Internet Tax Freedom Act - Missed Opportunity to Help Internet Grow
On 10/31, President Bush signed a bill to extend the Internet tax moratorium for 7 more years (H.R. 3678). Without the extension, the ban would have expired on 11/1/07. The ban is on state and local...
View ArticleEnacting the 'Mother of All Tax Reforms'
Congressman Rangel's"mother of all tax reform" bills - H.R. 3970, is an interesting mix of items. It includes repeal of the individual AMT, an increase in the standard deduction, a new individual...
View ArticleCalifornia Budget Woes + Possible Solutions
California continues to have budget deficiencies. The Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) projects a $1.9 billion deficit for the current year if no actions are taken to bring the budget into balance....
View ArticleBottled Water Tax in Chicago
The Chicago City Council passed a 2008 revenue ordinance that in addition to some increases to existing taxes, adds a new "bottled water tax." This 5 cents per bottle tax applies to retail buyers and...
View ArticleMichigan Changes Course -- Repeals Sales Tax on Services
Recently, to address budget problems, Michigan lawmakers agreed to expand the sales tax base to include many more types of services (see prior post). Big surprise - taxpayers and service providers did...
View ArticleHow We Make Budget Problems Worse
In my 11/22/07 post on ideas for addressing California's $10 billion budget shortfall, I included reinstating the vehicle license fee (VLF). Apparently I'm not alone on that suggestion. But as Dan...
View ArticleBusiness Tax Reform -- New Reports
In the past few months, at least 3 reports on corporate tax reform have been issued:1. Congressional Research Service (CRS), Corporate Tax Reform: Issues for Congress (10/31/07), 39 pagesThis report...
View ArticleEconomic Stimulus and Taxes
The hot topic of the week is the call by President Bush and others for some type of federal action or actions to help stimulate the economy (AP story and White House fact sheet).Economists debate...
View ArticleThe President's Tax Fix for Health Insurance - Improved Tax Policy
President Bush has mentioned providing a tax deduction for health insurance. His 2009 budget proposal has more of the details:Employees would be required to include in income the amount their employer...
View ArticleA Level Playing Field
Everyone hates their taxes being spent on subsidies -- unless it's to subsidize their own industry. It's time for an honest debate about the role of subsidies in a 21st Century economy and, at least, a...
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