The top Republican tax-writer in Congress proposed restructuring the U.S. tax code to eliminate dozens of breaks to pay for reductions in the corporate and individual rates. The 979-page plan from Representative Dave Camp would mark the biggest changes to the U.S. tax system since 1986, affecting every part of the U.S. economy. The proposal includes new limits on breaks for health insurance, retirement savings and mortgage interest. The plan would repeal breaks for student loan interest, moving expenses, accelerated depreciation, and state and local taxes. [Bloomberg]
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One Wouldn’t Think You’d Have to Be Wary of a Tax Prep Business Called “420 Multiservices”
In the Bronx, no less.
According to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, Charles prepared tax returns at a tax preparation business called “420 Multiservices” in Bronx, N.Y., in 2006. Between 2006 and 2007, Charles, 34, Patterson, 29, Nekiya Edwards, 32, and Akmell Edwards, 33, engaged in a scheme to use stolen and other identification information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers, to file fraudulent tax returns.
[…]
According to the indictment, in March 2008, Patterson was approached by agents of the IRS-CID. During that encounter, Patterson threatened the agents, stating, among other things, “I know you guys got guns, so what,” and “That’s why I kill guys like you.”
Bronx Group Charged in Tax Refund Scheme and Threatening IRS Agents [AT]
A Romantic Tragedy: The Iowa Film Tax Credit Scandal
Once upon a time a little farm state was feeling sad. The state wasn’t poor. It wasn’t lonesome – strange, handsome and glamorous men were always courting her – but something was missing. What could it be?
Then a man whispered in her ear: you need glamor! And it’s in your grasp!
The little state blushed. “How can I, a little farm state, be glamorous like Hollywood?”
The man said: “You can buy glamour!” And he burst into song:
You’ve got glamor
Right here in River City!
Movies start with cash;
If I can be so brash;
Give me some tax credits!
So the smitten little state gave the man transferable film tax credits. She was so excited about glamor, she gave the tax credits away freely, and the glamor came:
We’ve relied on caucuses every four years to bring action and celebrities to town. Now, sightings are anytime, any place.
But something was wrong. The little state sensed amid the cocktail party laughter that the glamorous were laughing at her, not with her. She noticed that the glamorous people were driving away with shiny new cars that she was paying for. And she noticed that the tax credits were getting rather expensive.
So she cut off her tax credits. This made the glamorous people mad, and some of them sued her. But she caught some of the hapless glamorous people and had them locked up. She made the man who whispered in her ear about film credits confess that he had done a bad thing. She got mad at the man who handed out the tax credits for her and tried to put him in jail.
So the little state is sadder, but perhaps wiser. Which has an attraction of its own:
I flinch, I shy, when the lass with the delicate air goes by
I smile, I grin, when the gal with a touch of sin walks in.
I hope, and I pray, for a Hester to win just one more “A”
The sadder-but-wiser girl’s the girl for me.
The sadder-but-wiser girl for me.
The moral of our story? If you fund it, they will come. And loot your purse. And laugh at you.
Eric Cantor Will Not Be Entertaining Any of This Talk of Compromise on Tax Cuts
The presumed next Majority Leader in the House has gone on the record (with Fox News no less) that any pragmatism on the President’s part will be slapped away like a homeless vet’s outstretched hand:
The Obama administration’s hopes of reaching a tax deal with Republicans that would decouple rates on the rich from the middle class appear dead.
House GOP Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) threw cold water on the proposed plan, which would temporarily extend tax cuts for the wealthy while permanently extending tax cuts for the middle class. “Taxes shouldn’t be going up on anybody right now,” Cantor said.
So, in other words President Obama, you can take any of this “compromise” talk and stick it in your tea because that’s what was mandated by the people:
“This election … was really the American people saying they are tired of the lack of results in Washington,” he said. “They want to see more jobs for more Americans. They want to see us … cut government spending, rein in the size of government so we can get this economy growing again. That was the prescription, that was the mandate that came from the people.”
So a fair amount of ellipsises there, so maybe he’s not exactly sure what he’s saying but Cantor is a fool if he thinks that “cutting government spending” and” reining in the size of government” is not part of the GOP agenda despite what Paul Ryan writes in the Financial Times.
Security Agency spending seems to be a pretty big piece of the shopping spree; doesn’t it make sense to start there? If not, are we going to continue buying predator drones on the credit card and cut education again since raising taxes is absolutely out of the question?
Cantor, Republicans signal Obama tax proposal is dead in the water [The Briefing Room/The Hill]