Free Republic

Texas Democrat Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett called for black Americans to be exempt from paying taxes when asked about reparations for slavery. The 43-year-old then went on to suggest it may not succeed because many poorer black people 'aren't really paying taxes in the first place'. Crockett, a liberal freshman in the House who has called Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott's immigration policy 'insane' and that his new laws aim 'to kill people,' made the statement on 'The Black Lawyers Podcast' last week. When the host asked her about reparations - often on many far left politicians and activists wish lists...

The new "EV Tax" is the highest in the nation and will likely put the brakes on EV adoption in the Garden State. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With the stroke of a pen, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has unplugged the state's pro-electric-vehicle position, signing into law a new EV road tax that is the highest of its kind in the nation. Starting in July, New Jersey EV owners must pay an annual $250 road tax fee in an effort to offset the state's loss in fuel tax revenue. The new fee will increase by $10 each of the next four years until...

How Putin is selling Russians a bitter pill in sweet coating - NEW TAXES WILL BE FAIR FOR THE POOR! Half hour of monologue, rest will be Q&A with comments. Details of growing up in Russia, 1991 collapse of USSR, taxes in Russia and what it goes to in USSR.

"Never trust a man who lays his hand on his heart when he assures you of anything," goes the old axiom. That's why I never trust a Democrat who makes any promise ever about a federal agency or program. Take Medicare. In 1966 when Medicare began, it cost $3 billion. The House Ways and Means Committee estimated that Medicare would cost about $12 billion by 1990. Instead, it cost $107 billion and today costs the government close to a trillion dollars.So when Joe Biden and the Democrats assured Americans and Republicans in Congress that the $80 billion the president wanted...

Two things keep the IRS out of most people's hair: the annual gift tax exclusion and the lifetime exclusion. Nerdy takeaways: * A gift tax is a tax owed on the transfer of money or property to another person while receiving nothing or less than full value in return. * The gift giver is the one who generally pays the tax, not the receiver. * If you give more than the annual gift tax limit, you may have to file a gift tax return, but this does not necessarily mean that you'll owe taxes on the gift. * The 2024...

Protests erupted across the country against the federal carbon tax on Monday — the same day it rose by 23 per cent — while Canada's only Liberal provincial leader pressed for an emergency meeting to discuss alternative ways to cut emissions. In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey called for an emergency meeting of leaders throughout Canada, arguing the program is too costly for his province and doesn't work as intended. Instead, Furey is urging the federal government to make "bold investments" in infrastructure and incentives akin to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act...

The Vermont Legislature is advancing legislation requiring big fossil fuel companies pay a share of the damage caused by climate change after the state suffered catastrophic summer flooding and damage from other extreme weather. “In order to remedy the problems created by washed out roads, downed electrical wires, damaged crops and repeated flooding, the largest fossil fuel entities that have contributed to climate change should also contribute to fixing the problem that they caused,” Sen. Nader Hashim, a Democrat from Windham County, said to Senate colleagues on Friday. It’s a polluter-pays model affecting companies engaged in the trade or business...

It was dark. It was early — 6:20 A.M., in fact. Seventy miles per hour — a bit over the speed limit, yes, but nothing unusual for a rural highway at that time of day. Or an interstate at any time of day, for that matter. And there she was, suddenly in the headlights, just...standing there. It all happened so very, very fast. I swerved, desperately attempting to miss her. I failed. I hit her at an angle, but still in the head and chest. At least I can rest easy knowing that she didn’t suffer. That doe died instantly,...

Colorado Democrats are pushing an 11 percent excise tax on gun and ammunition sales, as well as numerous other California-style gun controls. There is a public hearing on the excise tax proposal today, and Colorado Springs firearms instructor Ana Flanell is urging the public to rally against the tax. On Easter Sunday she posted to X: “Join me at the Capitol tomorrow to testify against this “sin” tax. Self-defense is our right and we should not be taxed an outrageous 11% to exercise our Second Amendment rights. I’ve included a screenshot below of what to select when signing up. Let’s...

Critics are blasting a "rain tax" Toronto is proposing to charge homeowners, Newsweek reported. City officials are proposing to hit homeowners with a "stormwater charge" according to how much their properties' water runoff would impact the storm sewer system, the magazine said, adding that it's an attempt to encourage citizens to keep grass and plants on their properties rather than paving outdoor square footage. Newsweek, citing Toronto city authorities, said the charge would be based on each property's hard surface area, including roofs, driveways, parking lots, and other concrete landscaping. "Stormwater is rain and melted snow. When not absorbed into...

