Americans are great at taking perfectly serviceable holidays and turning them into excuses for parties. On Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans who couldn’t tell you the difference between a safety and a concussion protocol guzzle one-too-many beers with their chicken wings. A month later, on St. Patrick’s Day, millions of Irish-for-a-day drinkers belly up to their favorite fake Irish bar to down pints of Guinness and shots of Jameson. Next on the calendar is Cinco de Mayo, when all those same St. Paddy’s fans become Mexicans for a day to down bottles of Corona and pitchers of margaritas. (We can’t wait to see what the hospitality industry dreams up when they discover Talk Like a Pirate Day lurking on the September calendar.)
tax savings
Bucket of Tax
Summer is coming soon, and sports fans across America have a lot to look forward to. Basketball’s 13-month-long season is (finally) starting to heat up. (Do regular-season games even matter? Next you’ll tell me there’s a summer league, too.) Hockey playoffs are coming to a close. Baseball is in full swing, and NFLers are about to report to training camps. Stop at any bar or water cooler in the land, and you’ll hear talk of wins, losses, and plays that you just have to see.
Friends, Romans, Taxpayers
The world’s first tax, imposed 3,000 years BC, was called the “heqat,” and it required farmers to pay 20% of their harvest to the pharaoh. Given what we know about human nature, we can assume the first efforts to avoid the heqat began around 2,999 BC. Thus began a fiscal arms race that persists until today.
Follow the Bouncing Ball
For decades, Republicans have been the party of tax cuts. But now, those at the top of the financial food chain may find themselves in for a surprise that reflects the Republican party’s evolution from the party of the rich to the party of the working class.
Jump Into the Void
Don’t look now, but April 15 is almost here! Ordinarily, that means money gushing in for our friends at the IRS. Last year, they took in $5.1 trillion, or 95% of all government revenue. Since then, the economy has grown 2.8%, suggesting we should see a similarly sized increase in revenue.
Can You Use a 1031 Exchange When Buying for Family? Here’s What You Need to Know
If you’re planning to buy a rental property for your son, or any other related person, especially as part of a 1031 exchange strategy, here’s what you need to know.