Photo by Pixabay The Internal Revenue Service is slowly but slowly becoming more electronic. The pace should pick up once the agency starts spending some of the new money it got this year to upgrade its operating systems. It's also looking for volunteers to offer suggestions on how the IRS can be a better e-agency. Specifically, the IRS is looking for applicants for the Electronic Tax Administration Advisory Committee (ETAAC). Ongoing electronic efforts: The ETAAC was established by Congress as part of 1998's IRS Restructuring and Reform Act. Its primary goal is to help the IRS meet that law's targets... Read more →
Politics
Among the things Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen discussed with late-night television host Stephen Colbert during her Nov. 30 appearance on his "Late Night" show was her signature that will be on currency starting next year. (Screenshot from Late Night YouTube video) I tend to go cashless as much as possible, but I'm also a currency collector. Yeah, one of my many dichotomies. I have a 1976 version of the $2 bill, Yes, the greenback with Thomas Jefferson's mug is real and still in circulation. I also stashed a crisp new $10 bill a few years ago when it looked like... Read more →
The sports arena in Miami bore the FTX name until the cryptocurrency exchange filed for bankruptcy. (Photo by 350z33 via Wikipedia Commons) Even before the FTX meltdown, cryptocurrency operations were in regulators' and legislators' sights. Now more, worldwide, are calling for added government attention to the sector. European Central Bank (ECB) President Christine Lagarde has called regulation and supervision of crypto an "absolute necessity." Gary Gensler, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a Yahoo Finance interview today said his agency already has the authority it needs to oversee the crypto industry. But he also noted that... Read more →
Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash The U.S. jobs report today was way better than expected. Employers added 263,000 jobs. That meant that the country's unemployment rate held at 3.7 percent. That's just a couple of minuscule notches higher than the half-century low of 3.5 percent. Wages are up, too. The October-to-November average hourly earnings crept up 0.6 percent, making it the strongest month-to-month gain since January. The latest hiring data has left economists, the Federal Reserve, and stock managers at a loss. One of the persistent questions as unemployment remains low is why so many businesses are still scrambling... Read more →
My polling place only had Spanish "¡Yo Voté! / I voted" stickers. But the language doesn't matter. The act of voting, this year and in the future, does. (Photo by Kay Bell) The 2022 midterm elections have come and gone. As the old saying goes, it's all over but the shouting or crying or both. In addition to selecting individuals to lead our local, state, and federal governments, many of us were asked to decide on ballot issues. Overall, according to Ballotpedia, voters in 37 states and the District of Columbia decided Nov. 8 on 132 statewide ballot measures. Since... Read more →
Regardless of what prompts an IRS examination, aka an audit, take advantage of the Taxpayer Bill of Rights guarantee that you can get professional help to get you through the process. Photo by SHVETS Production In an expected follow-up to reports that Donald J. Trump, while in the Oval Office, wanted the Internal Revenue Service to audit his perceived foes, a House tax writing committee member is asking for an investigation into the former president. Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-New Jersey), who chairs the Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee until the next GOP-controlled House is sworn in, wrote the Attorney General... Read more →
David Boeke via Flickr The Internal Revenue Service got billions in added funding thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act, but money is still key. Specifically, Uncle Sam's tax agency needs "consistent and multi-year funding … to achieve its goals of providing efficient, effective, modern service to the nation's taxpayers," according to the Internal Revenue Service Advisory Council's (IRSAC) 2022 annual report. The IRSAC report lauds the Inflation Reduction Act's fiscal boost as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to upgrade the IRS's service, enforcement, and IT capabilities." However, IRSAC members point out that the measure "was largely partisan legislation and may not foreshadow... Read more →
Daniel Werfel, then IRS Acting Commissioner, and Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration J. Russell George testified before Congress in June 2013 about the IRS' questionable nonprofit status approval practices. (C-SPAN hearing screenshot) The Internal Revenue Service apparently will be led by a blast from its past, notably its troubled past. Daniel Werfel is President Joe Biden's choice for commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service. Werfel is most familiar to the tax and wider world as the man who filled the IRS' top role in 2013 in an interim capacity during the agency's nonprofit authorization scandal. In charge during troubling... Read more →
The Tax Gap is the amount the Internal Revenue Service says it is owed, but which it's been unable to collect. That amount now is $496 billion. The figure, which was reached after the IRS analyzed tax activity from 2014 through 2016, is an increase of $58 billion from the agency's last estimate. The IRS also did some Tax Gap forecasting. The agency's projections for tax years 2017 through 2019 show an estimated $540 billion per year. Both those Tax Gap amounts are huge, and disturbing. That's why they earn this weekend's dual By the Numbers recognition. Tax Gap components:... Read more →
The last couple of years have been tough on taxpayers, tax pros, and the Internal Revenue Service. I know few folks have any sympathy for the tax agency. But Uncle Sam's tax collector has had to deal with budget problems (the recent appropriations in the Inflation Reduction Act notwithstanding), aging computer systems, and loss of personnel. All that was compounded by coronavirus pandemic limitations, and new duties thanks to COVID-19 law changes. Now the IRS is facing the loss of its commissioner. Acting chief uncertainty: IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig's five-year term expires on Nov. 12. Rettig's replacement must be named... Read more →
Dealing with global taxes can be a real puzzle. (Rubik's Globe photo by Alan Kotok via Flickr CC) Americans are inordinately competitive, especially when it comes to international matchups. But there's not much for the United States to cheer as far as our ranking in the Tax Foundation's latest International Tax Competitiveness Index. Each year, the Washington, D.C.-based tax policy nonprofit measures the degree to which the tax systems of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) 38 member countries promote competitiveness. The U.S. tax system basically is middle of the pack in the Tax Foundation's 2022 evaluation. OK,... Read more →
Tax year-in and tax year-out, most filers claim the standard deduction instead of itemizing. The standard option has always been appealing because it's easy. There are no receipts to save, no added calculations. Even better, the Internal Revenue Service provides the standard amount you can claim, based on your filing status, right there at the bottom of the first page of Form 1040. The standard deduction train picked up even more passengers after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 essentially doubled the standard amounts. And those now more valuable deduction amounts are getting even better, thanks to... Read more →
The only thing worse than college course overload is the debt you went into to get into the university. Now, some students will be able to have some of their student loan amounts forgiven. (Photo by Pixabay) The Department of Education is now accepting online applications for full or partial discharge of student loans up to $20,000. It's a soft, beta launch, so be prepared to encounter some glitches if you're in a hurry to be done with your college debt. Technically, you'll be a test subject for the Education Department. The webpage notes: We're accepting applications to help us... Read more →
The Internal Revenue Service is still working out how to implement the climate tax provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. The tax agency and its parent Treasury Department issued some preliminary guidance in August regarding the electric vehicle (EV) tax changes. The IRS also is seeking public comment on EV rules, as well as the other aspect of the other energy tax benefits in the new law. Meanwhile, states also are taking steps to deal with how the federal energy tax changes could affect their revenues. New state-level EV charges: "The increasing popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles is shrinking... Read more →
Photo by Kindel Media I am not a fan of camping. Bugs. Sleeping on the ground (see bugs). But I do love campfires, especially when they're used to char marshmallows for s'mores. Apparently so do millions of other people worldwide. And thanks to a United Kingdom tax ruling, that country's fans of this graham cracker-chocolate-marshmallow treat can continue to enjoy the gooey goodies across the pond sans some VAT, or value added tax, charges. A U.K. tax tribunal recently ruled that a British food wholesaler of American snacks is not liable for VAT on its product Mega Marshmallows, which are... Read more →
If you believe cryptocurrency has democratized financial services and leveled the financial playing field, then have we got a deal for you. And by deal, we mean scam. That's a major finding of recently released U.S. Department of Treasury report, which also wants regulators to take more action against crypto fraud and scammers. The report, Crypto-Assets: Implications for Consumers, Investors, and Businesses, is in response to President Joe Biden's March 9 Executive Order 14067, which, directed Treasury (among other agencies) to examine ways to "ensure responsible development of digital assets." That's going to take a multi-agency effort, according to Treasury,... Read more →
Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. The Child Tax Credit was expanded in 2021 to help families coping with the adverse economic effects of the COVID-19. During the height of the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) temporarily bumped up the amount available via the already popular CTC. It went from $2,000 per qualifying child to $3,600 a year for children younger than age 6, and $3,000 per child for youngsters ages 6 to 17. The credit amounts were phased out once tax-filing families hit certain income levels. More of the increased CTC also was refundable, meaning that if the... Read more →
Inflation is still a concern, for consumers and politicians, but it is easing a bit (at least for some consumers). One reason for the change is falling gas prices. GasBuddy reported on Sept. 12 that for the thirteenth consecutive week, the nation’s average per-gallon gas price dropped. It went to $3.67 per gallon, down 7.6 cents from a week ago. AAA's daily tracker shows a Sept. 15 national per gallon average of $3.698. But those are averages. Your pump prices may vary. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, noted in the latest analysis that there are "drastically... Read more →
Singer-songwriter James Taylor provided the soundtrack for the White House's Sept. 13 celebration of the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act. (White House photo via Facebook) The Biden Administration this week celebrated the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) with a ceremony on the White House lawn. And while a government report on inflation that came out the same day warned of continuing inflation costs, President Joe Biden and attendees didn't let the new dampen the festivities. The White House insists that the IRA will work as planned, and Biden touted the law's provisions, including the climate-change-prompted energy provisions,... Read more →
Looking up provides a lovely view of the Idaho statehouse dome. Gem State lawmakers, however, recently went the other direction, lowering the state's top personal income tax rate and making it the lone flat tax amount collected on individual earnings starting in 2023. (Photo by Kencf0618 - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0) I've spent most of my earnings life in no-individual-income tax states. I was born, grew up, and got my first jobs in Texas. After a stint in Maryland, which collects state and local income taxes, the hubby and I moved to Florida, another no personal income tax state.... Read more →