Pesident Biden is pushing for trillions in tax hikes during an election year, despite experts warning it would reduce economic output and have other dire effects. It may be popular with the anti-corporate elements of potential voters, but tax experts say it's a mistake. "The tax increases would substantially increase marginal tax rates on investment, saving, and work, reducing economic output by 2.2 percent in the long run, wages by 1.6 percent, and employment by 788,000 full-time equivalent jobs," according to a recent Tax Foundation analysis. "On a gross basis, we estimate Biden’s FY 2025 budget would increase taxes by...

New York City officials are forecasting overdue property taxes will surge to a record $880 million in the current fiscal year — and they say it’s because they’ve lost the power to enforce punishments for delinquencies. The staggering figure — forecast for the fiscal year ending in June — marks a jump of more than 30% from three years ago, according to an offering document for a city general obligation bond sale Tuesday obtained by Bloomberg. “It’s not just the absolute dollar amount that I think should worry us all,” Preston Niblack, the city’s finance commissioner, said at a City...

My tax return is being held so the IRS can review it. The letter says they want to verify several things including “Itemized Deductions”! I use the standard deduction. I’m guessing it has to do with my voter registration as a republican. Anyone else experiencing this? Cheers!

FIRST ON FOX: A coalition of 18 states is calling on the Biden administration to terminate a taxpayer-funded tax filing preparation program, characterizing it as wasteful, unnecessary and flawed. In a letter Monday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Daniel Werfel, 21 top financial officials from 18 states said the costs of the IRS Direct File program "far outweigh any potential benefits" and will create new issues for taxpayers and states, alike. In May 2023, Yellen ordered the IRS to move forward with the first-of-its-kind program, which is funded by the...

Hollywood has reportedly received a whopping $25 billion in state tax incentives to date — a win for studios like Disney and Netflix but a big “L” for ordinary taxpayers, who are footing the bill for the giveaways. Frequently championed by Democrats, state tax credits for movie and TV productions are intended to juice local economies by creating jobs and boosting revenue for small businesses that provide services like catering and transportation. That, in turn, is supposed to generate more tax dollars.

Finance expert John Williams has recently analyzed California's new tax policies, which include the introduction of a wealth tax targeting affluent residents and an exit tax for those relocating out of the state.

Voters in Chicago have voted against a proposed tax increase that many believe was a backdoor effort to raise money in order to support the city's growing migrant crisis. During Tuesday's primary election, voters were asked whether they would support increasing levies on high-valued real estate sales to address the problem of homelessness. The vote appears to have failed by a margin of 54 to 46 percent. The city's far-left Democratic Mayor, Brandon Johnson, had claimed that the money would be used to tackle the issue of homelessness. However, opponents pointed out that the Chicago City Council maintained the right...

A group of progressive lawmakers is renewing its push to increase taxes on the country’s wealthiest people. The proposal, reintroduced Tuesday, would create a 2 percent tax on households that are worth more than $50 million and a 3 percent tax on households worth more than $1 billion. It would affect the wealthiest 100,000 households in the country, according to the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), USA Today first reported. “Today I’m re-introducing my Ultra-Millionaires Tax so that when someone makes it really big—earning over $50 million—they have to chip in 2 cents on the next dollar,” Warren said...

In their annual one-house budget resolutions, Democratic majorities in the state Assembly and Senate laid out their negotiating position for this year’s budget deal with Gov. Hochul. They’ve decided to spend more — $13 billion more than the governor’s already-record $233 billion executive budget. And tax high earners and corporations more too, despite Hochul’s opposition.

Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra refused to explain Thursday why “hardworking Americans should pay” for foreign lawbreakers’ healthcare when grilled by Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso. Barrasso detailed how cities are being overwhelmed by illegal immigrants draining their resources and putting a massive strain on health funds and infrastructure, noting Denver Health saw more than 20,000 illegally present foreigners seeking medical care in 2023. Denver Health is “at a critical, critical point” as costs pile up, CEO Donna Lynne said, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. “Can you please explain why it is the responsibility of hard-working American...