Federal Budget Policy

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Interpreting the Return to Budget Deficits

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) recently projected that the US federal budget will see an unprecedented $691 billion deterioration in its budget situation – moving from record surpluses of $236 billion in 2000 to record deficits of $455 billion in 2003. This paper outlines some of the basic characteristics of the current situation and places them in the context of recent history.

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No Internet Sales Tax

Jul 17, 2003 by Guest Blogger

States can't seem to catch a break...

Internet Taxation Effort Stalled (TechNews.com)

More than three dozen states seeking congressional approval for their plan to tax all Internet sales may have missed their chance this year.

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Federal Deficit Over $450 Billion

Jul 15, 2003 by Guest Blogger

OMB today released its mid-session review, which updates budget and deficit projections.

The deficit is now projected to be $455 billion (4.2% of GDP) for FY 2003, and $475 billion next year.

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Estate Tax Factsheet

Jul 15, 2003 by Guest Blogger

Here's some information on the estate tax...

Download file

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Budget Woes Trickle Down

Jul 15, 2003 by Guest Blogger

"Hard-Hit State and Local Governments Say Bush and Congress Left Them to Make Cuts, Raise Taxes"

Interesting article in the Washington Post that links federal tax cuts to the state fiscal crises in Massachusetts.

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Watcher Articles

Jul 14, 2003 by Guest Blogger

There are five new budget articles in the current issue of The Watcher.

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Comments on IRS Pre-Certification of EITC Recipients

The Internal Revenue Service is planning a "pilot" project beginning in August to require "pre-certification" of 45,000 Earned Income Tax Credit recipients. This effort is targeted to filers who are claiming children of whom they are not the parents. OMB Watch commented on the process and the form, which requires documentation or an affidavit to show that the children and caretakers have lived in the same household for six months of the taxpaying year. Comments on the form were due on July 14, 2003, but comments about the process may be submitted through December 31, 2003. See the IRS announcement for more details.

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State Supported Colleges and University See Massive Tuition Increases

States continue to feel the impact of low revenue and a lack of support from the federal government. As a result, many state-supported colleges and universities have seen dramatic budget cuts in recent years. In an effort to minimize the damage, colleges and universities are approving skyrocketing tuitions. An informal scan of recent headlines (see below) shows some of the steep increases, with most in the double digits extending up to 28%.

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HEAD START AND BLOCK GRANTS

The Bush administration and House leadership are proposing to block grant the Head Start program in eight states. This means states can use federal funds for their own early-childhood education programs and would no longer have to abide by national standards.

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HOUSE PASSES LABOR, HHS AND EDUCATION BILL

The Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education appropriation bill passed by the House reveals a lack of commitment to education, providing everyone the tools to succeed, keeping low-income families warm, and preparing for bio-terrorism. Talk is cheap without the resources to make it real.

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