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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama suggested Wednesday that a new value-added tax on Americans is still on the table, seeming to show more openness to the idea than his aides have expressed in recent days. Before deciding what revenue options are best for dealing with the deficit and the economy, Obama said in an interview with CNBC, "I want to get a better picture of what our options are."

Tax Day, Election Day alignment would make sure we get our money’s worth President Barack Obama can't stop chuckling over the antics of the tea party protesters, who rallied in town squares across the land on Tax Day. "I've been a little amused over the last couple of days where people have been having these rallies about taxes," said the president last week. "You would think they'd be saying, ‘Thank you.' That's what you would think." Presidential sarcasm? Perhaps. But I've decided to help end all the bitterness about taxes with a new plan. It even rhymes with "yes, we...

Sixty-six percent (66%) believe that America is overtaxed. Only 25% disagree. Lower income voters are more likely than others to believe the nation is overtaxed.

A massive national broadband plan the Federal Communications Commission released last month proposes creating a national framework for the taxation of digital goods and services and imposing a fee to establish and maintain a national public safety wireless broadband network. The Obama administration has a plan to expand online innovation and boost national public safety. And it wants to do it with more taxes and higher fees. The massive national broadband plan the Federal Communications Commission released last month proposes creating a national framework for the taxation of digital goods and services and imposing a fee to establish and maintain...

Volcker: Taxes likely to rise eventually to tame deficit NEW YORK (Reuters) - The United States should consider raising taxes to help bring deficits under control and may need to consider a European-style value-added tax, White House adviser Paul Volcker said on Tuesday.

Pollution Control: From cars to coal mines, the imposition of economy-killing restrictions is under way. Are the new EPA regulations on auto emissions the precursor to regulating carbon dioxide by executive order? In announcing the Environmental Protection Agency's first regulations on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cars, Administrator Lisa Jackson has promised they won't be the last such rules stemming from the EPA's "endangerment finding" that carbon dioxide, six pounds of which every human being exhales every day, is a dangerous pollutant. "These are the first regulations that cover greenhouse gas emissions in the United States," Jackson told reporters in...

We've said again and again that hiking taxes on the "rich" won't increase revenue - instead, all it will do will be to retard economic growth, and hurt working families through job losses...

Property taxes are why you don't really own your wealth. The government gets to take a little bit of it every year to build high schools with Olympic size gym for disadvantaged utes. If it weren't for property taxes, a lot of people with paid off mortgages could retire, but they have to keep working to support the welfare class. Obamacare is the nail in your coffin. As long as you have a body, you owe the government money so they can give it to people they consider to be more worthy than you. There should be no property taxes...

Nancy Pelosi’s and Barack Obama’s words are ringing true: We will learn what is in the bill once it is passed. New long term care deduction on everyone's paycheck-$150-250 a month, unless you opt out. This would be in addition to your health insurance premiums, and taxes you already pay. See the video for details.

My wife informs me that the Company she works for has already announced what will be a significant change to one of the programs they offer employees, and it means that many people's taxes have already gone up, proving what a liar Premier Hussein really is. Several years ago, the company started offering a type of medical savings account to employees. The employee signs up during the annual enrollment period at year end, and chooses how much that account will be worth, let's say, $2000. As soon as the new year starts, you can begin using that account to pay...

Health Reform: As major businesses lay out the impact of ObamaCare in dollars and jobs, two things are clear: the costs will be enormous, and the president's vow to focus on "jobs, jobs, jobs" can no longer be believed. Early returns on ObamaCare are coming in, and they belie proponents' claims of job creation and cost reduction. The costs will increase. They are merely being shifted to the states and to America's businesses, large and small. AT&T, the country's largest telephone company, announced Friday it will take a $1 billion first-quarter charge related to the new health care law. The...

Health Care Reform: The Senate parliamentarian dims GOP hopes on a reconciliation bill that contains even more onerous taxes and even a financial incentive to lay people off. No wonder Speaker Pelosi is laughing. We'll acknowledge that the signing of ObamaCare into law is a historic event, but we think the Weather Channel broadcasting the signing ceremony was a bit much. On the other hand, stormy political weather and more dark clouds lay ahead. The cries of "repeal" and "remember in November" are rising, and state attorneys general are taking the feds to court over the unconstitutional mandates and usurpation...

