Taxes

Consumers experience the pernicious effects of inflation every time they shop. And, in a vicious cycle, a forthcoming change in the federal tax code means that inflation will drive up the cost of the very business investments that can boost supply and start bending the cost curve down. Through inaction, states will follow suit—but they…

Two weeks after the 2022 midterm elections, it’s becoming clearer where tax policy may be headed for the rest of the year and into 2023. In the short term, Congress must deal with tax extenders and expiring business tax provisions that may undermine the economy. Next year, the return of divided government and an increasingly…

On Election Day, a narrow majority of voters approved Massachusetts Question 1, also known as the Fair Share Amendment, which will transition the Commonwealth from a flat rate individual income tax to a graduated rate system. Effective January 1, 2023, the Bay State will begin taxing all individual income above $1 million at a 9 percent…

Our 2023 State Business Tax Climate Index, released in October, considers five main tax categories: corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales and excise taxes, property and wealth taxes, and unemployment insurance taxes. Today, we take a closer look at states’ rankings on the corporate tax component, which accounts for 21.1 percent of each state’s overall rank. The corporate tax…

Being your own boss comes with a variety of perks. But it also forces you to handle work typically taken care of by a human resource or finance department. For example, you must find your own healthcare plan and deduct taxes from your paycheck. And, when it comes to saving for retirement, it’s your responsibility to start a savings fund. Here are…

Running a business or a side hustle isn’t for the faint of heart. Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been doing this for a while now, the self-employed tax jargon can be a little overwhelming. Let’s take a quick refresher with a helpful glossary of common business finance and tax terms you might run…

Supporters of the federal estate tax often defend it by saying that “because it only affects the heirs of the wealthiest Americans—fewer than one in 1,000 estates—the estate tax is the most progressive part of the tax code.” Despite the relatively small number of estates that pay the tax, there are real people behind these…

The recent agreement on a global minimum tax and other changes to tax rules around the world have called into question the future of tax competition. It is difficult to anticipate how tax competition will ultimately be impacted by these changes, although I seriously doubt that the usefulness of Tax Foundation’s International Tax Competitiveness Index…

Due to changes in what companies are required to report to the IRS this tax year, more taxpayers will receive Form 1099-K than in previous years. For some, the arrival of this unexpected tax form may be confusing and stressful — but don’t panic. We’re here to help you report this correctly on your income…

Our recently published 2022 International Tax Competitiveness Index (ITCI) measures and compares how well OECD countries promote sustainable economic growth and investment through competitive and neutral tax systems. This week, we examine how European OECD countries rank on individual taxes, continuing our series on the ITCI’s component rankings. The ITCI’s individual tax component scores OECD countries on their top marginal individual income…

Before the pandemic, an estimated 5.8 million Americans worked outside their state of residence, while about 8.9 million people worked from home. By 2021, over 27.6 million Americans were working almost exclusively from home, while the number of workers commuting across state lines dipped to 4.5 million. Though the pandemic’s short-run effect was to reduce…

With the holidays just around the corner and the end of 2021 approaching fast, you might be wondering: should I sell my stocks before the end of the year? Maybe you’re looking for a little extra cash to help cover all the money you spent on holiday gifts, or perhaps you simply want to give…