Free Republic

Canada has dramatically hiked duties on American steel imports after Donald Trump shut down trade talks. The country imposed an import quota late Friday and if it is exceeded, certain US metal will face a new 50 percent surcharge. Canada's Finance Minister, François-Philippe Champagne, said the government was acting to protect domestic industry from 'unjust US tariffs,' NBC News reported. The response came hours after Trump posted on Truth Social about how Canada is a 'very difficult country to trade with.' His reason for suspending trade negotiations came down to a tax Canada is set to impose on major tech...

OTTAWA – Canada’s insistence on taxing American tech companies for Canadian-sourced revenue has prompted the U.S. to walk away from ongoing trade negotiations. In a social media post on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced an immediate suspension of trade and tariff talks with Canada due to the Digital Services Tax (DST) – describing it as “egregious” and a “direct and blatant attack” on the U.S. “Based on this egregious tax, we are hereby terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,” Trump wrote on TruthSocial. “We will let Canada know the tariff that they will be paying to...

The ink is dry. Hawaii has officially become the first state in the nation to impose a climate tax. It’s called the Green Fee. The name sounds harmless. The impact is anything but. Senate Bill 1396 is now law. It tacks on a 0.75% increase to the Transient Accommodations Tax. That means every hotel stay, every short-term rental, every cruise ship docking in the islands will now carry a new surcharge. The state expects this to rake in $100 million annually. This isn’t a symbolic gesture. It’s a full-scale revenue engine. The money will be funneled into climate resilience projects....

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The One, Big, Beautiful Bill fulfills President Trump’s promise to seniors and provides welcome tax relief after four years of inflation robbed their retirement under President Biden. Each senior will receive an additional bonus of $4,000 to the standard deduction, putting more money in the pocket of millions of low- and middle-income seniors.

This actually falls under the "you won't believe this" section, but I felt it was worth sharing.

Beginning next year, visitors to Hawaii will be subject to a “climate impact fee” which aims to generate funds for mitigating future environmental challenges the state expects to face. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green signed Act 96 into law Tuesday, effectively approving a tax — also known as the “Green Fee” The law now increases the the state’s Transient Accommodation Tax (TAT) by .75%, to 11%. This fee will be applied to costs for tourism-related activities including hotels and cruise ships that dock in Hawaii. Unlike other state programs, the money generated won’t go into a dedicated special fund. Instead, the...

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s governor signed legislation Tuesday that boosts a tax imposed on hotel room and vacation rental stays in order to raise money to address eroding shorelines, wildfires and other consequences of climate change. The signing, which comes nearly two years after a Maui wildfire killed 102 people and wiped out almost all of Lahaina town, marks the nation’s first such levy to help cope with a warming planet. Officials estimate the tax will generate nearly $100 million annually. The money will be used for projects like replenishing sand on eroding Waikiki beaches, promoting the use of...

https://www.congress.gov/119/bills/hr1/BILLS-119hr1rh.pdf SEC. 110115. MAGA ACCOUNTS. (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter F of chapter 1 is amended by adding at the end the following new part: ‘‘PART IX—MAGA ACCOUNTS ‘‘SEC. 530A. MAGA ACCOUNTS. ‘‘(a) GENERAL RULE.—A MAGA account shall be exempt from taxation under this subtitle. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, such account shall be subject to the taxes imposed by section 511 (relating to imposition of tax on unrelated business income of charitable organizations). ‘‘(b) MAGA ACCOUNT.—For purposes of this section— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘money account for growth and advancement’ or ‘MAGA account’ means a trust created or organized in the United...

The “No Tax on Tips Act” passed in the Senate after a unanimous vote. At last, the Senate can agree upon one item. The legislation permits a tax deduction worth up to $25,000 for tips for workers earning under $160,000 as of 2025, with the figure expected to increase over the years along with inflation. The bill comes with a major caveat. The measure only applies to cash tips. It is well-known that service workers often underreport or fail to report their cash earnings. There is a high probability that this measure is to ensure that workers properly report their...

