Deep dives into tax policy — the laws, proposals, and reforms shaping the tax code, explained without the jargon.
Gideon Alper, who publishes the Gay Couples Law Blog, which discusses new developments in same-sex family law and estate planning, writes: The IRS should recognize gay marriages not just as a matter of equality, but also to encourage socially beneficial behavior in gay relationships. Fred Silberberg, a Los Angeles attorney that has practiced family law…
Eric Satterley writes: An immediate need is to change the alternative minimum tax recapture law. On stock options you were forced to pay the alternative minimum tax even if you exercised any options (even if you did not sell the stocks). The law was that you could recapture/apply the tax paid toward the capital gains…
Scott Lovingood writes: Two specifics that should be addressed immediately. Stop double taxation 1) Eliminate the estate tax. You pay taxes on everything you make and then you get taxed again when you die? Tell me that makes any sense. 2) Stop taxing Dividends on personal accounts- Companies have already paid taxes on the profit…
Donna Peeples writes: I have seen a lot of articles in the paper about taxing sodas and foods that are bad for you. I say, “Why not?” I used to be a smoker. At one point, I was up to two packs a day. When New Jersey raised their cigarette tax, I stopped because my…
Philip Miles, an attorney in Central PA and author of the employment law blog Lawffice Space, writes: Who the heck is FICA? In an early episode of the hit sitcom Friends, spoiled rich-girl Rachel Green (played by Jennifer Aniston) is forced to take a job as a coffee shop waitress. After a few days of…
A few weeks ago, I asked my readers to chime in… What, I wondered, would you tell Congress that needed to be fixed, changed or eliminated when it came to taxes? Over the next few days, I’m posting your answers. Some short, some not, some predictable, some surprising… I hope you enjoy reading each other’s…
In just a little under three hours, the Philadelphia Eagles will hit the field for the third of their four pre-season games. So far, they’ve given their fans nothing to cheer about. They have, however, given them plenty to talk about – not the least of which is the signing of former bad boy (and…
If the news that US tax revenues have fallen was disturbing, then this may be even worse: China’s tax revenues are expected to grow by 10% in 2009. The increase comes on the heels of a successful 2008 year in China, where tax revenues climbed 18.8% to 5.42 trillion yuan ($792.68 billion). The “global crisis”…
When President Obama was running for office, he pledged not to raise taxes on the middle class. Is he about to go back on his word? Pundits are screaming that tax cuts for the middle class are “imminent.” I don’t know that I’d go that far. What all of the hullaballoo is focusing on is…
Apparently, some blue dogs bite. Rep Gene Taylor (D-MS) has fired back at the group, Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), calling them “lying sacks of scum.” ATR is a nonprofit, 501(c)(4) lobbying organization which “opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle.” As part of their anti-tax efforts, ATR asks members of Congress to…