politician to do?…
I think a lot of folks make a lot of assumptions about me based on my current demographic. But what you may not know about me is that I’m originally a country girl from the South. My first real album was Randy Travis, my first real concert was George Jones and my dog was named…
Remember years ago when there was a lot of buzz about the federal estate tax “repeal” set to take place in 2010? It’s still law. But the thing that Congress didn’t make quite so public is that the repeal only lasts for one year. One. After 2010, the federal estate tax rolls back in at…