The Tax Man Runneth
The 2016 presidential election is 20 months away. Sadly, for those of us who don’t watch C-SPAN for fun, that basically means it’s right around the corner. (Keep a sharp eye out for negative campaign ads, coming soon to a TV near you!) Candidates are already lining up donors and hustling voters in early primary […]
Big News from Washington
Americans have been complaining about income taxes since the IRS unleashed the first Form 1040 on us back in 1913. Sure, we all hate paying them. But as the tax code has ballooned to twice the length of the Bible (with none of the good news), preparing them has become just as big a problem. […]
Shocking News
This time of year, taxpayers across America are scrambling to put together their last year’s mileage records. First you’ve got to total up how many miles you drove for your trade or business. Then you’ve got to add up all the costs of operating your vehicle — depreciation, interest or lease payments, gasoline, maintenance and […]
007 for a Day
Who hasn’t wanted to be a spy at some point or another? Boys see their first James Bond movie, and they don’t want to be like 007 — they want to be 007. Girls learn how Mata Hari put her charms to work as a lethal double agent and think they can show the boys […]
Crossing the Finnish Line
You know that sinking feeling. You’re driving down the road, minding your own business, when you see a cop’s “cherries and berries” flashing in your mirror. Then you look down at your speedometer, and realize he’s gunning for you. Sure, it’s a bummer. But it’s not that big a deal. The cop checks your license, […]
You Taxin’ Me?
Actor Robert DeNiro has played some of the most compelling characters in movie history: the schizophrenic ex-marine Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, the young mob boss Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II, the Chicago bootlegger Al Capone in The Untouchables, the “gentleman” gangster Jimmy Conway in Goodfellas, and the shrewd bookmaker “Ace” Rothstein in […]
Some Modest Proposals
Here in America, most of our tax debates center on “income.” How do we define it? How do we count it? What do we get to exclude from it, deduct from it, or credit towards it. And finally, how much of it do we take, to make sure everyone pays their “fair” share. The end […]
It’s Freezing Where?
Taxpayers across much of the Midwest and East Coast have enjoyed a relatively light winter this year, with mild temperatures and little snow. But Old Man Winter made up for it last week. Temperatures dropped well below zero and wind chills broke records across the country. Friday morning saw thermometers dip below freezing in the […]
Baby, Don’t Leave
State governments collect billions of dollars in taxes every year, and they work just as hard to protect their revenue base as their friends at the IRS. Sometimes that means putting lots of eggs in one basket — then watching that basket very, very carefully. But one state acknowledges taking that particular strategy to a […]
Patriots 28, Seahawks 24, IRS Millions
You probably thought the holiday season ended when the last Christmas lights finally came off the house. But then you would have forgotten the closest thing we have to a national fair. We’re talking, of course, about the Super Bowl, our only nationally-televised event that makes people look forward to the commercials as much as […]