Tax Policy & IRS News
The Daily Signal reports on tax legislation, reform efforts, and tax enforcement by the IRS. Get conservative analysis on how tax policies and cuts affect families, businesses, and America’s fiscal outlook.
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How Taxpayers Bankroll Luxury Travel for State AGs and Family Members
Taxpayers are funding expensive international travel of state attorneys general and family members—or what some critics call “junkets”—by paying for their membership in the Attorney General Alliance, a group that has come under scrutiny for ties to lobbyists and corporate donors in recent years. States pay annual $18,000 membership dues to the AGA, which covers…Fred Lucas -
The Shameful Call for Clemency of a Tax Return-Stealing Felon
It is bad enough that President Joe Biden has pardoned hundreds of drug dealers, embezzlers, thieves, and other dangerous criminals; commuted the death sentences of dozens of murderers; released ruthless terrorists from Guantanamo Bay so they can unleash more brutality into the world; and to top it all off, given his son a “get-out-of-jail-free card”…Hans von Spakovsky -
Felon Who Stole and Leaked Trump’s Tax Returns on Biden’s Clemency List
REALCLEAR INVESTIGATIONS—The Biden administration is formally considering commuting the sentence of the convicted felon who stole and leaked incoming President Trump’s tax records along with those of thousands of other taxpayers, in the biggest tax data heist in U.S. history. A search of the Justice Department’s pardon database reveals Charles Edward Littlejohn—who just began his five-year sentence…Paul Sperry -
Deport Millions, Finish the Wall, Tax Remittances, and End Birthright Citizenship
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. I want to talk about illegal immigration. You know, this is the point in our history that we’ve never been before. We have not a porous…Victor Davis Hanson -
Fulton County Taxpayers Pay for Fani Willis’ Outrageous Misbehavior—Again
Imagine if you went to Hollywood trying to attract investors for the following movie plot: an incompetent, unethical, but politically ambitious local district attorney criminally indicts a former president (of the opposition political party) and some of his political allies in an abusive prosecution. It is intended to obstruct his ability to run for re-election,…Hans von Spakovsky -
PBS Hosts Far-Left Smear Factory to Demonize Trump—Using Your Tax Dollars
PBS, backed by your tax dollars, hosted the leader of a group that compares conservatives to the KKK, and she used the opportunity to demonize President-elect Donald Trump. Then PBS hosted one of her close allies who suggested that America failing to elect Vice President Kamala Harris emboldens misogyny. The two segments make a rather…Tyler O’Neil -
Your Tax Dollars Not at Work
Government excels at NOT getting things done. But politicians promise more things anyway. Kamala Harris declared that our government would “build thousands of miles of fiber-optic cable!” This “broadband connectivity agenda” was supported by “every House Republican on Energy and Commerce,” write Republican representatives. Three years later, not a single person has been connected. Why?…John Stossel -
Here’s How Much Taxpayers Spent on ‘Gender Transition’ Services for Kids
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—The Biden-Harris administration opened the door for a massive increase of taxpayer-funded transgender interventions, including child sex-change surgeries, and the Daily Caller News Foundation has obtained enough data to give a partial estimate of the cost. From January 2018 to September 2023, 16 states spent more than $165 million funding “gender transition…Megan Brock -
No Tax on Tips
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge. Will Donald Trump end tax on tips? Will he go all the way and end tax on everything? During the campaign, our 47th president made a big, beautiful series of promises about things he would exempt from the…Peter St. Onge -
‘FEELING THE SQUEEZE’: Most Hispanics Say Country’s on Wrong Track, Taxes Are Too High
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—According to a recent poll, fully 75% of Hispanic voters think the country is on the wrong track. Even among self-identified Hispanic Democrats, 63% of those polled held that view. The survey—conducted online by Public Opinion Strategies for Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy group—found that Hispanics, by margins of…Christina Lewis -
With Tax Cuts Ending Next Year, Americans Firmly Oppose Paying More
Regardless of who is in the White House come Jan. 20—whether Donald Trump or Kamala Harris—the next president will face a deadline at the end of 2025 that could trigger a tax increase for Americans across all 50 states. A recent survey by Americans for Prosperity, a grassroots organization that seeks to transform policy around…Christina Lewis -
STEALING HOME: Local Governments’ Shocking Property Tax Grabs
Sometimes, politicians steal people’s homes. Really. If homeowners miss property tax payments, even if they never received the bills, some towns grab the whole house and keep the proceeds. All the proceeds. Even if the total is much more than the property tax owed. I reported on this (mal)practice a couple years ago. Since then,…John Stossel -
Do You Know Where Your Tax Dollars Go? Now You Can
Open the Books was founded in 2011 on a simple principle: Taxpayers deserve to know where their money is going and how it’s being spent. Americans are paying “property taxes to fund local education, so wouldn’t you like to know where that money is going?” asks Matthew Tyrmand, deputy director at large of the Florida-based…Virginia Allen -
Lawmakers Push New Student Loan ‘Forgiveness’ Proposal, Burdening Taxpayers With Billions
After a pause in student loan repayments during the COVID-19 pandemic, borrowers have started paying again. But if history is any guide, some student loan borrowers will pay next to nothing—and after 10, 20, or 25 years, taxpayers, not borrowers, will be forced to pay the outstanding balances. Now, some members of Congress are trying…Jonathan Butcher -
Voters Moving Right on Tax Cuts, Poll Shows
A national survey released weeks before the Nov. 5 presidential election shows most voters know little about the personal impacts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which is set to expire at the end of 2025. The survey, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies on behalf of Stand Together, shows that 76% of voters, an…Salena Zito -
The Danger of Taxing Unrealized Capital Gains
Some ideas are like horror movie villains. They’re dangerous, and no matter how many times they’re defeated, they never seem to die. The misguided idea of taxing unrealized capital gains is back on the scene. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., floated a proposal to tax unrealized capital gains in 2021. It was widely debated in 2022,…Preston Brashers -
Kamala Unveils $5 Trillion Tax in Hikes Targeting Small Businesses, Employees, More
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge. Kamala Harris’ economic plan is taking shape, starting with $5 trillion in new taxes—because Washington clearly does not have enough money to spend. In the past fortnight alone, Harris has promised to hike taxes on small businesses to…Peter St. Onge -
Kamala Harris Looks to Jack Up Corporate Tax Rate as President
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Vice President Kamala Harris is looking to raise the corporate tax rate to 28% if elected president, NBC News reported on Monday. The federal corporate tax rate in the U.S. is currently 21%, as enshrined in former President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. But Harris seeks to move the tax rate…Jake Smith -
Bill Would End Taxpayer-Funded Union Activities by Federal Employees
“Official time” is an oxymoron that conveniently misleads federal taxpayers. When federal employees are on “official time,” they’re not doing the jobs they were hired for. Instead, they’re released from their official duties and working for their union—all while getting their taxpayer-funded federal employee salaries and benefits. Some lawmakers believe this needs to stop….Rachel Greszler -
‘Usurpation of Parental Rights’: District’s ‘Gender Inclusion’ Training Costs Taxpayers $1.5K
The South Pasadena Unified School District in California paid an organization that wants a “more inclusive world for gender-diverse children and teens” $1,500 for a three-hour workshop on so-called gender inclusion in 2022. The workshop at the Southern California district included training on creating “Gender Support Plans” using Gender Spectrum’s form, which hides a child’s…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell