What should Ireland do with its budget surplus?

Oct 9, 2023
Ireland has a budget surplus of $10.9 billion, which has been driven by soaring corporate tax revenue from tech and pharmaceutical companies.
Above, a boarded-up property is pictured in Dublin. Some Irish residents see housing as a key area where a surplus in tax revenue could be put to use.
Paul Faith/AFP via Getty Images

As gas taxes dwindle, states seek ways to charge EVs

Sep 12, 2023
With electric vehicles becoming more common, some states, like Texas, are levying flat fees to make up the shortfall.
Some road maintenance is funded by gasoline tax revenue, so the increasing popularity of  electric vehicles may require new ways to bring in cash.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Why do some states still have a grocery tax?

Sep 6, 2023
The poorest Americans spend the largest share of their paychecks on food at home.
Across the U.S., state grocery taxes can range from less than 1% to 7% on non-prepared foods.
Elijah Nouvelage

Social Security has funding problems. How do we fix it before benefits are cut?

Jun 12, 2023
The trust fund supplementing income taxes could run dry within 10 years. Dennis Jansen of Texas A&M suggests reforms.
About 67 million Americans receive Social Security income.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Taxpayers aren't the only ones disappointed with taxes this year

May 15, 2023
Federal tax revenue is coming in short while the debt ceiling remains unresolved. The problem was signaled by meager refunds.
So far this fiscal year, the IRS has brought in an estimated $250 billion less than forecast, possibly caused by lower capital gains tax receipts and postponed filing in California.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

You can pay your taxes in cash — if you're up for the challenge

Apr 17, 2023
Jay Zagorsky of Boston University paid his taxes in $100 bills and exact change. A cashless society has some disadvantages, he says.
"There are some advantages of cash that we're going to lose once we suddenly go to a pure cashless economy," says Boston University professor Jay Zagorsky.
Murtaja Lateef/AFP via Getty Images

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How does the tax code influence what we do with our money?

Apr 14, 2023
Get married? Buy a house? Invest or work? Tax rates and deductions reveal what behaviors society values.
A view of single-family homes in Miramar, Florida. The mortgage interest deduction is helpful for homeowners, but economists say it can actually hurt homeownership rates.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Immigrants' taxes play an outsized role in the U.S. government's fiscal health

Apr 11, 2023
Immigrant contributions to government revenues are higher than they may first appear.
 Mexican immigrants work on a housing construction site on May 3, 2013 in Denver, Colorado.
John Moore/Getty Images

Your tax refund may be smaller this year

Apr 5, 2023
Pandemic tax credits have dried up, like the temporary expansion of the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit.
Without pandemic-era expanded tax credits, low- and middle-income families will likely see lower tax returns.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images