State and local tax news — from state income tax quirks to property tax fights, because not all tax battles happen in Washington.
Last night, I went out to eat with friends and family. We had a mix of drinks, dinners and desserts and split the final bill. I know the final bill total – close to $200 – and I know the tip amount. I did not once look at the tax on the bill. And I’m…
There’s temporary and then there’s temporary. Most legislators, it seems, tend to approach temporary tax raises as if slapping the label on it somehow makes it okay… You know, the old “we’re only doing this for a little while, just to tide us over and then we’ll put things back the way that they used…
This month, Philadelphia voted to raise property taxes rather than impose a controversial sales tax on soda and sugary drinks, while New York won another round on its efforts to collect excise taxes from cigarettes sold by Indian nations. Other cities and states have struggled with similar questions when it comes to raising revenue. So today’s…
I’ve often said that I believe that the behaviors associated with sales tax rates are overstated. I actually don’t believe that folks will drive across the border from Pennsylvania to Delaware to avoid sales tax on a roll of paper towels or a magazine. And despite the hue and cry otherwise, I don’t believe that…
Every November, after the turkey has been eaten and the cranberry salad has been attacked with vigor, Americans sit back and realize: it’s time to go shopping. Black Friday – the Friday after Thanksgiving – is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. The prospect of sales and promotions lure shoppers into stores to…
Americans love their soda. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (report downloads as a pdf), in 2004, the average American consumed 37 gallons of carbonated, non-diet soft drinks. That works out 59,000 calories – or roughly the equivalent of 17 pounds in one year. In good news for the soda industry,…
I’m often asked whether I want my kids to grow up to become lawyers. The assumption most people have, since I’m a lawyer married to a lawyer, is that I do. In fact, my routine response is that we tell the kids that they can be anything that they want to be with the exception…
This week, the big political news (other than the continuing saga of Weiner-gate) was the release of Sarah Palin’s emails. The emails – about 24,000 of them – were distributed by the state of Alaska in response to Freedom of Information Act requests filed by news organizations during the 2008 presidential race. To be fair,…
So I’m not one for “I told you so” but… Okay, who are we kidding? I totally am. About two and a half years ago, I suggested that California, despite its reputation as a mecca for start-up, tech and internet based businesses, might consider aggressively pursuing existing sales tax laws in an effort to draw…
Today, my first grader will get up on stage and have quite possibly the last music recital of her (so far) brief academic career. Together with my third grader, she will sing numbers they’ve been working on for most of the semester. I’ve been told to expect “Brown Eyed Girl” for one of them –…