Fiscal Policy: The latest data show a record number of people with no tax obligation. We also have the highest-earning nontaxpayers ever. With more riding the wagon and fewer pulling, it should soon break down. A record number of the 142 million tax returns filed in 2008 resulted in no taxes owed, according to the Tax Foundation's analysis of the latest IRS data. About 51.6 million returns, or 36.3%, were filed by those whose deductions, exemptions and tax credits wiped out any federal income-tax obligation. These aren't people who have overpaid their taxes or had so much withheld from their...

NEW YORK – AT&T Inc. said Friday it will take a $1 billion non-cash charge in the first quarter related to the health care overhaul. AT&T's charge is the largest announced so far. Earlier this week, AK Steel Corp., Caterpillar Inc., Deere & Co. and Valero Energy announced similar accounting charges, saying the health care law that President Barack Obama signed Tuesday will raise their expenses. AT&T said the charge is to reflect the change of the tax treatment of Medicare subsidies. Companies say the health care overhaul will make a subsidy that companies receive for retiree drug coverage taxable...

AT&T Inc. plans to take a noncash $1 billion charge in the first quarter in anticipating the impact of changes brought by the nation's health-care overhaul. AT&T follows Deere & Co., Caterpillar Inc. and AK Steel Holding Corp. in taking the one-time charge. The companies are taking the charges now even though the impact of the health-care law won't be felt until 2013.

Less than a year ago, cap and trade was the policy of choice for tackling climate change. Environmental groups and their foes in industry joined hands to embrace the approach, a market-driven system that sets a ceiling on global warming pollution while allowing companies to trade permits to meet it. President Obama praised it by name in his first budget, and the authors of the House climate and energy bill passed last June largely built their measure around it. Today, the concept is in wide disrepute, with opponents effectively branding it “cap and tax,” and Tea Party followers using it...

Story #6: Obamacare Triples Tax on Seasonal Employees RUSH: I said earlier that we were not going to be distracted by all of this trumped-up, phony, used-for-cheap-political-purposes talk of Republicans inciting violence. "'With Obama's Government Takeover of Health Care, New Regulations Will Force Businesses to Pass Costs to Consumers and Hire Less Workers.'" This is from Katharine Seelye, Kit Seelye in: "'Employer Mandate Becomes Sticky Issue In Reconciling Bills,'" The New York Times's 'Prescriptions' Blog," October 31st last year. "'Those who are likely to be affected are those who work at smaller firms where coverage isn’t as comprehensive and their...

Like a drunken captain of a sinking ship who celebrates the fact that the crew was saved at the expense of the passengers, including the women and children, Nancy Pelosi hailed the approval of the final version of ObamaCare. The bill slaps heavy taxes on medical devices and prosthetics used by veterans, the elderly, the disabled, and even children. But it all was worth it, you know. It was most important that Barack Obama and the neo-Marxists in Congress get 'a win' under their belts. Republicans sought to delete these taxes but the Democrat-controlled Senate rejected that proposal, allowing the...

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - More than 30 million people tan indoors every year. The government expects to generate almost three billion dollars over ten years by taxing each of them 10%. This tax is part of the new Health Care law. "To have the government come in and just non-discriminately give us another tax like this is just one more blow. It is one more thing hurting our American dream," said Carla Plazas. Plazas owns New Life Tanning in Columbus and has been in the indoor tanning business for 10 years. She has been following the Health Care legislation and...

Bull markets always have to climb a wall of worry. This one also will have to climb a stairway of tax hikes. Democrats' health care overhaul (including the still-pending reconciliation bill) nearing the finish line would apply a 3.8% Medicare tax on investment gains earned by upper-income households starting in 2013. Along with a partial expiration of 2003 tax cuts at year-end, rates on long-term capital gains and dividends are due to jump in two steps from 15% to 23.8%. The big shift in tax policy is one that could raise the barrier to saving and investment in a savings-short...