TPC's Tax Hound

Tax policy isn't just for economists, lawyers, or policymakers. It's for you, and me, and everybody in between. The Tax Hound starts conversations about what government taxes, and why. On the first Wednesday of every month, I uncover how tax policy affects us in our day-to-day lives. How do they affect how we pay for K-12 education, what drinks we buy for our kids, or how we help protect the planet? Join the conversation—I’d love to hear from you.

 

 

2023

• O Canada! What might its digital services tax mean for us? (November)
• Should online sports betting firms withhold taxes from all winnings? (October)
• A European Vacation and Tax Appreciation (September)
• Taxing remote workers: "Convenience," conflict, and the courts (August)
• No taxation without realization? (July)
• How can artificial intelligence help the average taxpayer? (June)
• To e-bike, or not to e-bike? Should that be a tax question? (May)
• Venmo, The $600 Threshold, And You: What's An (Honest) Taxpayer To Do? (April) 
• Taxes, Scholarships, And A College Freshman: No Such Thing As Free Money (March)
• Extra! Extra! Should Local News Organizations Get Tax Breaks? (February)
• Dogs, Taxes, and Choices (January)

2022

• Congress could save the day for more savers (not just the wealthy ones) (December) 
• A marshmallow by any other name is just as sweet, but maybe not taxable (November)
• Voters In Three States Will Face The Consequences Of Earmarking Tax Dollars (October)
• The Educator Expense Deduction: It May Be Time To Trade This Token Benefit (September)
• Could crypto mining taxes in the US help save the planet, or is there an easier way? (August) 
• Taxes, Religion, and Education: How much are we willing to pay for choice? (July)
• Absent Roe v. Wade, will "qualifying child" mean more in the tax code? (June)
• In states' culture wars, tax policy--and taxpayers--should be off-limits (May)
• Hey tax filers, there's (at least) one thing you should know... (April)
• Sales tax carveouts: They're all about that base (March)
• Does the world need tax-advantaged art freeports? (February)
• Excise taxes on guns and ammo: Sin taxes that don't prevent the sin (January)

2021

• Could tax incentives help recruit and retain teachers? (December)
• Will the Ohio Supreme Court fuel the state's NASCAR tax? (November)
• How to make retirement saving easier for millions of Americans (October)
• What's easier: Killing aliens, or levying a vehicle-mileage tax? (September)
• Balancing free speech and tax exemption for nonprofits (August)
• Tax-exempt hospitals and charity care: Should those hospitals do more? (July)
• Are state tax-credit scholarships the best way to support school choice? (June)
• Should government use tax incentives to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine? (May)
• Should all families receive the Child Tax Credit? (April)
• Big Tech has our data. Should we tax them on it? (March)
• What do you think about taxes? (February)
• Why are dependents over age 16 still ineligible for economic impact payments? (January)

2020

• A Tax on Remote Work: Yes or No? (December)
• Who gets the tax benefit of those checkout charity donations? (November) 
• Budget Transparency in a Pandemic: A Steeltown Story (October)
• The Road to Abusive Tax Shelters Is Paved With Good Intentions (September)
• Lights Flashing, Sirens Blaring: State and Local Governments Need Federal Aid (August)
• Tax Day Is Around The Corner: Who's (Been) Ready? (July)
• Balancing School Budgets and Tax Hikes in the Middle of a Pandemic (June)
• CARES Act Support Is Falling Short (May)
• Homeschooling Tax Policy, Or How We Spent the First Week of the Pandemic (April)
• "Corporate Taxes: Are They Fair? Who Really Pays Them, And When?" (March)
• "Don't tax me, don't tax thee, that that person who's richer than... we." (February)
• Could a redesigned tax deduction make more people feel good about charitable giving? (January)

