“Tax” on The Daily Caller

Paying taxes is a fact of life, because there are certain things that our federal government must provide, as enumerated in the Constitution. But paying taxes does not have to be unfair, burdensome and costly. Our current system of taxation is all three. (more)

Are you feeling principled today? How about gutsy? Are the wishes of voters — the same voters that afforded you a 2010 landslide victory — at the forefront of your minds? (more)

All appeared normal on July 4th with fireworks, backyard cookouts and main street parades on full display — proof that the can-do spirit of America is still holding up even as the sterile data points and trend lines of our nation’s sagging economic growth have been dropping off like a bad electrocardiogram. (more)

As President Obama has finally decided to join the heated and thus-far-failed national debt talks, the administration and some in Congress are insistent on tax hikes for oil and gas companies. Unfortunately, this political gamesmanship may result in higher energy prices, decreased domestic production, increased reliance on foreign oil and a further crippling of our already fragile economy. (more)

“Austerity” is giving “unsustainable” strong competition for becoming the financial buzzword of the year. However, within the Democratic Party and the political left, we still seem to have an abundance of something. Unfortunately, that something is hypocrisy. Instead of providing us with serious and mature leadership, the president is ratcheting up his populist class warfare and choosing solutions aimed at placating the liberal allies on whose financial support his party depends. (more)

You could be forgiven for thinking that President Barack Obama wrote Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s June op-ed in The Washington Post. In the piece, Patrick (Obama?) writes of his consternation over what he calls the “radical right,” which opposes increasing “revenue” to cut the deficit. “Everyone … knows that reducing government spending and addressing revenue shortfalls have to be a part of the plan,” Patrick writes. (more)

President Obama’s tone at his Wednesday morning news conference is being described as “feisty” and “combative.” He is being hailed in the press for “pressuring” Republicans on the issue of the debt limit, and lecturing them on foreign policy issues such as his unauthorized war in Libya. The president’s performance would be better described by adjectives like acerbic and petulant. It was a mixture of blame-shifting, threats and tired partisan bromides that have no bearing on the debt problem and should play no role in the solution. Republicans shouldn’t feel pressured; they should sit back and play their hand. (more)

Throughout their 2011 legislative sessions, a number of states sought ways to simplify their tax systems, which have become increasingly byzantine and complex. Florida, for instance, raised the level at which its corporate tax applies, raking some 15,000 small business off the corporate tax rolls. Michigan repealed the much-maligned Michigan Business Tax and overhauled its corporate tax structure. (more)

Mayday! Mayday! (more)

I have developed many strategic plans for success during my 40-year business career, but the one I am about to present for the nation is the most humbling. Business strategic plans have to capture the keys to profitability and growth. This national economic vision must capture the keys to prosperity for everyone who has a desire to achieve his or her American dream. (more)

U2 didn’t quite get the reception they’d hoped for at their show at the Glastonbury music festival in Ireland last night. (more)

The day after House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia walked out on bipartisan budget talks with Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House John Boehner, who is now the point man in reaching a deal with President Obama, drew a clear line in the sand on future negotiations. (more)

The Patriotic Millionaires, a group of millionaires who believe that government should increase the tax rate for millionaires, released a video calling on congress to raise their taxes. (more)

Nearly two decades ago, Colorado voters had had enough of politicians spending money, growing government and raising taxes to pay for it. We passed the Taxpayer’s Bill of Rights (TABOR), a state constitutional amendment that requires lawmakers to ask Colorado voters for any tax increase and prevents the state government from growing faster than the private sector. (more)

California has it all: a great climate, natural beauty, world-class universities, a unique cultural appeal, and a location along the thriving Pacific Rim. People should be flocking to the Golden State, and for a while they were: between 1940 and 1990, 12.4 million Americans immigrated to California (in addition to millions of Asians and Latin Americans). (more)

As gas prices continue to escalate and headlines scream about Washington battles over how to manage our nation’s rising debt, predictably we hear calls for more taxes on the oil and gas industry. This anti-business lobby points to the profit reports of the large energy companies as their justification for more energy taxes, saying that energy producers need to pay their fair share of taxes. Let’s look at the facts. (more)

WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) — Thousands of contractors who got stimulus money to do such things as build roads and provide social services owe more than $750 million in back taxes, a federal investigation has found. (more)

All too often when Congress sets out to solve a problem, however good the original intentions, unintended consequences result. (more)

In light of this week’s 48th annual National Small Business Week, which is dedicated to celebrating America’s most hard-working job creators nationwide, we must ask ourselves if the government truly celebrates and supports the success of small businesses year-round. A quick look at the over-regulation and stifling tax complexities imposed on small firms suggests we should take more than one week to focus on the state of our nation’s small businesses. (more)

In California budget politics, the May budget revision is the second-most exciting milestone, topped only by the feverish betting on how many months, days and hours will pass beyond the constitutional budget deadline before the governor finally signs the budget. This year’s revision, released by Governor Jerry Brown yesterday, proved no exception. (more)