http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/taxes/ en-us Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:52:05 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415653/posts Last night’s cloture vote on the Obama-Reid Big Government Healthcare Bill brought an end to any discussion of fiscal conservative or “moderate” Democrats. Two so-called moderate Democrats Ben Nelson and Arlen Specter betrayed taxpayers by violating their Taxpayer Protection Pledges and voting along with 58 other Democrats in support of the healthcare bill. (For a comprehensive list of all the tax hikes in this bill, click here.) They were the only remaining Democrat Pledge Signers not to have violated their Pledges on at least one occasion. House Democrats including Brad Ellsworth, Ben Chandler, Rob Andrews, and Gene Taylor have all... Americans for Tax Reform http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415653/posts#comment Sun, 27 Dec 2009 07:52:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407113/posts Explosive ramifications result from new evidence revealing the Muslim holy book has undergone a textual evolution Frontpage Interview’s guests today are Robert Spencer and Moorthy Muthuswamy. Moorthy Muthuswamy is an expert on terrorism in India. He grew up in India, where he had firsthand experience with political Islam and jihad. He moved to America in 1984 to pursue graduate studies. In 1992, he received a doctorate in nuclear physics from Stony Brook University, New York. Since 1999 he has extensively published ideas on neutralizing political Islam’s terror war as it is imposed on unbelievers. He is the author of the... Frontpagemagazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407113/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:55:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415327/posts GOPer sets new push to oust tax-challenged RangelBy ISABEL VINCENT Last Updated: 2:54 PM, December 20, 2009 Where are Charlie Rangel's tax returns? That's the question Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) is asking as he threatens next month to lead a second attempt to strip the Harlem Democrat of his powerful post as Ways and Means Committee chairman. "Every tax attorney in the country will tell you that if a normal taxpayer committed the violations of Chairman Rangel, they would be assessed serious penalties and interest, if not charged with criminal tax evasion," Carter said. "This is about defending the rule... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415327/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:03:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415023/posts When the Senate and House agree on a health care bill and if our tax money pays for ana portion directly or indirectly, I will revolt by not paying my personal taxes. I will prefer going to prison than have even one cent of my income pay for an abortion. I have been praying about this and other issues that affect my pro-life principles. If I call myself pro-life, then I must act on these principles in a way that will change my comfort level to the point of suffering. How many of us have fought with money and time... Dayton Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415023/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:44:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415019/posts As with many giants, it’s hard to cut Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac down to size. The government, which controls the mortgage behemoths, planned to shrink them by 10 percent in 2010. Don’t count on it. Failure is unthinkable, even though both companies still rely on a $400 billion equity life-line from taxpayers. These are institutions with a combined $1.5 trillion portfolio of mortgage-related investments. Without their supply of financing for home borrowers with good credit, house prices would be lower – and more banks would be in trouble. Yet in theory, Fannie and Freddie could still be allowed to... Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2415019/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 18:07:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414971/posts The government has handed its ATM card to beleaguered mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Treasury Department said Thursday it removed the $400 billion financial cap on the money it will provide to keep the companies afloat. Already, taxpayers have shelled out $111 billion to the pair, and a senior Treasury official said losses are not expected to exceed the government's estimate this summer of $170 billion over 10 years. Treasury Department officials said it will now use a flexible formula to ensure the two agencies can stand behind the billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities they sell... Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414971/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:55:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414926/posts [You may have to play around a bit to get the video to operate. Make sure you click "Full Program" or you might just get a 2-minute clip.] This 30 minute video (including about 17 minutes of Q & A) from several months ago is Richard Epstein's analysis of the bill proposed by the House. But the main regulatory features of that bill are the same as the one just passed by the Senate. The gist of Epstein's lecture is that the total effect of these insurance regulations is to kill private health insurance, so we will eventually all end... Fora.tv http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414926/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:27:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414982/posts The two chief executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could get paid as much as $6 million each for 2009, despite the companies’ dismal performance this year which cost taxpayers more than $100 billion. Fannie’s CEO, Michael Williams, and Freddie CEO Charles “Ed” Haldeman Jr. each will receive $900,000 in salary, $3.1 million in deferred payments next year and another $2 million if they meet certain performance goals, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The pay packages were approved by the Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie and Freddie The Times and Democrat http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414982/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:35:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414918/posts Any legislation that passes is bound to be costly -- but no one knows how costly it will be. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the Senate version will cost $1 trillion over the next decade. But then, when Medicare was originally passed in 1967, it was estimated that the hospital insurance (Part A) would cost about $9 billion annually by 1990. By 1990 the actual cost to the government was $67 billion! Since then, Medicare has been expanded to include catastrophic coverage and also Part D, prescription drug benefits. The point is simply that it's impossible to estimate future... Chicago Sun-Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414918/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 14:15:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414841/posts WHEELING -- Local tanning salon operators are upset over a last minute tax on their business in the health care reform bill. If the legislation passes in its current form, artificial sun worshipers would pay 10 percent more for a trip to the tanning beds. WTRF-TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414841/posts#comment Fri, 25 Dec 2009 05:38:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414694/posts Here are a few stories to bring holiday cheer for taxpayers. First, we have an Associated Press report that several hundred thousand federal bureaucrats have serious tax delinquencies. The Department of Housing and Urban Development always ranks high on the list of government entities that should be abolished, so it’s interesting to see that HUD bureaucrats are most likely to be dodging their taxes: More than 276,000 federal employees and retirees owed back income taxes as of Sept. 30, 2008, according to data from the Internal Revenue Service. The $3.04 billion owed was up from $2.7 billion owed by federal... CATO http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414694/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 22:04:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414661/posts The purpose of the General Welfare Clause of the Constitution was only to limit the tax power of the Government. The words "General" and "Welfare" were not placed there to give the Government authority to spend on whatever they want (ie healthcare), they're there to simply make it known that the Government has to always spend for the country as a whole, not for some single group. The clause doesn't give the Government authority, it limits it! