Taxes

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

In 2020, the EU agreed to the European Green Deal, which sets out to make the union climate neutral by 2050, and in 2021, the Fit for 55 package, which is intended to cut emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. Both legislative packages outline various ways for the EU to reduce reliance on

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

When Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union Address on March 1, she touted a state tax reform package on which the ink was barely dry: “Today, I signed legislation that eliminates Iowa’s tax on retirement income and sets our tax rate at 3.9 percent. That’s less

Last spring the Spanish government named an external tax reform committee to review environmental taxation, corporate tax, taxation of the digital economy, and harmonization of regional tax policies. The austerity policy plans tax hikes to close the 6.8 percentage point gap between Spain’s tax revenue and the Eurozone average as a percentage of Gross Domestic

With gas prices soaring in March, Florida is preparing to give drivers a gas tax holiday—in October. A cynic might wonder why the gas tax holiday aligns so closely with election season (lawmakers cite other reasons), but in many respects, the timing is the least of the issues with Florida’s pending suspension of the gas

*Updated for tax season 2021 and 2022. Buying a home can help lower your tax bill in certain circumstances. In fact, tax breaks for homeownership are a primary motivation for many people to buy their own homes. To get the maximum tax benefit from your home purchase, it’s important to understand what options are available