I've heard several newscasters claim the recent GOP victories indicate the wind is blowing in a different direction. Maybe they need a new weather vane. ...more

November 9, 2009

Paying more taxes now so you won't have to pay them later sure doesn't sound like a great deal during a recession. ...more

March 29, 2009

Though spring has not officially sprung yet, it's not too early to make plans for school-age children to attend the county's 2009 Summer Fun Camp. ...more

March 18, 2009

There are unclaimed refunds totaling approximately $1.3 billion for those who did not file a federal income tax return for 2005, according to the Internal Revenue Service. ...more

March 8, 2009

The government's new stimulus plan offers tax breaks that will help millions of taxpayers when they do their 2009 returns next year. ...more

March 6, 2009

Mary Ritchie, a Massachusetts State Police trooper, has been married for almost five years and has two children. But when she files her federal income tax return, she's not allowed to check the "married filing jointly" box. That's because Ritchie and her spouse, Kathleen Bush, are a gay couple, and the federal Defense of Marriage Act makes them ineligible to file joint tax returns. Now Ritchie, Bush and more than a dozen others are suing the federal government, claiming the act discriminates against gay couples and is unconstitutional because it denies them access to federal benefits that other married couples receive, such as pensions and health insurance. Plaintiffs also include Dean Hara, the widower of former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay member of the House of Representatives. ...more

March 3, 2009

At least for the next year or so, nearly every household with an income below $500,000 is likely to get at least a tiny tax cut. ...more

February 15, 2009

Congress downsized a tax break for new car buyers. The compromise version of the economic stimulus bill includes a Senate-approved provision that would allow consumers to claim a federal income tax deduction for sales taxes and excise taxes paid on new vehicle purchases. ...more

February 14, 2009

A Nanny State I read with interest in the Trib that the Democratic Congress had passed a law to delay the change from analog television to digital until summer. We have had three years of constant public announcements and millions of dollars in certificates to get new boxes, and some people are still not on board. ...more

February 6, 2009

This is not only a new year. It also is the birth of the Union of the Socialist States of America (USSA). Reminds one of the failed union of socialist Soviet Republics (USSR), doesn't it? No, I'm not referring to an association of American states, such as Cuba, Venezuela and Bolivia. I have in mind what was once the economically responsible and stable, capitalistic, free-enterprise, United States of America. ...more

January 11, 2009