Free Republic

Another apparent “sweetheart deal” negotiated by President Biden’s Justice Department in a politically charged case is drawing scrutiny.Former IRS contractor Charles Edward Littlejohn, who stole and helped publicize the confidential tax records of Donald Trump and an estimated 7,500 other wealthy Americans, could face little or no jail time when he’s sentenced later this month, because the DOJ allowed him to plead guilty to a single felony count.In a new court filing, prosecutors acknowledge the plea deal “does not account for the fact that he leaked thousands of individuals’ tax returns. His [sentencing] range would be the same today if...

Florida earned its reputation as the retirement capital of the US.. A fixed income in retirement can go a lot further in some states than others .. ... To make the most of your retirement savings, you should retire in a state where the cost of living and tax rates are friendly to retirees, if you have the resources to. You should also consider factors like the quality of the state's healthcare system and the abundance of activities that you enjoy.' Colorado, which ranked second for the best state to retire in 2024, offers similarly taxpayer-friendly conditions, with no estate...

Oh, the epitome of integrity! Filing lawsuits against Trump while running a ‘virtual tax preparation’ empire. Classic move, Mr. Castro! BREAKING: The man who has been filing lawsuits in every state to get Donald Trump removed from the 2024 election ballot has been arrested & charged with filing 17 sets of false tax documents to the IRS In total, John Anthony Castro has been charged with 33 counts of aiding the preparation of false tax returns. Prosecutors claim he ran a virtual tax preparation business that provided customers with tax returns beyond what they were actually owed, defrauding the government.

The latest Census Bureau data on population changes in America should have been a wake-up call to lawmakers in blue states and cities. The Census data provide even further evidence that “soak the rich” tax policies have incited a blue-state meltdown. California, New York, and Illinois all lost the most population last year. These states have nearly lost a combined 5 million people over the past decade. California and New York could both lose another three congressional seats by the end of the decade, and Illinois another two. Did I mention that these are the three states with the highest...

The struggling German population should be forced to pay a Ukraine tax to continue funding the war against Russia, a top economic advisor to the government has argued. Monika Schnitzer, the chairwoman of the German Council of Economic Experts, an advisory body to the government known locally as the “five sages” of the economy, declared this week that a special tax to send money to Ukraine should be added to the already hefty income tax levied against to population.

US Economist Dr. Arthur B. Laffer has suggested that the UK should implement tax measures first introduced by Former US President Ronald Reagan. Dr. Arthur B. Laffer stated that the UK could benefit from both the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Speaking to GB News, the former member of Reagan's Economic Policy Advisory Board said that the move by the UK government would make Britain's economy "great again". The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 was a law which enabled the largest tax cut in American history.

Big Apple Mayor Eric Adams has kicked open the door to tax hikes and city layoffs — blaming the Biden administration for the threatened wallops to taxpayer wallets. Adams has said his administration is struggling to close New York City’s expected $7 billion budget gap next year given whopping migrant costs — and added Sunday that the federal government has been AWOL in terms of financially helping with what is a nationally created problem.

The Local Government Revenue Recapture Act, is a law that allows cities, counties, and the state’s hundreds of different taxing bodies to “reacapture” their “lost” revenue [tax appeals] and also to shift the higher tax burden from the disappearing business property taxes to home owners, causing a near 30 percent jump in some cases in the burden on the state’s families. The act allows state taxing bodies to take the amount they “lost” to appeals refunds, total that up, and then just raise taxes that amount, effectively nullifying the appeals decisions and acting as a yearly new stealth, backdoor tax...

Hunter Biden faces 42 years in federal prison for nine tax and three gun charges filed by special counsel David Weiss. Per Weiss’ indictments: Weiss charged Hunter Biden on Thursday, asserting he was “engaged in a four-year scheme” to not pay at least $1.4 million in taxes “he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019 and to evade the assessment of taxes for tax year 2018 when he filed false returns.” “If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 17 years in prison,” the Department of Justice wrote regarding the tax indictment. “Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less...

Stacy Davis Gates owes more than $5,500, but makes more than $289,000 ... The progressive president of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) owes thousands in unpaid utility bills despite making an eye-popping salary ... Stacy Davis Gates owes the city of Chicago $5,579 in unpaid water, sewer and trash bills as of Nov. 7, 2023, despite bringing home "at least" $289,000 a year. Documents uncovered by the group show Davis Gates started a payment plan for the amount in July 2023, but quickly defaulted. ... This latest revelation adds to the mounting evidence of her hypocrisy. She spurns responsibility and...

