Category Archives: Legislation

Back to the Old Drawing Board

I’ve written before about certain states’ efforts to get around the new $10,000 cap on state and local taxes that can be deducted on federal tax returns. The IRS announced today they will be proposing regulations later this year on … Continue reading

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Taxes Matter (2018 Version), Part 1

Those on the left constantly chirp that taxes don’t matter. Those of us who prepare tax returns can state as fact you’re wrong. I moved my business because of taxes and regulations. Here are two other examples from today that … Continue reading

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The Good, Bad, and Ugly of the Tax Extenders

As write this it’s February 21st. About ten days ago Congress, in its unending wisdom, decided to extend certain “Tax Extenders” that they had let expire at the end of 2017. Yes, the undead have risen again! As soon as … Continue reading

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Tax Law Signed; New Year Likely to Bring Lots of New S-Corporations

President Trump signed the tax reform legislation into law. While there are many changes for 2018, one of the biggest is the new Section 199a deduction. This allows a 20% writeoff of net income for sole proprietors, owners of S-Corporations, … Continue reading

Posted in Entity Formation, Legislation | Tagged | 5 Comments

Conference Committee Agrees on Details of Tax Legislation; Measure Likely to Pass Next Week

The House and Senate conferees did indeed agree on tax ‘reform’ legislation. The bill will make great bedtime reading as it’s only 1,097 pages. The Tax Foundation has a great summary of the legislation. Here are some highlights; note that … Continue reading

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GOP Tax Proposal Targets Professional Gamblers’ Losing Years

The Joint Committee on Taxation released its new tax proposal, H.R. 1, today. Buried within it is Section 1305: SEC. 1305. LIMITATION ON WAGERING LOSSES. (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 165(d) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘For purposes … Continue reading

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Trump’s Tax Plan

President Trump released his tax “plan.” That’s an overstatement; the plan is really an outline. Gone would be the Alternative Minimum Tax, the Estate Tax, and most itemized deductions; there would be three tax brackets with the top tax bracket … Continue reading

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What Will President Trump Do To Our Taxes?

When I woke up this morning I discovered yet another impossible item just happened (the Cubs really did win the World Series, right?). The media was saying that Hillary Clinton was going to be President. Oops. So what will President-Elect … Continue reading

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A Bipartisan Tax Bill? I’ll Drink to That!

There hasn’t been much bipartisanship on Capitol Hill recently. But there is a piece of legislation that is being proposed by both Democrats and Republicans. It’s to end age discrimination against bourbon and whiskey. You didn’t know that there was … Continue reading

Posted in Kentucky, Legislation, Tennessee | 2 Comments

Speaking of Efficiency

I do know how we can improve the Tax Code: Force Congresscritters to do their own taxes. I have an instructive vignette on why this is the case. A friend of mine was hired by a major tax software company … Continue reading

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