Costly Internet Tax Could Be On The Horizon

RACHEL STOLTZFOOS

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Web users will face billions of dollars in new taxes if Congress allows a ban on Internet taxes to expire in December.

The Internet Tax Freedom Act prevents state and local governments from taxing Internet use, and has been reauthorized every three years since 1998. If it is not reauthorized in December, consumers and businesses could face $14.7 billion in new taxes, according to a new American Action Forum report.

Extension of the ban has wide support in Congress, but this time it could be linked to a much more controversial bill, the Marketplace Fairness Act, that would allow states to collect a sales tax on Internet goods sold in the state by companies located online or outside of the state.

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Cook County Use Tax Declared Invalid by Illinois Appellate Court

Increasing Revenue by Lowering Taxes

June 23, 2014

RONALD D. ROTUNDA

Lawyers and economists know that there are two primary purposes of taxes: one is to raise funds for the government; the other is to discourage activity. If we want less of something, we tax it. For example, if the federal government raised the tax rate on cigarettes or alcohol, it might raise more revenue, but the primary purpose of the tax is to discourage the activity taxed, to change behavior.

If the purpose of the tax is to raise funds for the government, the tax rate must not be too high, or the government will collect less than if it had set the rate lower. Lower tax rates can produce more revenue than higher tax rates for the same reason that Wal-Mart, with its lower prices, makes more money than Tiffany & Co. For example, when the United States has lowered the capital gains rate, it has collected more in capital gains taxes. When it raises the rate, it collects less in taxes.

- See more at: http://verdict.justia.com/2014/06/23/increasing-revenue-lowering-taxes#sthash.8JUQx84O.dpuf

SAY OF THE DAY - Mark Twain

SAY OF THE DAY:  “What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.” -Mark Twain http://www.40billion.com/post/15896 Image salon.com

Churches that practice politics should have their tax-exempt status revoked

"Some Catholics are attacking me now, for talking about the pope's socialism," Savage said to his audience, adding:

The Catholic Church is also stepping out of its bounds by demanding amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.

They're only doing this to fill up the pews. You know it's true.

It has nothing to do with compassion. It's a business.

Once a church or any other religious organization steps over the boundaries of religion and starts practicing politics, they've violated the separation of church and state.

They should either lose their tax-exempt status or they should get back to their preaching and not their teaching.

We're seeing tremendous pressure on America right now, from religious figures who want the illegals to refill their empty pews.

I'm a faith-based talk show host. How many times have I quoted the Bible on my show?

Yet the Catholic blogs still attack me.

Visit the Michael Savage website here. 

WHERE THE TAX MONEY COMES FROM IN ILLINOIS

MATT DIETRICH  

MAY 11, 2014 4774 0

Source: Illinois Department of Revenue

In late 2011, State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Decatur, introduced a bill to lop Cook County off of Illinois. The bill said, in essence, that Cook County was very liberal while the rest of the state leaned conservative, and both sides should be allowed to go their own way politically. The bill didn’t give much consideration to where the money comes from that makes Illinois what it is.

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HERE’S HOW ILLINOIS TAX DOLLAR IS SPENT

REBOOT ILLINOIS  

MAY 6, 2014 

Do the state’s budget priorities match yours?

Here is a breakdown of Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal for 2015. Quinn and the General Assembly have between today and May 31 to get details hammered out for the budget year that begins July 1.

The education portion of this budget includes $4 billion in pension contributions to the Teachers Retirement System and State University Retirement System. The government services portion includes $1.2 billion in required state pension payments. This breakdown is based on a General Revenue Fund of $32.2 billion. (Click here and scroll to chapter 2, page 15 for more detail.)

In other words, 16.1 cents of the dol

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Freedom, Taxes, and Forced Labor: A Strange Brew of Libertarianism and Marxism

April 28, 2014

NEIL H. BUCHANAN

Every Spring, as the tax-filing season gets into full swing, a passel of anti-tax lobbying organizations attempts to scare and outrage the public by pointing to our supposedly high and oppressive taxes. Most of those organizations use the April 15 filing deadline as an occasion to inveigh against Leviathan, taking advantage of the press’s reliable desire to find tax-relevant stories for a few weeks in late March and early April.

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ILLINOIS: “WORST POSSIBLE STATE TO LIVE IN?”

CAITLIN WILSON  

APR 25, 2014 1935 1

If you could live in any other state in the country, which would you choose? Twenty-five percent of Illinoisans might not choose Illinois, according to a new Gallup poll.

The poll, which surveyed more than 600 people from all 50 states, found that Illinois residents were the most likely to say that their state is the “worst possible” state to live in, with a quarter of those polled in Illinois responding that way. Only 3 percent said that Illinois is the best state to live in, though 19 percent said it was “best or one of the best.”

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Tax season unleashes cyberscams

By Parija Kavilanz  @CNNMoney March 18, 2014: 1:01 PM ET

Small businesses beware: The IRS never sends emails with tax documents. Cybercrooks send bogus emails like these to access important data.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney)

As if tax season isn't stressful enough, cybercriminals are also out in full force, looking to unleash attacks against unsuspecting small businesses.

Cybercrooks often use current events to disguise their attacks, said Kevin Haley, director of Symantec Security Response.

In 2011, for example, the royal wedding triggered a huge spike in spamming emails. Similarly, the annual tax filing season creates a perfect storm for cyberschemes.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/03/18/smallbusiness/tax-cyberscams/index.html

Supreme Court Takes Up Patent Eligibility Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a deeply divided ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on the standard for determining whether and to what extent computer software deserves patent protection.

http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2013/12/supreme-court-takes-up-patent-eligibility-case.html?kw=Supreme%20Court%20Takes%20Up%20Patent%20Eligibility%20Case&et=editorial&bu=National%20Law%20Journal&cn=20131206&src=EMC-Email&pt=Legal%20Times%20Afternoon%20Update