Free Republic

A closed-door meeting of left-wing non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was held on January 16, 2003, in Washington, D.C. to consider how to apply international financial pressure through a global tax on the U.S. Bruno Jetin, a representative of ATTAC France, spoke to the gathering and acknowledged in private conversation that his group works hand-in-glove with the French Communist Party and the "Socialist parties on the Left." A representative of the embassy of France in the U.S. was listed as a participant. ATTAC stands for the Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens. The International ATTAC Movement...

On Wednesday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said that he thinks it’s sensible for 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris to argue for “fairer tax rates” but “I don’t know what the right number is” for what would be a fair tax rate. Co-host Joe Kernen asked, “So, Governor, just, if we went on a checklist, you like all the things that — you like Kamala Harris, not just against. So, what are — let me ask you, do you believe we should abolish the filibuster? … How about getting rid of...

Out of the blue, my 10-year-old son told me he didn't like Trump because Trump was going to give tax cuts to billionaires, but he liked Kamala because she was going to help the people who aren't rich. He didn't get this from school--he got it from a constant barrage of commercials. I've had no problems explaining other leftist follies to him, but explaining taxes to a 10-year-old? Do any of you know how to approach taxes with a 10-year-old?

Voters in Los Angeles are expressing skepticism of Measure A, a ballot initiative that would raise sales taxes in the county to provide more services to the homeless, expanding Measure H, which was passed by referendum in 2017. Measure H raised sales taxes by a quarter of a percent — and the homeless population kept rising. That rise was driven by a variety of factors, but access to generous services — like hotel rooms — may have been one of them. While opinion polls suggest that support for Measure A is near 50%, that is far lower than the nearly...

BISMARCK, N.D. (North Dakota Monitor) – Rick Becker, the driver of the statewide measure to essentially abolish property taxes, said he sees the fundraising efforts of the “vote yes” and “vote no” camps as a classic David-and-Goliath matchup. Supporters of Measure 4 have raised just over $105,000 for a group called End The Unfair Property Tax. The coalition opposed to Measure 4, Keep It Local, has raised more than $1.8 million, according to campaign finance reports available as of early Friday afternoon. Becker described the donors supporting Measure 4 as “regular North Dakota folks.” [snip] Education-related groups have made the...

When families receive an ESA, which is typically around half of what the state spends per public education student, the state saves money.Democrat lawmakers employ fear tactics claiming school choice will bankrupt their states. It’s a massive lie, and they know it. As a recent Wall Street Journal report notes, school choice programs provide enormous savings for a state’s budget — savings to the tune of millions of dollars each year.Martin F. Lueken reports in the Journal that “a recent EdChoice analysis of 48 school-choice programs across 26 states through 2022 estimates that school-choice programs generated cumulative net fiscal benefits...

Voters in North Dakota have a chance to put an end to property taxes. A ballot measure in North Dakota will give voters a choice to end property taxes in the Peace Garden State. Steve Moen, one of the many voices calling for property taxes to be abolished, shared, “The way our taxes are going, if this doesn’t pass, there’s going to be a lot of elderly citizens losing their homes.” Rick Becker, the chair of the organization, that helped put the measure on North Dakota’s state ballot, shared, “property taxes are the most egregious and least moral of all...

President Donald Trump lit it up over the weekend at McDonald's in Bucks County, PA. He worked the fry station and the drive thru window. It got all kinds of attention and he looked like he was in his element. The left lost their minds over it, which made it extra hilarious. It showed once again, Trump's natural ability to interact with people as opposed to Kamala Harris' lack of ability. It was a brilliant campaign move and brought epic images including this one. He was also cheered by steelworkers in Latrobe, PA and at the Pittsburgh Steelers game on...

Californians already paying the highest gas prices in the country could have another tax hike headed their way, if proposed changes to the state’s low carbon fuel standard are adopted. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) — which consists of board members appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Democrat-controlled legislature — is scheduled to vote just days after the election on a new proposal that would lower carbon emissions faster, but increase the cost of petroleum refineries. CARB has the authority to impose regulations without legislative oversight. Twenty-five Republicans are sounding the alarm and urging the board to delay...

Taxpayers are picking up the tab for Big Abortion in a big way — probably bigger than anything the average taxpayer would imagine. Taxpayer dollars are not only directly funding abortion, but are also paying for abortion facilities, abortion referral hotlines, abortion websites, and even abortion training in several states. MILLIONS IN STATE FUNDING Taxpayers in various states are now funding abortion, as private donations to abortion funding agencies allegedly dry up. National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) President Andrea Miller admitted as much in an interview with NPR, stating, “We’ve seen unrivaled action across states and localities at the...

