Tax Foundation report: Simpler tax code means billions of dollars saved in time

The GOP's tax cuts could save Americans billions of dollars by reducing the number of hours they spend calculating and filing their returns, according to a report released Tuesday. Millions of people will see less paperwork, amounting to as much as $5.4 billion in time-cost savings nationwide, the Tax Foundation estimated.

It’s a horrible idea to reduce the capital gains tax without a vote in Congress

There's a segment in the legendary 1990s tv show Animaniacs called "Good Idea, Bad Idea" where the character Mr. Skullhead demonstrates ideas both good and bad. The presentations are quite logical - why would someone even attempt to drink milk straight from the cow? - and narrated by the illustrious Tom Bodett of Motel 6 fame.

Prosecutors have so far offered little evidence that Manafort controlled offshore accounts

Jurors in the Paul Manafort fraud trial may have come away from the first week of testimony with a vivid impression of him as a man who spent vast sums on luxurious houses, landscaping, and clothes, and who gave lenders phony documents as he grew desperate for cash. But prosecutors for special counsel Robert Mueller, who charged Manafort with bank and tax fraud, hadn't provided much direct evidence through Friday to back their claims that he controlled the foreign shell companies that paid for those purchases.
Posted in Tax

Report Suggests More Taxpayers Will Owe Tax In 2019 Due To Insufficient Withholding

Why the confusion? In addition to the new tax rates , the TJCA made significant changes to itemized deductions normally claimed on a Schedule A. Those changes include limits on the deductions for state and local taxes, a cap on the amount that you can borrow for purposes of the home mortgage interest, and exclusions for job-related expenses. As a result, the Internal Revenue Service has encouraged taxpayers who itemize to do a checkup on their taxes .

OpinionRepublicans are trying to rig the game for the wealthy. Don’t let them | Opinion

By favoring the wealthy and corporations over working families, Washington's recent tax and budget decisions follow Harrisburg's bad example. The newly enacted Trump-GOP tax law, for instance, gives most of the benefits to the rich while driving up federal debt, threatening funding for vital public services like Medicare and Medicaid.

Top StoryAuditors: 30M taxpayers will owe more due to low withholding

Congressional auditors say about 30 million people - 21 percent of U.S. taxpayers - will have to come up with more money to pay their 2018 taxes next year because their employers withheld too little from their paychecks under government tables keyed to the new tax law. New tax withholding tables for employers were put together by the government early this year.

Auditors: 30M taxpayers will owe more due to low withholding

Congressional auditors say about 30 million people - 21 percent of U.S. taxpayers - will have to come up with more money to pay their taxes next year because their employers withheld too little from their paychecks under government tables keyed to the new tax law. New tax withholding tables for employers were put together by the government early this year.

Trump administration considers new $100 billion tax cut on capital gains

WASHINGTON The Trump administration is considering a change to tax deduction rules that analysts say would amount to a $100 billion capital gains tax cut for the wealthy. Aides said Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has not decided whether to pursue a change that would allow Americans to take inflation into account when determining capital gains taxes and whether the administration could do it unilaterally, bypassing Congress.
Posted in Tax

30 million taxpayers will owe more due to low withholding

Congressional auditors say about 30 million people 21 percent of U.S. taxpayers will have to come up with more money to pay their taxes next year because their employers withheld too little from their paychecks under government tables keyed to the new tax law. New tax withholding tables for employers were put together by the government early this year.

Trump weighs big tax cut for rich: report

The Trump administration is considering acting unilaterally to institute a $100 billion tax cut that will largely benefit the wealthy, according to a report in The New York Times . Steven Terner Mnuchin Mnuchin: Trump 'absolutely respects the independence of the Fed' Mnuchin: 3 percent economic growth possible for '4 or 5 years' Trump Treasury nominee defends guidance reducing donor disclosure MORE at a recent G-20 meeting in Argentina said if the tax cut can't be done through Congress, the administration will "look at what tools" are necessary to consider the move.

Sparks fly at hearing on anti-conservative bias in tech

Russia ready to send request to US over questionings in Browder case - Browder donated $400,000 to US Democrats, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office says - /TASS/. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office is ready to send a request for the questioning of staffers of US intelligence services 'These guys need to wake up': House Republicans badly outraised in midterms - A whopping 56 Republican House incumbents raised less money than Democratic challengers in the second quarter.

Trump, House Republicans to talk tax cuts at White House

At a White House meeting scheduled for 2 p.m., the chairman of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, Kevin Brady, may also get a chance to urge Trump to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the escalating Sino-American trade dispute. It was unclear if Republicans would press Trump over his summit meeting on Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki that has generated fierce criticism from many U.S. lawmakers including within Trump's party.

Millions from anonymous donors to influence Kavanaugh fightAssociated Press

Millions of dollars from anonymous donors are helping shape the fight over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as Republicans and Democrats undertake a bruising battle for ideological control of the nation's loftiest tribunal. Even before Trump's announcement Monday that he had picked Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, advocacy groups had begun lining up for and against the nomination and said they would spend heavily to influence the outcome of what's expected to be a tumultuous confirmation process.

Millions from anonymous donors to influence Kavanaugh fight

Millions of dollars from anonymous donors are helping shape the fight over President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee as Republicans and Democrats undertake a bruising battle for ideological control of the nation's loftiest tribunal. Even before Trump's announcement Monday that he had picked Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge, advocacy groups had begun lining up for and against the nomination and said they would spend heavily to influence the outcome of what's expected to be a tumultuous confirmation process.

US budget deficit totals $74.9 billion in June

The federal government recorded a $74.9 billion deficit in June, a month when the government often runs a surplus, as corporate taxes dropped sharply compared to a year ago. The Treasury Department reported Thursday that the June deficit pushed the imbalance so far this year to $607.1 billion, 16.1 percent higher than the same period a year ago.