Taxes

States are flush with cash, but taxpayers’ purchasing power is being eroded by high inflation. It’s unsurprising that many policymakers have jumped at the chance to apply surpluses to meet the genuine needs of many residents—but good intentions do not always make for good policy.  Tax rebates, gas tax holidays, and other temporary tax expedients

As cryptocurrency investments become more mainstream, many taxpayers wonder how they can quickly and accurately report digital currency transactions on their tax returns. Enter your newest tax-filing duo: TaxAct® and TaxBit. What crypto means for your taxes The IRS classifies cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other digital assets as property for tax purposes. As property, a taxable

In recent years, EU countries have undertaken a series of tax reforms designed to maintain tax revenue levels while supporting investment and economic growth. In general, tax reforms focused on reducing individual and corporate income tax rates while increasing environmental or wealth taxes. However, as summarized here, not all tax reforms were created equal. Poorly

As the deadline for the 2022 tax filing season nears, the IRS faces scrutiny for its backlog of returns, inaccessible taxpayer service, and delays in issuing certain refunds. As of January 28th, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had 23.7 million returns awaiting action, compared to a typical backlog at that point of roughly 1 million

While much of Washington is focused on negotiations over a government spending bill on competitiveness with China, Reps. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) and Jim Banks (R-IN) introduced a commonsense policy to boost U.S. competitiveness. The Renewing Investment in American Workers and Supply Chains Act would improve the tax treatment of investments in structures, such as factories

Households across the country are struggling with the effects of high inflation. We usually think of inflation in terms of higher prices which erode purchasing power, but the interaction of inflation with tax codes hit many taxpayers with a one-two punch. Not only do taxpayers’ incomes not go as far, but a greater share of

You’ve successfully e-filed your taxes. Congratulations! Now, where’s your refund? Here’s what happens to your return once it’s submitted to the IRS. The Process of Getting Your Refund E-filing your tax return with TaxAct is easy, fast, and secure. After completing the Q&A interview, TaxAct checks your return for errors and guides you through the simple e-file

The saga of Proposition 208, Arizona’s income surtax, appears to have finally reached its conclusion but some structural uncertainly remains. The initiated state statute, which assessed a 3.5 percent surtax on income over $250,000 ($500,000 for joint filers), was approved by voters on Election Day 2020. But by the end of November, a lawsuit (Fann

When is something a tax for purposes of the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act but not a tax for purposes of the Tax Injunction Act? It sounds like the world’s dullest riddle, but it was an actual question posed in federal court. There are some genuinely good answers to the question, but the court largely

Many countries incentivize business investment in research and development (R&D), intending to foster innovation. A common approach is to provide direct government funding for R&D activity. However, a significant number of jurisdictions also offers R&D tax incentives. These generally take two forms, namely patent boxes—taxing income derived from intellectual property at a rate below the

Like many states, Kentucky is experiencing another year of robust budget surpluses while projecting several years of continued revenue growth, and policymakers are looking for ways to return some of the extra tax collections to taxpayers as they budget for the upcoming fiscal biennium. With regular legislative proceedings winding down, the House and Senate (both

No policy idea is ever truly gone.  As oil prices have skyrocketed, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) have introduced a bill targeted at oil company profits. While billed as a Windfall Profits Tax, the proposal is really an excise tax. The United States has implemented such a tax before, in 1980,

Everyone loves accounting, right? You have debits and credits that change the balance of assets, liabilities, and equity on the balance sheet and report cash flows and accruals on the income statement. The rules are complex. To make matters worse, the accounting rules for tax are different than for financial accounting used to generate reports

The Council of the EU agreed this week on a general approach to the European Commission’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) proposal. The mechanism is a key aspect of the EU’s broader Fit for 55 package which aims to cut 55 percent of net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU by 2030. It’s also

Nobody wants to drag out the tax filing process — just make sure you aren’t sacrificing accuracy for speedy filing. To help you avoid making any costly errors this year, we’ve put together six common mistakes taxpayers make when filing their federal tax returns so you know how to prevent them ahead of time. 1.

Key Findings Policymakers on both the left and right have brought industrial policy back into focus after slow growth over the past few decades and growing concern over the state of America’s manufacturing sector. In the context of the tax code, industrial policy usually comes in the form of non-neutral subsidies for specific industries or

You’ve heard about writing off your internet bill as a business expense — but can it also count as an education expense? We cover the answer to this question and many more. As virtual learning becomes more prevalent after the pandemic, many students and parents are wondering if there are any new tax benefits for

In his State of the Union Address, President Biden called for leveling the global research & development (R&D) playing field by increasing federal R&D spending, specifically by asking Congress to pass the bipartisan United States Innovation and Competition Act (USICA). While USICA proposes increasing government investment in R&D, it does not address a recent tax

This week’s map examines states’ rankings on the individual income tax component of our 2022 State Business Tax Climate Index. The individual income tax is important to businesses because states tax sole proprietorships, partnerships, and in most cases limited liability companies (LLCs) and S corporations under the individual income tax code. However, even traditional C corporations are

As an immigrant or non-resident of the United States, it’s normal to have many questions about filing your taxes. Why should you file? What forms do you need? How could this affect me? The list goes on and on. Americans love to complain about filing their taxes — often with good reason. But the process