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What some Central Texans think about taxes

Dec 6, 2017
In Trump territory, there's faith in the tax bill along with feelings of being left behind.
Seventy-five percent of Burnet and Llano counties voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election.
Tom Pennington/Getty Images

No surprise: real estate a big winner in tax bills

Dec 6, 2017
There are major differences between the Senate and House versions of the GOP tax plan. And while corporate America writ large appears to be the big winner in both versions, not all corporations are treated equally. Here’s a look at which industries come out on top and which do not. Click the audio player above […]

There’s more to America’s global competitiveness than the tax rate

Dec 5, 2017
Tax savings could go to shareholders, not new technology, jobs or other investments.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, speaks to reporters about the Senate's version of the tax reform bill today at the Capitol.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Lawmakers ponder fate of corporate AMT

Dec 5, 2017
The House and Senate have both passed tax bills cutting the rate that corporations pay. The lawmakers differ though on the details, including what to do with the corporate alternative minimum tax. The House bill repealed it, but after some last minute changes the Senate bill keeps the AMT in place and some businesses aren’t […]

Here’s why a one-year phase-in of the corporate tax cut could be a big deal

Dec 5, 2017
One of the key parts of the GOP tax reform plan is a cut in the corporate tax rate from the current 35 percent to 20 percent. In the bill passed by the House, that cut would begin next year. The Senate bill delays the cut until 2019. One year may not seem like a […]

The GOP tax plan and the federal debt … why does it matter?

Dec 4, 2017
The tax cuts the Senate approved in the wee hours of Saturday morning are expected to add at least $1 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade. That’s according to the Senate’s own Joint Committee on Taxation. And that’s after taking into account a boost to economic growth generated by tax cuts. So […]

What a small business owner makes of the tax overhaul.

Dec 4, 2017
Is the proposed tax overhaul really a boon for small business? We checked in with Austin Golding, co-owner of Golding Barge Line in Vicksburg, Mississippi, to find out his perspective. “It seems like every time there’s a discussion about it, there’s a different provision or different nuance to it, but we’ve definitely been trying to […]

For public good, not for profit.

The AMT is a flashpoint between the two tax bills

Dec 4, 2017
So now we have two GOP tax plans that must now become one. Among the variations between the House and Senate bills is the individual alternative minimum tax. That’s the idea that there should be some minimum tax rate so the wealthy can’t deduct or exempt their way out of taxes entirely. Doing away with […]

How many tax brackets do we need?

Dec 4, 2017
The GOP has promised its tax plan would ultimately create a simpler tax system for individuals. Key to that is a reduction in the number of tax brackets from the current seven. The House bill does that, taking them to four and lowering the rates. The Senate, though, sticks with seven, albeit at slightly lower […]

How the child tax credit would change under the House and Senate proposals

Dec 4, 2017
Now that the House and Senate have passed their versions of the tax bill, Republicans are going to start negotiating which items will be included in the final plan. Both the House and Senate would increase the child tax credit and make folks with higher incomes eligible. Critics say lower-income families would be largely left […]