2019

• Naughty or Nice: What if Santa Claus had to levy sin taxes? (December)
• When it comes to tax policy, should getting mad mean getting even? (November)
• Michigan: Let's tax (not ban) vaping products (October)
• There's no such thing as a free lunch. Or sales tax holiday. (September)
• Save (for) Yourself: Or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the Solo 401(k) (August)
• Road Rage and Raising Revenue: Is it time for states to embrace even bigger gas tax increases? (July)
• The Section 529 savings plan is a sweet deal. Too sweet. (June)
• Are public pension and benefit shortfalls and local taxes worthy of a neighborhood duel? (May)
• A good volunteer is hard to find. Could tax policy make it easier? (April)
• "Tell me what you want, what you really, really want." (March)
• America, We Have A Problem: The IRS Brain Drain (February)
• Political Campaigns and Tax Incentives: Do We Give to Get? (January)

2018

• For charitable giving, 'tis the season... but will it still be, post-TCJA? (December)
• What Do Women Want? Or: The Case of the Tax-Exempt Tampon (November)
• Straight Teeth, Misaligned Tax Policy (October)
• School Daze, School Funding Haze (September)
• High Hopes and Altered States: Choices, Marijuana, and Tax Revenue (August)
• Tariffs, Trade, and Time: Making America Pay Again (July)
• Tax Protests and Business Boycotts: History Repeats, Maybe. (June)
• Taxes and Public Education: We get what we pay for... When we want it. (May)
• The Case of the Plastic Bag Tax: Why don't we all carry that weight? (April)
• Guns, Soda, and a Modest Proposal (March)
• Will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act grow US businesses? (February)
• ​Tax Cuts in 2018: Will we feel them? Will it matter? (January)

2017

• How would the TCJA treat my family? The same, but different. (December)
• Transformational Brownfield of Dreams in Motor City: If he builds it, will they come? (November)
• A Tale of Two Cities: An Income Tax in Benton Harbor? (October)
• Keeping Your Eyes on the Tax-Advantaged Prize (September)
• The Case of Oregon's Bicycle Excise Tax (August)
• My Vacation in the Sharing Economy (July)
• Taxing Bubbles, Or The Case of the Tax for Racial Equity (June)
• The Case for Tax Policy Education and Teacher Appreciation (May)
• Strange Love: Or, how I learned to stop complaining and like the tax code (April)
• Them's the Breaks: Taxing Retirement Income (March)
• Can we make small stockholders feel great again? (February)
• Why are Chicago homeowners leaving money on the table? (January)

2016

• A tax cut in exchange for more federal debt? Taxpayers consider the tradeoff (December)
• When Angry Doubt Triumphs: A Case of Tax Debt and Tax Collection (November)
• Transparency, Tax Returns, and Tax Reform: An Open and Shut Case? (October)
• For whom the interstate tolls: It may toll differently for thee. (September)
• "I was framed!" Or, the Case of the Tax Policy Overpowered by Words (August)
• Tax Exemption, Free Speech, and a Bold Campaign Promise: An Independence Day Mystery (July)
• The Case of a Good Walk, and Tax Expenditure, Spoiled (June)
• A Case of Love, Death, Estates, and Taxes (May)
• The Case of the Hidden Import Tax, or, "It's all about the shoes." (April)
• Much Ado About Everything But Tax Plans (March)
• What's so funny about taxes, love, and solidarity? (February)
• The Case of Tax Scams, Private Debt Collectors, and Wishful Thinking (January)

2015

• The Case of the Mislabeled ABLE Account (December)
• The Case of the Questionable Tax Incentive: Women and Retirement Savings (November)
• The Case of the Carrot in Need of a Stick: A Tax Credit for Paid Family Leave (October)
• The Case of the Unreturned Call for Tax Code Simplicity (September)
• The Case of the Little Wrong Thing: Evading Online Sales Tax (August)
• MEGA tax credits: Will Michigan bust a deal, or will residents face the wheel? (July)
• School’s out: What if parents take the tax money and run? (June)
• Why do taxpayers leave money on the table? (May)
• A penny for your sugar: Setting a price on Sin (April)
• What we hear when we talk about taxes... musings of a Tax Hound (March)