Kamala Harris has made a lot of mistakes in her great cluster-foul-up of a presidential campaign, and one of the worst mistakes she has made was selecting Tim Walz, who went "pheasant hunting" in a too-obviously brand-new vest and cap and with a shotgun he didn't know how to load. The guy is a joke for any number of reasons, and on Tuesday we can add one more to the dogpile: The libertarian Cato Institute has released its annual scoring of state governors on spending and tax policy. Guess who came in dead last?Walz, who is Vice President Kamala Harris’s...

In Michigan, during remarks before the Detroit Economic Club, former President Trump vowed to make interest on car loans fully tax deductible, a proposal that would be a boon to the automobile industry in Michigan and elsewhere – and which is merely the latest promise in what has become a pattern. Trump told voters in Nevada that he would eliminate taxes on tips earlier this summer. The Republican nominee followed that up this fall by promising to restore the state and local tax deduction, a key tax deduction that he and congressional Republicans eliminated while president and which, if restored,...

With less than a month to Election Day, former President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a new tax break proposal. Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, the Republican presidential nominee said he would make the interest paid on car loans tax deductible. “That’s going to revolutionize your industry,” he said. “This will stimulate massive domestic auto production and make car ownership dramatically more affordable for millions and millions of working American families. This is a phenomenal thing, if I do say so myself." Detroit is home to automakers General Motors, Ford Motor Co. and Netherlands-based Stellantis N.V., owner of Chrysler....

If you’ve owned a home in the U.S. for at least a few years, its value has likely risen — maybe significantly. This is generally a good thing, since it can help raise your net worth, which can in turn lead to greater financial security. But there’s also a dark side: A rise in your home’s value can also mean a rise in your property taxes, which can strain your finances. Home values influence property taxes First, it helps to know how property taxes are calculated. Your property taxes are calculated by multiplying the “mill rate” by your property’s assessed...

Many Americans who return home after being illegally detained overseas arrive to find they've been billed thousands of dollars by the IRS—including late fees for unpaid taxes. That's the bizarre situation in which hostages Evan Gerskovich, Paul Whelan, and Vladimir Kara-Murza found themselves after they were released from detention in Russia last month. All three men say they faced a battery of surprise financial issues after returning home, including tax charges and hits to the credit stemming from bills they were unable to pay while behind bars. "I got one of those bills from the IRS saying, you owe this...

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke out against the Hillsborough County School Board’s lawsuit over a proposed property tax increase to help fund teacher salaries. “You do not need to raise anybody’s taxes,” the governor exclaimed in his most animated response to a question at a news conference in St. Petersburg on Wednesday. “Why are you trying to raise property taxes in the midst of some of the worst inflation we’ve seen in the modern history of this country?” During a special meeting Tuesday, the school board voted to file a lawsuit against the Hillsborough County Commission...

How Much Does Each American Pay? I am curious how much the cost per taxpayer is each time I hear that the administration is sending more money to Ukraine or reducing student debt or such other unconstitutional nonsense. The number of tax returns in 2021 was 153.6 million In 2021, more than 54 million taxpayers chose to file "married filing jointly," while roughly 3.9 million opted for "married filing separately." 100 million single returns mean 100 million individuals. 54 million joint returns mean 108 million individuals. 208 million individuals file tax returns. What is the cost per taxpayer when the...

There appears to be no Biden-Harris policy proposal too cuckoo-for-cocoa puffs for the well-oiled Soros machine to spin as a stroke of genius to manipulate its media coverage in a positive light. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), fueled with $6,230,000 by leftist billionaire George Soros between 2016 and 2022, pathetically attempted to swat down opponents to the Biden-Harris unrealized capital gains tax proposal for the 2025 budget. “Arguments Against Taxing Unrealized Capital Gains of Very Wealthy Fall Flat,” read the Sept. 11 CBPP headline. If that wasn’t bad enough, the CPBB played word games by spinning that...

In a city that has raised taxes by almost 25% over the past half-decade, the mayor has made the obvious suggestion: use your home's equity to hand over your wealth to keep the city's gravy train going. You will own nothing and be happy. ⚡South Portland Mayor Misha Pride tells seniors to take out a reverse mortgage to afford the city's sharp increase in property taxes. pic.twitter.com/auJK1pzAdt— The Maine Wire (@TheMaineWire) September 23, 2024It's a brilliant solution if you think about it. You worked all your life to buy your house outright, happy that you can pass along the value...

At the start of the summer, when former President Donald J. Trump visited Republicans on Capitol Hill, he hinted at a vision for a vastly different tax system than what the United States has employed for decades. Rather than taxing Americans on the money they earn at their jobs and on their investments, Mr. Trump instead suggested imposing a broad tax on the goods that Americans buy from abroad. In his view, such tariffs could replace income taxes as the main source of federal revenue. The idea, briefly floated behind closed doors, seemed to fizzle, and Mr. Trump did not...