Taxes

You probably know that claiming income tax deductions reduces your taxable income. But did you know that not all deductions are created equal? Maybe you’ve heard the term “above the line” thrown around in tax conversations. Above-the-line deductions are actually adjustments to your taxable income — they are subtracted from your income before your adjusted
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Table of Contents Note: Each year we review and improve the methodology of the Index. For that reason, prior editions are not comparable to the results in this 2022 edition. All data and methodological notes are accessible in our GitHub repository. Below is a preview of the 2022 Index. To access the full report, click the download
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Taxing university endowments has gained popularity recently, partly in response to the Biden administration’s forgiveness of student loan debt. Some view it as a means of holding universities accountable for the product they’re selling. Others view it as a tool to tamp down tuition rates or punish ideological opponents. But do these arguments hold water
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When Coloradans go to the polls this November, they will be given the opportunity to permanently lower their income taxes—or to increase those tax burdens. Colorado Proposition 121 would reduce the state’s flat statutory income tax rate from 4.55 percent to 4.4 percent, effective retroactively for tax year 2022. Colorado Proposition FF, on the other hand,
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The IRS will receive an extra $80 billion in funding over the next decade thanks to the Inflation Reduction Act. Understandably, this announcement has caused some apprehension among taxpayers. Does this new funding mean your risk of an audit will go up this tax season? Let’s look at the facts. We’ll also review how you
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On a yearly basis the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) adjusts more than 60 tax provisions for inflation to prevent what is called “bracket creep.” Bracket creep occurs when people are pushed into higher income tax brackets or have reduced value from credits and deductions due to inflation, instead of any increase in real income. The IRS used to
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California is awash in plans to raise taxes. An under-the-radar piece of legislation will functionally increase the top marginal income tax rate by 1.1 percent in 2024 (with administrative authority to bring it to 1.5 percent), while a pending ballot measure would add a new 1.75 percent surcharge on the income of the highest earners,
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“Tax fairness” has been a lingering theme in EU policy circles since the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent Euro crisis. The prevailing sentiment among policymakers is that European tax authorities need to work together to eliminate tax fraud and avoidance because government budgets depend on these missing revenues to provide essential public services. Without them,
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On Thursday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security payments based on inflation over the previous year. This has brought renewed attention to how the tax code treats Social Security benefits, which can be a confusing subject for taxpayers. Each year, SSA adjusts Social Security benefits for inflation, much like
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Key Findings Last-in, First-out (LIFO) and First-in, First-out (FIFO) are two methods of inventory accounting used for both financial accounting and tax purposes. Both LIFO and FIFO rely on the accounting principle of deducting costs from income when goods are sold. This principle often comes into conflict with the economic principle of deducting costs when
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Executive Summary The Regional Tax Competitiveness Index (RTCI) for Spain allows policymakers, businesses, and taxpayers to evaluate and measure how their regions’ tax systems compare. This Index has been designed to analyze how well regions structure their tax system. Additionally, it serves as a road map for policymakers to reform their tax systems and make
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Every year, millions of Americans pack up and move from one state to another, providing unique insights into what people value when deciding where to live, work, and raise a family. For many years, policymakers, journalists, and taxpayers have debated the role state tax policy plays in individuals’ and businesses’ location decisions. Annual data about
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Over the past two years, policymakers and taxpayers have grappled with proposals to increase taxes as ideas introduced in the 2020 presidential campaign were transformed into legislation. This effort culminated in August with the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act. While many of the tax increases considered over the last two years were eventually shelved,
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