Don't Mess With Taxes

The end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 all came together in a blur, thanks in large part to Congressional procrastination that led to a mad rush to pass fiscal cliff legislation.

So it's no surprise that what is and isn't in the eventual fiscal cliff tax bill dominated 2013's debut discussion last week at my other tax blog.

The first Bankrate Taxes Blog post of 2013 arrived with an unwanted welcome: Happy higher new year payroll tax. 

The 6.2 percent payroll tax amount was not part of fiscal cliff talks and quietly returned on Jan. 1. That means workers will see smaller paychecks in 2013.

While that was happening, Congress finally did its job, passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act (ATRA) early on Jan. 1 in the Senate and late that same day in the House.

Immediate dissection of the 157-page measure began, but the key takeaway is that the wealthy now pay higher taxes.

Some other taxpayer groups, however, definitely came out as surprise tax winners under ATRA.

That's a pretty solid collection to kick off the 2013 edition of posts at my Bankrate Taxes Blog. Those new items over there usually show up on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

But if you happen to miss them then, you can find a wrap-up here the following weekend.

You also can check the special blog page that keeps track of all of 2013's Bankrate tax posts, as well as the listing of last year's (and more) posts at my other tax blog. 

You also might find these items of interest:

• Calculating the fiscal cliff bill's 2013 taxes
• Redefining 'wealthy' for tax purposes
• Payroll tax hike effect on business