Where tax policy meets politics — legislation, elections, and the debates in Washington that decide how (and how much) you’re taxed.
Okay, not really leaks but it made for a clever headline. The Swamp has published a letter that Senator John Kerry (D – MA) wrote to the Senate Committee on Finance regarding the possibility that Blackwater has misclassified employees for tax purposes. The letter follows: October 26, 2007 The Honorable Max Baucus Chairman Committee on…
You gotta love the way that Congress does (or does not do) business. With less than a week to spare before the expiration of the moratorium on an internet tax (sometimes referred to as the Internet Tax Freedom Act, or ITFA), there is still no plan. And in a very Congressional sort of way, Senators…
There’s a great post over at Election Law by Donald B. Tobin about the controversy surrounding a sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. George F. Regas, Rector Emeritus at All Saints Church on October 31, 2004. The sermon was thought to have crossed the line with respect to the prohibition against churches participating in election…
While folks in Washington have seemingly come to terms with the idea that Blackwater might have killed some folks when they shouldn’t have, they are drawing the line where it hits Americans the hardest: cheating on taxes. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) has made public a letter from IRS to Blackwater from March (yes, March) regarding…
The debate between Giuliani and Romney about taxes has garnered a lot of press. And now, it’s all the rage to talk tax as a candidate. For the record, here are the sound bytes from the candidates on tax back in May.
In case you missed the bickering, here’s a clip: (Author’s note: the video has since been removed.)
The House has approved legislation that would end the extremely unpopular program that allows private collection agencies to collect tax debts for the IRS. The IRS had previously argued that the policy was not financially viable. Of the $32 million brought in since the collection bill went into effect, the IRS collected $7 million on…
No, I’m not talking about the Chicago Bears (“13 men on the field”) during their impressive comeback at Green Bay on Sunday night. I’m talking about the GOP presidential primary – nine candidates participated in the most recent debate. Nothing confuses potential voters more than hearing candidates argue about prospective tax plans and disjointed and…
Some members of Congress have proposed a “war tax” to fight the increasing costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Opponents are crying “no more taxes” while others scramble to reconcile a budget spiraling out of control. So today’s question is: Should Congress impose a war surtax in order to pay for the war?…
Or so say three senior House Democrats who have proposed an income tax surcharge to pay the $150 billion annual cost of operations in Iraq (and the $40 billion annual cost of operations in Afghanistan). Rep. David Obey (D-WI), John Murtha (D-PA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced the bill, claiming that it is unfair to…