In a surprise move, the Republican-led Senate quickly passed the "No Tax on Tips Act" on Tuesday, giving its official stamp of approval to an idea that has gained traction since President Donald Trump campaigned on it in 2024. The legislation would create a new tax deduction worth up to $25,000 for tips, limited to cash tips that that workers report to employers for withholding purposes on payroll taxes. The tax break is also restricted to employees who earn earn $160,000 or less in 2025, an amount that will rise with inflation in upcoming years. The bill now goes to...

Members of law enforcement say no tax on overtime would be a “huge advantage” to them, and the White House shared their remarks following the “big, beautiful” bill jumping a key hurdle in the U.S. House on Sunday. The Trump White House shared a video of members of law enforcement explaining what no tax on overtime would do for them. One said it would be a “huge advantage to law enforcement across the country.” “We work sometimes 100 plus hours a pay period. It’s a lot of time taken away from the family. So that would be pretty special,” another...

Lawmakers from both parties fell asleep during an all-night hearing as Republicans successfully moved Trump’s “big, beautiful” bill to cut taxes and secure the border through its initial House committee. The House Ways and Means Committee held a 17-hour long hearing to discuss the merits of the “big, beautiful” bill that will extend the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, secure the border, rein in wasteful spending, and more. Although Republicans successfully advanced the bill out of committee, it did leave a toll on some lawmakers. Videos have emerged of Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) falling asleep.

Americans lambasted President George H. W. Bush for infamously vowing on stage at the 1988 Republican National Convention not to raise taxes on Americans, then supporting a tax hike as president two years later. History could repeat itself as President Donald Trump this week signaled his support for congressional Republicans raising taxes to accomplish the ambitious goals of his "big, beautiful bill," according to experts. "My opponent won't rule out raising taxes, but I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no. And they'll push and I'll say no. And they'll push again, and...

On 60 minutes, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said "people are going to have to start paying their fair share in taxes."

A Long Island suburb voted to wallop homeowners with a 87% property tax hike— with local officials saying the insane increase was necessary because of a years-long administrative goof. Atlantic Beach’s village board of trustees told residents the big number was needed because of how taxes were assessed by the county in recent decades but officials refused to give The Post further information or answer any questions. The Nassau County assessor said it was the village government that was improperly billing commercial properties. ... Though village officials blamed assessment quirks, some residents said part of the hike is to cover...

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois drivers: brace yourselves. The annual gas tax increase is about to kick in on July 1st, 2025. The automatic Motor Fuel Tax increases to account for inflation. Currently, Illinois residents pay the second-highest gas tax in the country, behind California. The gas tax is now 45 cents per gallon, but on July 1st it will go up to 48.3 cents per gallon. The average car holds between 12 and 16 gallons of gas, meaning drivers should expect to spend between .24 and .32 cents extra at the pump. The Motor Fuel Tax will account for...

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) reacted Monday evening to President Donald Trump’s proposed 100% tariff on movies made outside the U.S. by asking for a $7.5 billion tax credit for the industry instead. Trump made the tariff proposal Sunday as a way of shifting Hollywood production back to the U.S., after decades in which the industry sought to cut costs by filming in Canada or even as far away as South Africa. The president’s proposal drew applause from unions that represent “below the line” workers in the film industry, such as the Teamsters, which praised the president for taking American...

More than 8 in 10 likely voters want President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts extended before they expire at the end of this year, according to a new poll released as Congress rushes to finalize a “big, beautiful” bill making those provisions permanent. A Public Opinion Strategies survey exclusively obtained by The Post found 84% of possible US voters would back keeping the current tax rates if they were in Congress — while just 16% would favor a tax increase. By party affiliation, 95% of Republicans, 81% of independents and 74% of Democrats prefer the status quo in terms of taxation....

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Breitbart News exclusively he is targeting a July 4 deadline to get the big budget reconciliation plan that would extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts– adding no tax on tips, Social Security income, or overtime wages–to the president’s desk for his signature. This is welcome news for the president and his team, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also has recently said he hopes for a July 4 date for the package to be wrapped up. The package is also expected to fund more of the president’s immigration priorities, as well as...

Planning a vacation in Hawaii? Might be better to make it sooner rather than later as local lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travelers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. AP reports the first-of-its-kind impost will earmark the funding boost for programs to cope with “climate change” with the politicians responsible pointing to the wildfires that devastated parts of Hawaii in 2023 as evidence that something must be done. State leaders highlight projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses as a starting...