Affordable Care Act

CBO Has No Idea What Repeal of the ACA Means for the Economy or the Deficit

This is what the Congressional Budget office really said about the budgetary and economic effects of repealing the Affordable Care Act: It has no idea. That, of course, it not what the political partisans are saying in the wake of CBO’s Friday release of a report on this exceedingly controversial

June 23, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

When does “repeal” mean “reform?”

Another presidential candidate floats a flat tax, but would it sink under its own weight? This time it’s GOP contender Rand Paul. He’d replace the tax code with 14.5 percent in federal tax on all personal income, including wages, investment income, and rents. He’d repeal the Social Security and

June 19, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Wishes, Dreams, and Bittersweet Denials

Be careful what you wish for. Businesses have backed an overhaul of the US tax code for quite some time, but their tune changes when it comes to corporate tax reform in other countries. The Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, or BEPS, is an effort by the Organization for Economic Cooperation

May 14, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Plans, Priorities and Promises

The GOP calls for Affordable Care Act repeal in its budget resolution. The 10-year plan would cut planned spending by more than $5 trillion, retain the $1.017 trillion sequestration budget ceiling for 2016, and increase off-budget military spending. It would also use budget reconciliation to try to

April 30, 2015Renu Zaretsky

Individual Taxes: TaxVox

ACA Tax Filing Was Surprisingly Painless, But Not For All

It turns out that the first year of tax filing for people who have Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies was a lot easier than the first year of enrolling in the online exchanges. In contrast to the ACA’s maiden open enrollment season, the initial process of settling up incorrect subsidies

April 29, 2015Howard Gleckman

: TaxVox

Deals, Deferrals, and Saving

The GOP is putting the finishing touches on the first budget resolution in a decade. The Hill reports that an agreement could be voted on by the end of the week. The Associated Press reports that the final resolution will reportedly drop the House provision to move part of Medicare to a premium-

April 28, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Revenues and Rate Hikes: What’s an Elected Official to Do?

There’s a revenue surge in California. The state is exceeding its 2013 tax collections and beating 2014 forecasts. The Franchise Tax Board netted $7.6 billion in personal income taxes between April 1 and this past Monday. It collected $6 billion during the same period in 2014. The state’s school

April 22, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Death and Taxes: Certainty and Conflict

The House plans a vote to repeal the estate tax today. Repealing the levy would cut taxes by $270 billion over 10 years for 0.2 percent of the nation’s richest estates. The White House and Democrats are vehemently opposed . The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that 5,400 estates will face the

April 16, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Tax Season: It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

The IRS and the ACA: Working hard and working well. The IRS, thanks to years of preparation since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010, has managed the current tax filing season smoothly, according to IRS Commissioner John Koskinen , even with new ACA burdens and IRS budget cutbacks . “It's

April 13, 2015Renu Zaretsky

: TaxVox

Just the Facts, Ma’am: On Filing and Reform

Congress is in recess and the Daily Deduction will post Mondays until it reconvenes. We’ll be back to our regular schedule on April 13. With just over two weeks till Tax Day, Treasury wants to clarify Affordable Care Act tax facts. It released fact sheets on common exemptions from the individual

March 30, 2015Renu Zaretsky