Since I have worked with students filling out FAFSA forms for grant, subsidized and unsubsidized loan eligibility, etc. ; I have an interest in how the interest rate debate shook out. As you know, the Senate reached a bi-partisan agreement in the smoked filled backrooms to which the House agreed to in a follow-up vote. […]

by Linda Beale Time to get God out of taxes Chris Bergin over at Tax Analysts has a good point about the exclusion from income for the rental value of the minister’s residence–it makes no sense and has no place in the tax code.  See Bergin, What we need is a Godless tax code, Tax […]

by Linda Beale Swiss and US Apparently Reach Deal on Bank Disclosures related to Tax Evasion Bloomberg reports (in a minimal news story at this point based on an anonymous tip prior to the settlement being officially released) that the United States and Switzerland have reached an agreement that settles the dispute about Americans’ use […]

by Linda Beale Same-Sex Married Couples Will be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes Even When Moving to Nonrecognition State The Treasury issued a Revenue Ruling today that sets out the rules that will guide the government in handling interpretation of the tax code regarding “marriage” and “husband” or “wife” or “spouse” in respect of same-sex […]

Most of our unemployment problem stems from overregulation, over-taxation and the Obama economy. — Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), Monday Which is why we should deregulate the financial-services industry and reduce income taxes to resemble the good ole days of the George W. Bush administration. Let’s restore the economy to its glory days: say, 2008-09.  And […]

Salon offers an article on expectations for public sector pensions. Given the demise of many private pension plans and the lackluster performance of 401ks for many people, what’s next?

by David Zetland from Aguanomics: Recycle reuse reduce? When it comes to consumer goods, reduce-reuse-recycle makes lots of sense. Don’t buy that bike if you’re not going to use it. If you are going to use it, then reuse a used one. Once you’re done using it, recycle it instead of dumping it into a […]

Via Huffington Post Elizabeth Warren’s letter to Attorney General Holder on “timid enforcement strategy” of the DOJ concerning monetary penalties, admissions of wrongdoing, and clearer signals regulators are attending to the public good. (Excerpts under the fold)

by Linda Beale The Elderly May Not Be As Taxing As Generally Thought One of the common assumptions about health care costs (and the costs of benefit programs like Medicare) has been that the increasing life spans of Americans will result in significantly greater health care expenses.  It is common knowledge that much of the […]

by David Zetland  Local versus regional control In response to this: “The public sector is often better at handling inter-agency cooperation and the private sector is often better at delivering cost-effective, measured results. In either case, the local government plays the most important role as it needs to oversee and regulate all players. Poor regulation […]