Free Republic

After a parliamentary inquiry, Germany has clarified its position on Bitcoin. The federal ministry of finance recognized Bitcoins as “units of account”—the cryptocurrency is therefore be considered as “private money”. That’s why, according to Die Welt, the government stated that there wouldn’t be a tax exemption on commercial activities that use Bitcoins. In addition to paying capital gains tax, Bitcoin users should now pay sales tax (VAT) as well. Member of Parliament Frank Schaeffler considers Bitcoin mining as private money creation, and says that the same fiscal and legal rules should apply to Euros and Bitcoins. Yet, it is still...

ALEC’s Center for State Fiscal Reform is proud to announce its newest publication, the 2013 State Tax Cut Roundup. Released this morning, the report has already garnered national media attention from The Washington Post, Politico, and the Washington Examiner. The report highlights the 18 states that cut taxes in the 2013 legislative year. Some states like North Carolina enacted fundamental tax reform, while others made smaller changes. The tax policy changes enacted by states reflect an emphasis on pro-growth reforms that encourage economic expansion and competition.

The feasibility of President Obama’s ad hoc revision of the Affordable Care Act was immediately disputed by leading insurers and state insurance regulators. On the insurance industry side, Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, called the President’s move “unworkable and unfair. There is no way at this late date to implement this latest promise of President Obama. Getting our policy options in line with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act took us close to three years of work. Resurrecting policies that the ACA has outlawed cannot be accomplished within the time remaining before the legislated December 31st...

Maryland’s Carroll County recently received a letter from Assistant Attorney General Paul DeSantis, threatening to fine the county $10,000 for each day that it does not enact a storm water remediation fee, also known as a “Rain Tax.” The infamous Rain Tax bill came as a response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “pollution diet” known as the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily Load. The “pollution diet” requires reductions in pollutants that are primarily found in drainage run-off and fertilizers. The bill was signed by Governor O’Malley this past April and requires 10 of Maryland’s 24 counties to charge an...

The growing role of big government in our lives presents a continual attack on the cherished and hallmark American values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In no area is this expansion more troubling than the criminal justice system. Actions defined as crimes have proliferated to the point that the average American now inadvertently commits an estimated three felonies a day. This explosion of criminal statutes has little to do with protecting our communities; it is simply another symptom of the expansive reach of big government. While some criminal laws and sanctions are certainly necessary to protect public...

This past September, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new proposed rule under the auspices of the Clean Air Act (CAA) limiting carbon emissions from power plants built in the future. EPA is currently working on developing similar regulations targeting existing fossil fuel fired power plants which are expected to be announced in June 2014. Over the past couple of weeks, EPA has hosted 11 listening sessions around the country ostensibly soliciting ideas from the public to help determine what the best way to reduce carbon emissions from existing power plants under the CAA is. There has been...

Amendment to establish congressional term limits. No more than twelve total years combined in house and senate. Amendment to repeal the 17th Amendment. Governors may fill vacancies to fill out remainder of terms. Upon two thirds vote, state legislatures may remove their senators. Amendment to establish twelve year term limits on scotus. On three-fifths vote, and within twenty four months of a ruling, congress or the states may override scotus decisions. These overrides are not subject to judicial review. Congress shall submit preliminary budget to president by first Monday in May for the next fiscal year. Should congress/president not adopt...

Shale gas companies operating in Europe will soon have to respect a muscular legislative package which the European Commission is preparing to publish in December or January, EurActiv has learned. This will almost certainly take the form of an unconventional fuels directive, similar to other EU laws covering wastewater and environmental impact assessments. … The legislation will set down rules for dealing with the risks of: Venting and flaring of greenhouse gasesSeismic disturbancesGroundwater contamination and management of the water supply and reservesImpacts on air quality, and noise emissionsAssociated infrastructural problems caused by heavy industrial activity“Methane is also an issue and...

I’ve taken a lot of flak from establishment media types and angry federal employees for my contention that the hullabaloo over the so-called government “shutdown” is excessive. The fact is most government activities have not stopped and most government employees continue to work. However, one activity that has stopped – and, man, this is personal – is the approval of new beer labels and recipes. From USA Today (tip of the hat to my dad): All new beers that get bottled or canned to be sold across state lines must be approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade...

We have a great little movie theater in our neighborhood. It has just three screens, but it always shows the newest releases. The best parts of the movie experience at our little theater are the food and the seating. We get to sit at tables in nice, padded chairs on a gently sloping floor. We can order real food to eat, including salads, burgers and chicken wings, regular and alcoholic beverages, and the most awesome chocolate, chocolate-chip cake (with ice cream, of course!) We used to not go to the movies very often, but our little neighborhood theater has drawn...

