Free Republic

If you own bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, you might want to check your mailbox. The Internal Revenue Service is in the process of sending letters to U.S. citizens who own virtual currency and potentially failed to pay the necessary taxes and to those who improperly reported taxes on digital assets last year, the agency announced Friday. “Taxpayers should take these letters very seriously by reviewing their tax filings and when appropriate, amend past returns and pay back taxes, interest and penalties,” IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig said in a news release. “The IRS is expanding our efforts involving virtual currency, including...

The national debt hit $22 trillion this week. You won’t find many in either major party who think this is a healthy development. But isn’t part of the reason people vote Republican because that party presents itself as fiscally responsible compared to Democrats? For as long as the debt has grown, Republicans have been promising to stop it. Yet, in 1981 the national debt topped $1 trillion after former President Ronald Reagan’s first year. When former President George H.W. Bush left office in 1993, it was more than $4 trillion. His son, former President George W. Bush, would push it...

Gasoline prices in Fresno already increased beyond $4 per gallon this week at some places in town. And gas prices are projected to rise even more going into the summer in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal. A year ago, the national average for was $2.34 for a gallon of gas, according to a CNN Money report. These days, that national average has jumped to $2.81 per gallon. Those in Fresno can probably add a dollar on top of the national price, with high state taxes and stringent standards for reformulating...

Walmart is suddenly closing several Sam's Club stores across the US. Closures were reported by local media in Texas, New York, New Jersey, Indiana, Arizona, Alaska, and elsewhere. In some cases, employees were not informed of the closures prior to showing up to work on Thursday. Instead, they learned that their store would be closing when they found the store's doors locked and a notice announcing the closure, according to reports. Walmart and Sam's Club did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sam's Club offered an explanation on Twitter, however, saying, "After a thorough review of our existing...

Sam’s Club, a unit of Wal-Mart Stores Inc, closed a series of stores following a review, the membership-only store chain said in a tweet on Thursday. The tweet came after a series of reports from local news outlets said some Sam's Club stores were closed abruptly on Thursday, with employees learning of the move as they arrived for work.