income taxes
Weekend humor from Celia Rivenbark: Clarence Thomas meets Blanche at H&R Block
“Mr. Thomas! Clarence Thomas! Yes, please have a seat in that last cubicle on the left and our Gold Star Tax Preparer Blanche will be right with you. We’re so happy you have chosen H&R Block!” CT: “Thanks. I meant to come by weeks ago, so I guess I’ll need an extension. Usually, the wife […]
NC Senate Republicans disagree with House counterparts on vouchers, tax cuts
Both Senate Republicans and House Republicans want tax cuts more spending on private school vouchers, but their ideas differ in the details. The differing tax and school voucher proposals could end up as points of conflict in the House and Senate budget proposals. Senate Republicans have lined up behind a universal school voucher program that […]
The political right’s efforts to defund the IRS are an attack on societal health and well-being
The Internal Revenue Service needs a lot more funding and staff – not less In December of 2019, my mom died. A couple of months later, the pandemic overtook American society and as with so many other aspects of modern life that quickly took on an extra level of complexity and difficulty during those harrowing and chaotic months, settling her affairs got a good deal more challenging. One notable example: dealing with her taxes.
Child poverty estimates point to a record low in 2021 – here’s how it could have been even lower
The U.S. government will likely report in September 2022 that for 2021 its most accurate measure of child poverty was the lowest on record. This was due, in large part, to generous government benefits. Our research suggests child poverty in 2021 would have been even lower had the government made it easier for families to receive these benefits.
Durham businessman: Let’s make billionaires pay taxes the way the rest of us do
Rising inflation and the escalating cost of everything from gas to houses made Tax Day 2022 even more significant for many Americans this year. Rising economic anxiety collided with middle class tax bills as families worried about the future and made plans to tighten their belts. The nation’s 700 billionaires face no such worries, however. […]
NC’s tax code reinforces racial exclusion; Senate’s proposed budget would make matters worse
New tool allows policymakers to assess and improve the impact of tax policy on racial equity Tax policy is not race-neutral, and specific tax policy designs can be traced to outcomes that have blocked Black, Indigenous, and brown people from reaching their full potential and achieving a high quality of life. Right now, the General […]
The weekend’s most insightful op-ed explains why the rich should pay higher taxes
When you get a minute, be sure to check out Paul Krugman’s Saturday column in the New York Times, in which he lauds newly-elected New York Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez for her proposal to dramatically increase taxes on the rich. Ocasio-Cortez has drawn fire from lots of grumpy old conservatives for saying that marginal tax rates […]
Low-income taxpayers in NC pay more of their income in state and local taxes each year than the richest taxpayers
A new study released today by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) finds that the North Carolina tax system is regarded as the 31st most regressive because low-income taxpayers are asked to pay more in state and local taxes as a share of their income compared to the rich. The study, Who Pays? […]
Remarks by Rep. Paul Luebke on the House budget
The full transcript of the remarks by Rep. Paul Luebke today during the House debate on the budget. (Watch his remarks beginning at the 16:30 mark.) My concern looking at this bill is that it’s not placed in the proper context. And the context is the needs of the state and decisions that have been […]
Why people are boycotting TurboTax and H&R Block this year
Both Dylan Matthews at Vox (“Why I’m boycotting TurboTax this year”) and Josh Hoxie at Inequality.org (“The call for boycotting TurboTax”) made a compelling case this week for boycotting the mega-corporations to whom so many of us turn to do their taxes. Both posts are definitely worth your time. This is from Matthews’: “It’s tax […]
Editorial explains “sleight of hand” behind NC’s budget “surplus”
The lead editorial in this morning’s Charlotte Observer offers a compelling explanation and critique of yesterday’s “April surprise” in which state leaders announced that North Carolina has eked out a 2% budget surplus. The bottom line explanation: the Great Tax Shift in which average folks are paying more and the rich and corporations are paying […]
Mom explains to kids why she’s proud to pay on tax day
Editor’s note: The following post by Beth Messersmith, NC Campaign Director with MomsRising.org, is the latest installment in “Raising the Bar,” a new series of essays and blog posts authored by North Carolina leaders highlighting ways in which North Carolina public investments are falling short and where and how they can be improved. This week […]