Revenue & Spending

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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more news

Supplemental Scrutiny

Dec 5, 2006 by Dana Chasin

The House Democratic caucus may have gotten our memo. Following a caucus meeting today, to-be-House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced that when President Bush sends up his "emergency" supplementary war funding request (expected arrival: next February; pricetag: as much as $160 billion):

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Alternative Minimum Tax Likely to be Large Issue in 2007

The continuing creep of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) is threatening to impact tens of millions of Americans in 2007 - a fact that will push it to the forefront of tax policy issues. In 1995, 414,000 wealthy tax payers paid the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), and in 2001, that number grew to 1.3 million. Unless Congress acts, 23.4 million Americans are expected to be snagged by this "stealth tax" in 2007, which was originally intended to affect only 20,000 wealthy taxpayers.

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Lame Duck Session Holds Little Hope for Appropriations Bills

The congressional lame duck session resumed Dec. 5 as the 109th Congress returned to work on a set of long-deferred tax and budget items. However, Congress will likely postpone action on the bulk of these issues until the next session and quickly pass a continuing resolution (CR) that will last until early 2007. The Budget

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Frist Making Tracks: He Brakes for Tax Breaks

Dec 5, 2006 by Dana Chasin

With the clock ticking before the sands run out on the 109th Congress and Democrats take the reins for the first time in 12 years, retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is working feverishly to assure passage of the set of two-year tax break extensions (known as the extenders." He is working to pass a clean version of the popular package, unencumbered by Christmas tree ornaments. He is working to pass a version with a provision delaying implementation of cuts in Medicare payments to physicians. "I've got both tracks working," he said yesterday.

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Now Playin' -- I Hear Yer Payin'

Dec 4, 2006 by Dana Chasin

On Dec. 1, National Public Radio's Morning Edition ran a short segment by John Ydstie on the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), entitled "Democrats Promote Relief from the Alternative Minimum Tax." 3.5 million taxpayers had to file income tax returns under the AMT in 2006. Unless addressed by Congress, this number will increase to 23.4 million in 2007, as we have noted. The segment indicates that the average AMT filer must pay $3,000 more in taxes each year than under the regular system. Meanwhile, the 10-year cost of ATM repeal is estimated by CBPP to be around $1.2 trillion.

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CBPP: Hardship Higher Among Black and Latino Families

Dec 4, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has written up an analysis of the Census Bureau's survey of material hardship from 2003. Among the more startling findings:

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Not a Happy Anniversary

Dec 4, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

ThinkProgress notes that, as of Saturday, the current minimum wage has gone the longest without an increase since its inception in 1938.

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Efforts to Undermine Contract Oversight at GSA

Dec 4, 2006 by Adam Hughes*

The Washington Post had a truly appalling front page article over the weekend on efforts by the administrator of the General Services Administration to undermine oversight and investigation into contracts by the agency's Inspector General (IG).

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WP on Congress and Appropriations: Lame!

Dec 4, 2006 by Matt Lewis

The Washington Post had a good editorial today on the unfinished appropriations bills.

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AMT Compromise: ADDENDUM

Dec 1, 2006 by Dana Chasin

New York Times tax and budget beat reporter David Cay Johnston, endorsed the general concept of ATM reform rather than repeal in his his book Perfectly Legal. Johnston indicated to us today that he hadn't heard discussion of any compromise solution that would mend AMT, not end it.

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