Value added tax (VAT), or goods and services tax (GST) is a consumption tax levied on value added. In contrast to sales tax, VAT is neutral with respect to the number of passages that there are between the producer and the final consumer; where sales tax is levied on total value at each stage, the result is a cascade (downstream taxes levied on upstream taxes). A VAT is an indirect tax, in that the tax is collected from someone who does not bear the entire cost of the tax.
Continue reading Value Added Tax (VAT) – What it means to us

Could your retirement nest egg use a boost?

This may be a good year tot increase your retirement plan contributions, thanks to the IRS’s inflation adjustments for 2009. Key changes include:

Continue reading IRS’s inflation adjustments for 2009

Well, at least some of it.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of Americans enjoying their small windfall from President Barack Obama’s “Making Work Pay” tax credit are in for an unpleasant surprise next spring.

The government is going to want some of that money back.

The tax credit is supposed to provide up to $400 to individuals and $800 to married couples as part of the massive economic recovery package enacted in February. Most workers started receiving the credit through small increases in their paychecks in the past month.
Continue reading Making Work Pay Tax Credit may need to be returned