Tax Policy & IRS News
The Daily Signal reports on tax legislation, reform efforts, and tax enforcement by the IRS. Get conservative analysis on how tax policies and cuts affect families, businesses, and America’s fiscal outlook.
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opinion
Money Talks When Money Walks
This November, California voters will decide whether a fraction of the state’s population should pay a 5% wealth tax to help fund public programs. Proposition 40 would make roughly 200 of the richest Californians bail out the state’s deficits and save the budget for another year of easy spending. California is not the only blue… -
opinion
If These Aren’t Excessive Fines, What Are?
Imagine getting a bill from your local government for $900,000 because they see a greenhouse on your property and just assume you’re growing marijuana without a permit. Imagine government demanding $400,000 because you didn’t know to fill out a single-page form. Or you get slapped with a $100,000 fine for parking your car … on… -
exclusive
USAID Was Propping Up Leftist Candidates, Fugitive Brazilian Politician Says
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—American taxpayer dollars were being used to prop up leftist candidates in the Western Hemisphere under former President Joe Biden, a top Brazilian politician who is now seeking refuge in the United States from incarceration under his country’s socialist government, told the Daily Signal on Wednesday. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of… -
news
Rick Jackson for Governor? Opinions from Peach State Voters
BUFORD, Georgia–Canvassers from Americans for Prosperity (AFP) State PAC traveled from house-to-house Tuesday in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson. The effort comes as part of a broader mission to ensure former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is not re-elected to public service. Tony West, senior advisor for Americans for Prosperity State PAC, told… -
news
Arizonans to Vote on Ending Taxpayer-Funded DEI Programs
THE CENTER SQUARE—Arizonans will have a chance to put a stop to their taxpayer money being spent on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. On Nov. 3, Arizona residents will vote on Proposition 142, which would stop state money from funding DEI-related offices and programs. The proposition would prevent taxpayers from being forced to support race-based… -
exclusive
US Chamber of Commerce Ad Highlights Ohio Wins
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—This weekend, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching an issue advocacy campaign in Ohio that highlights how tax relief is helping families keep more of what they earn while supporting small businesses, workers, and economic opportunity across the state. Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, is highlighted in the ad, which was first… -
news
Ohio Serves as Model for Trump Education Reform
Ohio remains a model for school choice and promoting better education, often in a Christian school setting. The Center for Christian Virtue says there’s plenty of reason to celebrate the state’s ongoing commitment to improving education for the next generation. When Trump administration officials on Thursday issued proposed regulations for the Education Freedom Tax Credit, one… -
exclusive
SCOOP: Freedom Caucus Chair Pushes for Gas Tax Relief Before Recess
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Daily Signal has learned that a leading House Republican plans to force a vote on legislation he introduced on Tuesday to suspend the federal gas tax for the rest of 2026. Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., told the Daily Signal that he believes that if the lower chamber were… -
news
Ohio Serves as Model for Christian Education Network Expansion
The Center for Christian Virtue has announced that its Christian Education Network initiative is expanding with eight state affiliates. In 2024, The Heritage Foundation awarded the center $100,000 to support its Education Restoration Initiative and expand the Ohio Christian Education Network schools model across the country. Aaron Baer, the president of the Center for Christian… -
opinion
We Spend a Lot More on Welfare Than Bombs. That’s a Problem.
The other day, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told Qatari state media that the United States was “spending tens of billions of dollars on killing people” when that money “could have been used to make life easier” for the public. “There always seems to be money for war,” he went on, “but not to… -
news
Trump Administration Targets Race-Based Discrimination With New IRS Crackdown on Private Schools
The Trump administration plans to end tax-exempt status for private schools that engage in any type of race-based discrimination or race-based admissions. The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service will issue the proposed regulation Thursday to restore merit. “Under President Trump, this Administration is standing up for America’s students by ensuring racial discrimination has… -
opinion
Bid to Raise Sales Taxes in Virginia Raises Questions
Thirty-five percent of Virginia’s municipal governments will be holding a referendum this November on whether to add a 1% sales tax to any transactions that take place in their county or city. The General Assembly approved amendments to Sections 58.1-605.1 and 58.1-606.1 to allow all Virginia cities and counties to put forth a referendum to… -
opinion
The Estate Tax Rewards the Wealthy for Funding Progressive Foundations
America’s private fortunes are the economic engines that built the most prosperous economy in world history, and they are giving themselves away. Since her 2019 divorce from Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott has handed out $26 billion—much of it to racial equity, DEI, and “social justice” causes. Warren Buffett has pledged 99% of his roughly $170… -
news
New Report Exposes the Foreign Cash Behind ‘Extremist Climate Activist Movement’
Foreign donors have poured over $130 million into U.S.-based climate activist nonprofits, according to a new database tracking over $5 billion in foreign funding. “Our database makes it clear foreign cash is bankrolling much of the extremist climate activist movement in America,” Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, told the Daily Signal…. -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: New York’s Property Tax Crackdown Is Just the Beginning
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal senior contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, has just stirred up a lot of controversy. He said that he wanted to go after property owners who had… -
analysis
The Data Center Question: What Will the Impacts Be for Georgians?
Recently, Georgians across the state have expressed concerns over the potential for new data centers to be built in their communities. Examples include a $20 billion project being discussed in Effingham County. Massive development projects raise many bipartisan issues, including the possibility of tax hikes and higher water and electricity costs. “It’s easy to say… -
opinion
Why Would Congress Want to Punish People for Their IRA Savings?
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., rolled out the Retirement Fairness for Working Americans Act this week, and the name alone tells you how Washington sells a bad idea. There is nothing fair about capping retirement accounts and forcing selloffs on people who did exactly what the tax code told them to… -
news
‘Ghost Students’ Defrauded Utah Taxpayers of Almost $1 Million
According to a recent report from the Utah legislative auditor general, the state’s higher education system lost over $830,000 in recent years to “ghost students” who apply to receive financial aid and run off with the money without pursuing a degree. “Institutions reported disbursing $834k to suspected fraudulent applicants and spending over 15,000 hours working… -
opinion
Gavin Newsom’s Hollywood Bailout
Gov. Gavin Newsom spent the past year celebrating a massive expansion of California’s Hollywood tax credit program, boosting it to a record $750 million a year. Then his own budget managed to kneecap it. Now Sacramento is scrambling to fix one of the governor’s biggest political headaches. More than three dozen California lawmakers—including senior Democrat… -
opinion
Why Our Kids Don’t Learn
Included in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, up to $1,700, for contributions to “Scholarship Granting Organizations” that parents can access and use toward paying for private school tuition and fees and other educational expenses. The provision is constructed such that states must choose to opt in to the…