Deep dives into tax policy — the laws, proposals, and reforms shaping the tax code, explained without the jargon.
Today’s Fix the Tax Code Friday question is inspired by a comment on yesterday’s post from TexasEd: What if there was no such thing as filing status? No single, no married filing separate, no married filing jointly, no head of household, no qualifying widow with dependent child. Just one taxpayer per return. What do you…
Yet another decision is expected on the legality of same-sex marriages (CNN predicts that it will happen between 9 am and noon PST today). This one focuses on whether to keep a temporary stay in place following a judge’s decision last week to overturn Proposition 8, the state’s ban on same-sex marriages. As then, I…
I’m writing this particular post from my hotel room in Durham, NC, just across the way from Duke Hospital where my dad had surgery on yesterday. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. He came through surgery just fine – although the family and I are quite worn out from dealing with Duke (yes,…
When I was in college, I spent a year in the northeast of England (Hull, to be exact) on an exchange program. I had a blast. I also learned a lot about the British educational system. My peers also learned a lot about our system in the US – and were shocked to learn how…
First appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1987 as Chair of the Federal Reserve. Served under not one but three Republican presidents, including both Presidents Bush. Self-described “lifelong libertarian Republican.” So you’d think that Alan Greenspan would be all about the current Republican agenda to extend the Bush tax cuts – the very tax cuts he…
While the use of marijuana for medical reasons remains controversial, it’s becoming more mainstream. Currently, 14 states and DC have legalized medical marijuana in some form (you can check out the details here). That’s pretty interesting in and of itself since marijuana remains illegal for federal purposes. From a tax perspective, the legality of medical…
We do a lot of nonprofit and tax-exempt work at my firm. People come into my office with all kinds of ideas for charitable organizations. I thought I’d heard it all – apparently, I hadn’t. The “Case of the Charitable Sperm Bank” has put an interesting twist on the types of charitable activities that taxpayers…
New York has a problem: there’s no budget. The budget was due on April 1. Almost four months later, the budget still sits on the table, with no resolution in sight. It has not put Governor Paterson in a good mood. Addressing the press, he said, “I know it’s summer and everyone is tired of…
In this era of offshore accounts and banking secrecy, you can’t turn sideways without hearing someone call for more transparency. I get it – I believe that transparency is generally a good thing, especially in government. But how much is too much? The Norwegians have made news for their “skatteliste,” or “tax list” which includes…
Nobody likes a tax hike. It especially hurts when you’re already tops for taxes in the nation. New Jersey, which holds the distinction of having the highest tax burden in the nation for three years running, has been pushing back at a budget with increases that Governor Christie (R) insists are necessary. This week, the…