Taxes Blog

Since Kim Kardashian’s marriage only lasted 72 days before she decided to call it quits, I doubt she and Kris Humphries ever got around to talking taxes. But for the rest of us who have been married longer or plan to be, marriage means tax sharing, including payroll withholding responsibilities. When both spouses work, it

Gather ’round, kiddies. It’s time to hear the Great Christmas Tree Tax Tale of 2011, a new and short-lived holiday classic. It’s a not-so-heartwarming tax story that, in true American fashion, is dramatically overblown and got us thinking about Christmas before our next regularly scheduled holiday of Thanksgiving. Once upon a time (actually in 2009)

Inflation has been low for the last few years. If you’re a buyer, that’s good because prices have been low. But if you depend on Social Security benefits, that’s not been too good because those recipients haven’t seen a cost-of-living bump in their monthly checks for two years. That will change in 2012. But another

There’s renewed hope that the special bipartisan committee charged with finding a way to cut the federal deficit can reach an agreement now that some Republicans have softened their no-tax stance. And the most optimistic among us, which varies depending on the latest reports from Capitol Hill, still cling to the dream that Congress eventually

Uncle Sam is happy to help you pay for your continuing education. But just like your parents, he’d really appreciate it if you’d attend class. Such truancy has produced a billion dollar tax problem for the federal government, according to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, or TIGTA, the office charged with keeping an

During the recession, most of us have learned to live on less. That situation soon might apply to the Internal Revenue Service, too. Both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, the panels that propose how much money federal operations get, want to cut the IRS budget. The House plan calls for the IRS to get

There is no dress code for Occupy Wall Street. But at the gathering in Chicago this month you could have caught a glimpse of several protesters in green tights. The group was calling for a Robin Hood tax. And they dressed to make their point, including the legendary bandit’s vest and green conical hat, complete

No one likes paying taxes. But would a flat tax make more of us tolerate the task more? Republican presidential hopefuls Herman Cain and Rick Perry are betting their path to the White House is along a flat tax route. A tax system in which all taxpayers pay the same percentage rate obviously would be

Nobody likes paying taxes, even when we acknowledge that we must do so to get services. But which tax do we hate the most? It’s a close race, but last year property taxes edged out income taxes as the most-hated tax. Yes, even though this levy can offer some tax benefits to homeowners who are allowed to

Who here ordered a new U.S. tax system? You? Great. Here you go. That’ll be 9-9-9. And don’t worry about tipping your delivery blogger. Actually, 9-9-9 isn’t the price of the tax reform plan offered by Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. It’s the name of his proposed solution to our convoluted tax system. Cain wants