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414661/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:56:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414569/posts RICHMOND | Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said Wednesday that a 1 percentage point increase in the state's income tax that he has proposed in his final weeks in office is the most responsible way to make up a nearly $2 billion shortfall in the state's finances. "I think the only other alternatives are draconian cuts that would squander Virginia's leadership position or kind of gimmicky 'Let's take a bunch of money out of the retirement fund' or 'Let's pull out the credit card and borrow a bunch of money.' But I think that would threaten our AAA bond rating," Mr.... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414569/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:07:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414380/posts WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats are poised to pass a landmark health care bill that could define President Barack Obama's legacy and usher in near-universal medical coverage for the first time in U.S. history. Ahead lie complex talks with the House to reach final legislation in the new year. "We stand on the doorstep of history," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat. "We recognize that, but much more importantly, we stand so close to making so many individual lives better." The vote Thursday on the bill extending health care coverage to some 31 million uninsured Americans brings Obama... FOX NEWS http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414380/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:58:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414033/posts Do employers currently list the healthcare benefits paid to an employee on their W2s? Trying to clarify an arguement. Thank you in advance. PS, I hope I put this thread in the right place. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2414033/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:36:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414080/posts There is a lot of confusion out there today over how the first time home buyer tax credit extension figures into the Commerce Department's report on sales of new construction. "New Home Sales," as we call it, plummeted 11 percent, quite unexpectedly, after another rise in "Existing Home Sales" yesterday. Let's look at timing, shall we? The Business Insider http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414080/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:05:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414032/posts It has, however, been on the back burner for a while, because the Nevada Vision Stakeholders Group didn't schedule a meeting in December. But as Doug Busselman of the Farm Bureau reports today, the NVSG's first meeting will be on Jan. 8, 2010, literally right around the corner. Doug's also an alternate member of the Stakeholders Group, so be sure to read his thoughts on the process. Here's his most important takeaway. Hopefully, with a strong citizen turn-out and input for non-governmental alternatives in the quality-of-life visioning we might be able to establish more of a balanced viewpoint than what... Write on Nevada http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414032/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:34:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414026/posts Taxes and fees will kick in first, most benefits come later under Dems' health care billBy RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR , Associated Press Last update: December 23, 2009 - 8:38 AM WASHINGTON - The costs of health care reform being pushed through Congress by Democrats will be felt long before the benefits. Proposed taxes and fees on upper-income earners, insurers, even tanning parlors, take effect quickly. So would Medicare cuts. Benefits, such as subsidies for lower middle-income households, consumer protections for all, and eliminating the prescription coverage gap for seniors, come gradually. "There's going to be an expectations gap, no question about... Star Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414026/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:30:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414011/posts The desperate demand for dollars expresses itself in many ways. Shane Goldmacher and Evan Halper report for LaTi: Facing a budget deficit of more than $20 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to call for deep reductions in already suffering local mass transit programs, renew his push to expand oil drilling off the Santa Barbara coast and appeal to Washington for billions of dollars in federal help, according to state officials and lobbyists familiar with the plan. If Washington does not provide roughly $8 billion in new aid for the state, the governor threatens to severely cut back -- if... Economic Policy Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414011/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:00:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413975/posts The Internal Revenue Service today issued proposed regulations under a new law that will require reporting of basis and other information by stock brokers and mutual fund companies for most stock purchased in 2011 and all stock purchased in 2012 and later years. The reporting will be to investors and the IRS. This additional reporting will be optional for stock purchased prior to these dates. “This important reporting change will improve tax compliance while reducing the recordkeeping and paperwork burden for millions of investors,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “These taxpayers will now receive the information they need to more... IRS Newsroom http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413975/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:13:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413918/posts State Changes to Individual Income TaxesIncreasesCalifornia in May added 0.25% to each income tax bracket, retroactive to January 1, 2009 and expiring December 31, 2010. Connecticut in September added a new top bracket of 6.5% on income over $500,000, retroactive to January 1, 2009. Delaware in June added a new top rate of 6.95% on income over $60,000 retroactive to January 1, 2009. Hawaii in May added three new brackets retroactive to January 1, 2009: 9% on income over $150,000; 10% on income over $175,000; and 11% on income over $200,000. New Jersey in June added three new brackets retroactive... Tax Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413918/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:51:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413549/posts President Obama praised the Senate yesterday for clearing a 60-40 procedural vote on his health plan in the dead of night and "standing up to the special interests who've prevented reform for decades and who are furiously lobbying against it now." They're furiously lobbying all right—not against ObamaCare but for the sundry preferences in the Senate bill. Start with the special tax carve-outs included in the "manager's amendment" that Harry Reid dropped Saturday morning. White House budget director Peter Orszag has claimed that the bill's 40% excise tax on high-cost insurance plans is key to reducing health costs. Yet the... The Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413549/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:19:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413470/posts President Barack Obama told Congress Wednesday the public option would be part of an insurance exchange for last resort... YouTube http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413470/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 02:15:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413449/posts All details and information, including info on buses and hotels, will be found on the primary planning hub at http://www.TaxDayTeaParty.com capveterans http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2413449/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:44:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413319/posts And she says this with a straight face, smiling....Claire Acorn McCaskill complains about possibly missing Christmas morning with her family because of the GOP, and says the Am. People will be please once they know what's in the Health Care Bill...(Video) hotairpundit http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2413319/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:16:14 GMT