The far-left and the far-right have been on the rise in Europe since the Great Recession of 2008. Much has been blamed for this. Growth has been sluggish in the EU since the crisis. Globalisation and free trade have made life less secure for both the working and middle classes.

Over the last several years, they have worked nonstop to ease the tax burden of their high-income constituents.. In the grand ballroom of American politics, Democrats have long waltzed to the melody of progressivism while ridiculing Republicans' preference for outdated tax cut tunes. Ironically, they don't want to pay for their style of big government with higher taxes on ordinary Americans, which their expansionary ambitions would require. Instead, they loudly proclaim that they want to tax the rich. It remains to be seen how true this is. Indeed, while Democrats profess their devotion to social justice and fight against income...

In addition to the off-year elections to be decided this November in Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Mississippi, a number of ballot initiatives will be voted on in other states. Perhaps the most consequential measure appearing on the November 2023 ballot, at least when it comes to fiscal policy, is found in Colorado, where voters will be asked whether they want to weaken the nation’s strongest tax and expenditure limit in exchange for property tax relief. Proposition HH, which was referred to the November ballot by Colorado lawmakers with the support of Governor Jared Polis (D), would weaken the state’s Taxpayer’s...

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her lefty Democratic Socialist comrades aren’t just targeting the 1 percenters anymore. The New York City congresswoman and her progressive posse are pushing to slam the “top 5%” of New Yorkers with a massive total $15 billion in state income-tax hikes that would hit households making just over $250,000 a year — well below millionaires’ row, an analysis says. The eye-popping proposed tax increase comes as a new study released Tuesday by Upgraded Points found that New York suffered the largest exodus of wealthy millennials ages 26 to 45 who made more than $200,000 than any...

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed into law an 11 percent tax on guns and ammunition Tuesday, describing the gun control measure as a “sin tax.” On August 23, 2023, Breitbart News reported that California Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D) was pushing legislation to create the 11 percent excise tax on firearm and ammunition sales in the state. He touted the bill as means to bring nearly $160 million in annual revenue for the state government. Former Assemblyman Marc Levine (D) voiced support for Gabriel’s excise tax because California is “facing a $31.5 billion budget gap,” the Sacramento Bee noted.

Excerpt from agenda of an upcoming webinar: An employee now living and working from home in Indiana would be subject to Indiana wage-hour laws even if the employee used to work in Illinois and the employer is still located in Illinois. Overtime rules, minimum wage rates, and permitted deductions from paychecks, even pay stub requirements are governed by where the employee is physically performing the work. The same applies to garnishments for child support and creditors.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is looking to hire over 3,700 additional tax enforcers as it ramps up its audit crackdown of higher-earning taxpayers, though a watchdog warns that Americans making less than $400,000 could get caught in the dragnet because the agency doesn't have a clear definition of "high-income." The IRS said on Sept. 15 that it had opened over 3,700 positions nationwide to assist with "expanded enforcement work" that focuses on complex partnerships, large corporations, and high-income earners. The compliance positions will be open in more than 250 locations across the United States and are part of a...

A Washington utility company jacked its rates on residents as a result of the Democrat-passed cap-and-trade program, but was prohibited from informing its customers as to the reason why, according to a new report. The Center Square reported that the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) approved a request by Puget Sound Energy earlier this month to raise its natural gas rates to cover the costs of Washington’s cap-and-trade program, part of the Climate Commitment Act, which was passed by the Democrat-controlled state legislature and signed into law by Democrat Governor Jay Inslee. However, the UTC mandated that Puget Sound...

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday joined a group of millionaires in their call for Group of 20 (G20) nations to tax the ultrarich. In an open letter to G20 heads of state, Sanders, along with more than 300 millionaires, economists and politicians, called on the world’s largest economies to enact new tax regimes — at both national and international levels — that will prevent the “ultra-rich” from being able to “avoid paying their dues.”

Legislative Democrats have been scheming to kill Colorado’s Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights, or TABOR, since before it was added to the state Constitution in 1992. Hardly a year goes by without a bill, proposal, “listening tour,” or lawsuit hatched to enable state legislators to spend money TABOR denies them. Now, they’re at it again. This time, they’ve proposed a Rube-Goldberg ballot initiative called Proposition HH. Some of its superficial details might seem novel — like lipstick on the proverbial pig — but it’s only the latest gambit in a political long-con that has gotten very, very old. That’s why the...