For those who remember Halliburton from a time when our Vice President was evil in a comparatively pedestrian "Austin Powers" sort of way, the oil company's new annual report gives a window into some not-at-all-pedestrian offshored income: looks like $138 M of income in the Cayman Islands in '25.

New "please tax me more" op-ed from Mitt Romney is only about 13 years too late to be helpful. As a presidential candidate in 2012, he gave off *slightly* different vibes. 1) at a time when candidates still routinely released their tax returns. he refused. (1/x) www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/o...

John Deere's latest earnings call shows the firm continuing to take huge hits from Trump tariffs and passing them on to consumers. FY25 estimate is $600 million, doubling to $1.2B in 2026. Sensible Q from analyst: "how are you thinking about offsetting that?" (1/2) seekingalpha.com/article/4848...

Statistical agencies hollowed out, research programs suspended, qualified leaders kicked to the curb. Why does access to data from the federal government matter? itep.org/dismantling-...

Dismantling Access to the Truth is a Big Deal

As federal data systems erode, the U.S. risks losing the impartial information needed for sound policymaking and public trust.

itep.org

The Social Security Administration doesn't generally send out emails cheerleading for tax cuts, so this one received over the weekend was an odd one. SSA wants us to know they are "celebrating" the passage of legislation that blows a multi-trillion dollar hole in the federal budget over ten years.

Pretty much

With the Big, Beautiful Bill, You Can Now Sponsor a Billionaire of Your Choosing

"My fellow Americans: When you pay taxes, which would you rather support? Cancer research, or getting one guy a really big boat?" @petridishes writes:

theatlantic.com

NEW: 69% of tax cuts in the Senate GOP bill go to the richest 20% of Americans. Just 11% go to the middle class. Working families get crumbs - and then lose even those to Trump's tariffs. Our full analysis: itep.org/analysis-of-...

Analysis of Tax Provisions in the Senate Reconciliation Bill: National and State Level Estimates

Compared to its House counterpart, the Senate bill makes certain tax provisions more generous, including corporate tax breaks that it makes permanent rather than temporary. But the bottom line for bot...

itep.org

If someone hands you $100 and also breaks your leg, you have not come out ahead in terms of either your finances or your quality of life. This post is about the GOP Tax Bill.

The House-passed tax plan includes more than 100 provisions, many of which could alter state tax policy and harm state budgets. We explore five notable tax provisions that state lawmakers should think twice about before following the federal government's lead. itep.org/five-issues-...

Five Issues for States to Watch in the Federal Tax Debate

This post covers five particularly notable provisions for states: increasing deductions for state and local taxes (SALT) paid, allowing more generous tax write-offs for businesses, offering new avenue...

itep.org

Horrible crap buried in the 389 page behemoth Congress is trying to shove down our throats: blocking any state from regulating AI for the next decade. If you don’t want to bow down to tech bros in this way, get involved at fairshareusa.org www.techpolicy.press/us-house-com...

US House Committee Advances 10-Year Moratorium on State AI Regulation | TechPolicy.Press

After an amendment challenging the moratorium language failed, it will advance with the rest of the legislative package.

techpolicy.press

So, if you were only getting one doll in the first place, does that mean you get...idk...a foot? Merry 6.666% of Christmas, everybody. Here's your doll foot.

A huge IRS data project is being run by a company named after the mind-control device masquerading as an information tool that Sauron used to corrupt a powerful force for good.

Palantir Is Helping DOGE With a Massive IRS Data Project

For the past three days, DOGE and a handful of Palantir representatives, along with dozens of career IRS engineers, have been collaborating to build a “mega API,” WIRED has learned.

wired.com

I suspect other agencies will also end up doing this. Looks like those of us who work in policy may need to dive back into the cesspool to keep up with what's going on. Social Security Administration ‘will be using X to communicate’ moving forward

You know you work with wonks when their protest signs have footnotes.

A few months isn't long enough to even properly test an overhaul of a code base the size and importance of the Social Security system, let alone actually implement and deploy it. Unless, of course, the new requirement set is simply "Fail." That's totally doable in the time frame.

Our tax code needs to increase, not reduce, tax payments from those most able to pay. But if lawmakers approve the tax measures that President Trump proposes, they will make our tax system less adequate and less fair. The rich will benefit even more than they already do. itep.org/federal-tax-...

Schrodinger's Immigrant: A person whose address is available on IRS tax filings because they are a freeloader who doesn't file their taxes.

I guarantee that if 50% of Howard Lutnick's income just didn't show up one month, he'd be screaming to know why.

itep.org/undocumented...

Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants

Undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022. Providing access to work authorization for undocumented immigrants would increase their tax contributions both be...

itep.org

In which people can turn a profit donating to predatory anti-abortion facilities while also withholding tax dollars from programs that benefit everyone.

ITEP@itep.org · 2y ago

Missouri is debating a 100% tax credit for donations to anti-abortion centers. This measure would let many residents give to such groups in lieu of paying any state income taxes. Stock donations could even result in a personal profit for “donors.” itep.org/proposed-mis...

Don’t let Trump’s attempts at inciting hate distract you: what he and Musk actually want to do is destroy our public institutions and provide enormous tax cuts to their buddies and contributors.

Trump’s Address to Congress Obscures His Actual Tax Agenda

In last night’s address to Congress, President Trump spent more time insulting Americans, lying, and bragging than he did talking…

itep.org

We're firing thousands of federal workers and gutting critical services so Jeff Bezos can *checks notes* launch Katy Perry into space. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #taxtherich

Did you pay income taxes last year? Then you paid more than Tesla. The most valuable automaker in the world paid $0 income tax in 2024. itep.org/tesla-report...

Tesla Reported Zero Federal Income Tax on $2 Billion of U.S. Income in 2024

Tesla reported $2.3 billion of U.S. income in 2024 but paid zero federal income tax. Over the past three years, the Elon Musk-led company reports $10.8 billion of U.S. income on which its current fede...

itep.org

I find myself craving any opportunity to push kindness out into this world so I'm spending my evenings crocheting a big box of leftover yarn into little mats/blankets to donate to the local pet shelter.

I am a software engineer. Nobody should send me to root out fraud or abuse in financial systems. Because I don't know how to do that. At all. The people who know how to do that are called forensic accountants. Send them.

Email today from the local small organic farmer where I get my CSA about how the freeze on agriculture programs tripled his USDA organic certification fees while the price of seeds is up 25% and all his costs continue to rise. But let's give billionaires more tax breaks. #taxtherich

NEW: 1 policy change can boost state tax revenues by nearly $19 billion by cracking down on corporate tax avoidance. Worldwide combined reporting eliminates corporations' ability to shift income to subsidiaries in other states & countries. Our latest report explains how. itep.org/worldwide-co...

A Revenue Analysis of Worldwide Combined Reporting in the States

Universal adoption of mandatory worldwide combined reporting would boost state corporate income tax revenues by roughly 14 percent. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia would experience re...

itep.org

The only major modern presidential candidate to refuse to divulge his own tax returns thinks unelected untrained tech bros should have access to yours.

Musk Team Seeks Access to I.R.S. System With Taxpayers’ Records

A White House spokesman said that the initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency needed to review data to fix waste within the agency.

nytimes.com

#taxvalentines

The new administration wants to weaken the IRS's ability to collect the taxes that the wealthy and corporations owe. Part of that approach now includes weaponizing the agency to target a population that contributes $100 billion in taxes every year. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/u...

I.R.S. Agents Are Asked to Help With Immigration Crackdown

The request by the Department of Homeland Security could suck resources away from tax enforcement efforts.

nytimes.com