From This Collection

The history — and psychology — behind the tax refund

Feb 20, 2019
When did taxpayers and industries start to rely on the refund?
A neon sign is seen in a window of a tax preparation office in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Tax reform law takes a bite out of legal settlements

Feb 4, 2019
Under the new tax law, legal fees are generally not tax deductible.
Documents stack up before a hearing of the House Rule Committee on tax reform legislation on Dec. 18, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Ahead of tax season, accountants are scrambling to understand the new law

Dec 21, 2018
It's been a year since Congress passed the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul. And there is still a lot accountants and lawyers don't understand about it.
Accountants are putting in long hours in order to understand the tax bill that was signed into law Dec. 22, 2017.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

An unintended consequence of the GOP tax law: bigger pensions for some

Jun 4, 2018
A decrease in the corporate tax rate gave companies more of an incentive to funnel money into defined-benefit pension plans.
There is a “considerable amount of concern that middle-income Americans are not saving enough for their retirement,” says Joseph Cordes of George Washington University.
PHILIPPE HUGUEN/AFP/Getty Images

Tax cuts: Have they benefited Indiana's economy?

May 11, 2018
During an Indiana rally on Thursday night, President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence praised their administration's work, including the 2017 tax bill.
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Elkhart, Indiana, on Thursday night.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Forecast is sunny for business

Apr 23, 2018
But economists say more hiring and bigger profits ahead have little to do with tax cuts.
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), flanked by Republican lawmakers, speaks during an enrollment ceremony for the conference report to H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that was passed by the House and Senate, on Dec. 21, 2017, in Washington, D.C.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Big banks are expected to report big profits tomorrow

Apr 12, 2018
Tomorrow, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and Wells Fargo will report earnings for the first few months of the year. This year is shaping up to be a good one for the big banks, which are hauling in record profits. Analysts expect the new tax law and consumer confidence to be big boosters. Click the above audio player […]

For public good, not for profit.

New tax law may provide window of opportunity for impoverished areas

Mar 21, 2018
It’s an ongoing problem: how to transform persistently poor parts of the country? Well a program coming out of the new tax law hopes to solve that problem. Today is the initial deadline for states to nominate “opportunity zones,” which will try to draw private investment to these areas. But the program may just make […]

New tax law includes incentives for poor areas

Feb 19, 2018
A line item in the tax law creates a new Opportunity Zone program, with incentives to draw business to underdeveloped places. This strategy has been tried by former administrations, and state and local governments, with results that have often been disappointing. Click the above audio player to hear the full story.