Remembering The ‘Hot Dog Tax’ On National Hot Dog Day
It’s National Hot Dog Day! Here’s a brief look back at the hot dog tax, an expansion of the sales tax in New York under then Governor Rockefeller.
-
-
The Post I Swore I Wouldn’t Write (Redux)
As I write this morning, I’m on a train headed to Rhode Island (thank you, Amtrak, for coffee and wi-fi). In about an hour, I’ll be headed through New York City. A friend, upon hearing my travel plans, asked whether it would freak me out to be traveling through New York on the eleventh anniversary…
-
California Cigarette Tax Battle Attracts Money & Attention
If New York City Mayor Bloomberg gets his way, it will soon be a lot more expensive to light up in California. Yes, that Mayor Bloomberg, the same one that proposed a ban on sugary sodas this week. And yes, that California, three thousand miles away from New York City. On Tuesday, California voters will…
-
Ban It, Tax It Or Leave It Alone? The Great Soda Debate
This morning, I passed a runner on the trail carrying an open can of Mountain Dew. And you know what I was thinking, right? How had she not spilled it on herself? The actual beverage didn’t phase me at all. I could care less if she felt the need to drink a big can of…
-
Small Business Owners Weigh In On Tax Cuts, The Buffett Rule & The Election
When it comes to tax, everyone has an opinion about what’s best for small businesses. President Obama has told us what small businesses want. Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has told us what small businesses want. Congress has told us what small businesses want. But small businesses haven’t really told us what they want. I suspect…
-
Legal Meltdown: Was Dewey Too Big To Fail?
Guaranteed $5 million pay packages with no strings. Borrowing from a number of banks to stay afloat. Lavish corporate offices. Unchecked spending. Questionable financials. Another Wall Street meltdown? Not quite. This one is a law firm. And it’s huge. Until recently, Dewey & LeBouef, LLP, (formerly the separate firms of Dewey Ballantine and LeBoeuf, Lamb,…
-
12 Days Of Charitable Giving: Back On My Feet
It’s the fifth day of my annual 12 Days of Charitable Giving. Each of the 12 charities that I’ll be featuring in the series was suggested by a reader as a charity that could use a boost this holiday season. I’ll be posting one a day for – well, 12 days (I’m clever that way)….
-
Occupy Wall Street Raises Questions About Taxes, Money & Blame
Yesterday marked the month long anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. I realize that there are those that quibble with the dates as the actual protest has been a long time coming but the first organized group of protestors reportedly hit the streets of New York City on September 17, marking the more or less official…
-
The Post I Swore I Wouldn’t Write
I wasn’t going to write this post. I thought about it long and hard and I had promised myself that I wouldn’t write it because I didn’t feel that I had anything meaningful to add to the conversation of the day. And I didn’t want to appear self-serving. And I didn’t want this to be…
-
Former Top Cop Sentenced for Tax Fraud
Disgraced former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, once hailed as a hero in New York, was finally sentenced after a lengthy investigation. Surprisingly, Kerik received more than the maximum sentence and will spend four years in federal prison as a result of a plea bargain. Kerik pleaded guilty to eight of the fifteen…