The Council on State Taxation (COST) recently released its 11th annual report on business taxation, revealing that businesses paid a total of $649 billion in state and local taxes in fiscal year 2012—an increase of 3.9 percent from fiscal year 2011. Total state business taxes increased by 5.8 percent from fiscal year 2011, while local business taxes grew by 1.7 percent. As a share of total state and local tax revenues, business taxes remained relatively unchanged from fiscal year 2011 at 45.2 percent of revenues. As studies by COST have highlighted in the past, most would expect corporate income taxes...

Employers cut jobs in 20 states last month, suggesting modest improvement in the U.S. job market this year is not enough to benefit all areas of the country. The Labor Department said Friday that 29 states added jobs, while Montana showed no net gain or loss in August. Unemployment rates rose in 18 states, fell in 17 and were unchanged in 15. …

In Washington, D.C., the city's department of health wants to subject people seeking a tattoo or body piercing to a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before they can go through with it. That's just one of the regulations in a 66-page proposal of new rules for the tattoo and piercing industry. Reasonable people may differ on the wisdom of these proposals, but as someone whose interest in such establishments begins and ends with keeping my daughter away from them, I can't get too worked up either way, save to say D.C. has bigger problems to worry about. What did catch my...

The US economy is straying further and further away from a free-market model and towards a government-controlled, crony economy. You know, like Detroit. We can see the results of the move to government control of the economy in the headwinds, like in the movie “Idiocracy” where the government orders Brawndo, a green liquid that resembles Gatorade, be used instead of water for crops, the government’s solution to all problems is more government, more regulation, more taxes, etc. Government is what statists crave. Brawndo_Social_Head (1) Here is a partial list (the actual list is way too long) of headwinds facing the...

The US economy is straying further and further away from a free-market model and towards a government-controlled, crony economy. We can see the results of the move to government control of the economy in the headwinds. Like in the movie “Idiocracy” where the government orders Brawndo, a green liquid that resembles Gatorade, be used instead of water for crops, the government’s solution to all problems is more government, more regulation, more taxes, etc. Government is what statists crave. Brawndo_Social_Head (1) Here is a partial list (the actual list is way too long) of headwinds facing the economy, the housing market...

The dynamic and fluid nature of the Internet has helped to ease communications, but those same characteristics make the Web ill-suited to state and federal regulation. As Free State Foundation President Randolph May points out in a recent blog post, some states—most notably Washington—are finding success deregulating Internet services, and the federal government should take note. Communications have evolved considerably since narrowband technology first enabled email, instant messaging and text. Today, high-speed broadband networks allow for instant interpersonal telecommunication. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), a technology that uses broadband Internet to transmit local, long distance, mobile and even international calls,...

Obama issued an Executive order on August 1, 2013 that will effectively ban Ammonium Nitrate in the USA. It will become too expensive and create too much possible civil and criminal liability to manufacture, store, or transport it. Hope everyone is ready for $12/gallon gasoline and $20 a box corn flakes.

With only 69 days until the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges open for enrollment, Obama administration officials face major logistical and structural challenges. This two-part blog series details some of the major issues with ACA implementation. This post, Part I of the series, highlights various logistical problems, while Part II will focus more specifically on fraud and consumer privacy-related concerns. Delayed Enforcement of the Employer Mandate The Obama Administration acknowledged July 3rd the necessity to delay a major component of the ACA, the “employer mandate,” until 2015. The provision requires employers with more than 50 workers to provide their employees...

Just over a month ago, we chronicled the efforts of the North Carolina House and Senate to reform the states uncompetitive tax code and move towards a pro-growth tax system. At that point, the House and Senate had two competing bills and were attempting to broker a compromise that also had the approval of the North Carolina’s Governor, Pat McCrory. Last week, an agreement was reached and both the House and the Senate passed an outstanding tax reform package designed to super charge the economy. The Governor has signed that bill this afternoon, ushering in a game changing tax reform...

Should Congress be held accountable for the regulatory policies of the federal government? Most people would say so, and this week the House Judiciary Committee plans to vote on a bill to make Congress explicitly accountable for federal regulations. Introduced by Representative Geoff Davis (R–KY), H.R. 10, the “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny” (REINS) Act, would require Congress to approve major new rules before they can take effect. A similar bill, S. 299, has been introduced in the Senate by Rand Paul (R–KY). REINS would significantly change the way regulations are imposed. Congress would no longer be...