Wednesday, February 28, 2018

In the Tax World, Form Matters More Than Substance

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There are times when doing something the wrong way is a problem even if the outcome is the desired result. Sometimes, the “no harm, no foul”...
Monday, February 26, 2018

How To Use Tax Breaks to Properly Stimulate an Economy

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As readers of this blog know, I am not a fan of using the tax law to encourage or discourage behavior. If a taxing authority wants to encour...
Friday, February 23, 2018

Celebrating Tax Cuts Too Soon

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Recent news about increased approval of the recent federal tax legislation, such as this report , is generating celebrations among the legis...
Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Making Life Difficult for Taxpayers: Another Congressional “Accomplishment”

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Friday a week ago the legislation to keep the federal government operating became law. But that legislation did much more. Among other thing...
Monday, February 19, 2018

One Man Who Made A Difference in the Tax World

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Last week I learned of the passing of Leonard L. Silverstein. I had the good fortune to have known Leonard for many years. In 1983, when I r...
Friday, February 16, 2018

How to Pay for a $1.7 Trillion Tax Cut

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The tax legislation enacted in December of last year adds roughly $1.7 Trillion to the national debt. Even some opponents of increasing the...
Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Will My Reaction to Their Tax Plan Break Their Hearts?

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The federal tax legislation passed in December limits the deduction for state and local taxes to $10,000. In some states, many taxpayers‘ st...
Monday, February 12, 2018

You’re Doing What With Those Tax Cuts?

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Readers of this blog know that I consider the December 2017 tax legislation to be unwise, misdirected, and harmful to the economy. I have sh...
Friday, February 09, 2018

Taxes and Geese

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It’s a problem no one wants. It’s a problem many people, perhaps most people, have encountered or at least have seen. Geese descend on a law...
Wednesday, February 07, 2018

Tax Cut Crumbs

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So the supply-side trickle-down crowd pushed a bad tax bill through the Congress. Then, as I discussed in If A Tax Act is So Wonderful, Why ...
Monday, February 05, 2018

Much More Ado About Almost Nothing

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Several weeks ago, in Oh, Those Bonus Payments! Much Ado About Almost Nothing , I elaborated on two previous posts, Those Tax-Cut Inspired B...
Friday, February 02, 2018

If A Tax Act is So Wonderful, Why the Need to Promote It?

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According to this recent story , the Koch brothers have announced that they are willing to spend as much as $20 million “to promote the tax ...
Wednesday, January 31, 2018

How Not to File a Joint Return

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A recent Tax Court decision, Plato v. Comr. , T.C. Memo 2018-7, demonstrates how not to go about getting one’s spouse to sign off on a propo...
Monday, January 29, 2018

How’s This for a Tax-Cut-Inspired Bonus Payment?

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It is no secret I am not a fan of supply-side economics or trickle-down theory. The reason is simple. They don’t work. They’ve been tried. T...
Friday, January 26, 2018

Red, Blue, Taxes, and Education

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A week ago, in Makers and Takers, Red and Blue, Federal Tax Deductions and State Taxes , I examined William Baldwin’s list of eight states w...
Wednesday, January 24, 2018

So What Will YOU Do With Your Tax Cut?

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So what will YOU do with your tax cut? That question assumes you will be getting one, so apologies to those of you who come out on the wrong...
Monday, January 22, 2018

How to Be Patriotic, Tax Style

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Supporters of the tax break handout to corporations are gloating over the announcement by Apple that its planned activities over the next f...
Friday, January 19, 2018

Makers and Takers, Red and Blue, Federal Tax Deductions and State Taxes

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William Baldwin has taken a look at the impact of the recently enacted limitation on the deduction of state and local taxes for federal inco...
Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Oh, Those Bonus Payments! Much Ado About Almost Nothing

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Two weeks ago, in Those Tax-Cut Inspired Bonus Payments? Just Another Ruse , I explained the deceptiveness of the big deal being made of $1,...
Monday, January 15, 2018

Fixing State Tax Problems Caused by Federal Tax Changes

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Several weeks ago, in So What About Those State Taxes? Surprise? , I pointed out that “The recently enacted federal tax legislation not only...
Friday, January 12, 2018

What Funds Social Security and Why Does It Matter?

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Reader Morris directed my attention to a letter to the editor of the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Helena Robertson claims that “Social Security is ...
Wednesday, January 10, 2018

State Tax Increases Cut the Tax Cuts

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Two weeks ago, in So What About Those State Taxes? Surprise? , I pointed out that “The recently enacted federal tax legislation not only aff...
Monday, January 08, 2018

That Bonus Payment Ruse Gets Bigger

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A bit more than a week ago, in Those Tax-Cut Inspired Bonus Payments? Just Another Ruse , I explained the deceptiveness of the big deal bein...
Friday, January 05, 2018

What Losing Federal Personal and Dependency Exemptions Does to Michigan (and Other) Taxpayers

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Last week, in So What About Those State Taxes? Surprise? , I pointed out that “The recently enacted federal tax legislation not only affects...
Wednesday, January 03, 2018

Just When I Thought Congress Had Reached Rock Bottom When It Comes to Taxes . . .

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Like most Americans, I do not hold Congress in high regard. Actually, I think the Congress has failed miserably in meeting its obligations t...
Monday, January 01, 2018

Getting Tax Cut Benefits to Those Who Need Economic Relief: A Drop in the Bucket But Never a Flood

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A reader pointed me to a Detroit Free Press article explaining that the Michigan Public Service Commission has directed regulated public ut...
Friday, December 29, 2017

Those Tax-Cut Inspired Bonus Payments? Just Another Ruse

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For months, I have been criticizing the Republican tax legislation for a variety of reasons. I have also criticized the defenses that its su...