State and local tax news — from state income tax quirks to property tax fights, because not all tax battles happen in Washington.
I’m not even going to pretend that I’m excited to be back in Philly for the weather (um, fall, where the heck are you?). But it was exciting to be back and see a full inbox related to taxgirl.com – you guys have sure been busy! I have lots of great ideas about future posts,…
So, I’m on vacation in lovely Maine. Each time we come here (and we’ve been coming for a bit), I constantly hear complaints about the overall tax burden of Mainers. And I have to say, I’m a bit perplexed. The sales tax in Maine is 5%. The tax is a bit broad in that items…
Don’t get excited… we’re not talking about football (Favre or not, I can’t get behind the Jets**. Go Eagles!). We’re talking about tax. According to the Tax Foundation, New Jersey residents paid the highest percentage of state and local taxes. Folks from New Jersey paid a whopping 11.8% of income in state and local taxes,…
Schwarzenegger is getting tough. Terminator tough. With a looming financial crisis (not the first that Schwarzenegger has faced as governor of California), Schwarzenegger is proposing a temporary penny sales tax increase to help balance the budget. As you can imagine, not everyone is happy about the proposal; Schwarzenegger is meeting some serious resistance from his…
Earlier this week, I headed off to the store with school supply check list in hand. Boy, how things have changed since I was a kid. Tops on my list? Latex-free erasers. Pencils with latex-free erasers. Pencil sharpener together with Ziploc bag. The list went on and on. Shopping went pretty well until we hit…
Chicago has the highest sales tax in the country with its newest sales tax increase and surprisingly, folks aren’t happy about it. So the politicians did what they always did – they argued about it. And here’s where it gets complicated. County Board President Todd Stroger had instituted the ordinance that actually raised the tax,…
The Vikings apparently can’t win for losing. First, they had to deal with the soap opera that is Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers – in case you somehow remarkably missed the drama, Favre talked to the Vikings about a position on the team – as a result, the Packers, who have indicated that…
Another Tax Geek asked me whether I pay Use Tax on my iTunes purchases (you can answer him, too, by voting in our poll in the sidebar). I do not. I started to reply in the comments and felt that my comment was a bit wordy (as I tend to be) and I felt that…
In San Mateo County, California, the Board of Supervisors is holding a closed-door session to deal with a $20 million mistake. As mistakes go, it’s a pretty big one. The San Mateo County Superior Court awarded Genentech, a self-described profitable biotech firm, $20 million in a recent court case. Genentech had filed suit against the…
Taxpayer asks: Dear taxgirl, I am confused. I saw your post about amazon.com and sales tax in New York. I live in New York. Do I have to collect sales tax now for amazon? What about my other affiliate sites? Help! I think I am doing something wrong. Taxgirl says: The post that you’re referring…