Category: News and Politics
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Trump’s three largest tax problems
Donald Trump’s tax problems are obviously of great public interest. This post summarizes the three largest issues as widely reported in popular media1 : 1) IRS audit on partnership losses – The federal government’s tax auditors at the Internal Revenue Service disagree with a tax position taken by Trump that could reportedly increase his income…
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Alarming financial reports leaked
Questions about the leaked reports from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Unit (FinCEN): All parties acknowledge this disclosure places the employees of financial institutions in danger. How badly is this going to deter anyone in the financial industry from complying with the law going forward? If employees in these institutions were following the law in reporting…
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What’s going on in D.C. and how does it affect your South Jersey business?
Yesterday the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce sponsored a discussion program with government policy experts from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce titled “What’s going on in D.C. and how it affects your business?”. If you own a small business in New Jersey (like me) the basic question is likely ‘How bad will it be?’ This…
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Preserving right of claim for 2016 tax returns
The hottest topic in tax planning right now is the protection of right to claim a refund for 2016. It’s likely a hot of hot air about nothing. Beginning on 2016 wealthy people paid additional taxes mandated by the Affordable Care Act. If the Affordable Care Act is deemed unconstitutional, then theoretically the taxes it…
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The fallacy of diversity and inclusion statements
I am pleased to work with a wide range of nonprofit organization managers 1. This includes the executives of churches, synagogues, environmental groups, professional and trade associations. One thing that almost all share is a focus on outreach and recruitment. It’s a core theme for most nonprofits, and I think it is fair to say…
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“More than a Vote” and the long road ahead to the next election
I serve as accountant or treasurer to several nonprofit organizations focused on education and registration of voters. We are more concerned about voter suppression and voter disenfranchisement now than in any earlier time in our lives. That’s why this excerpt published yesterday by writer Heather Cox Wilkinson jumped out at me. “Basketball superstar LeBron James…
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Summary of the HEROS Act
This past week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROS Act that includes: – Money for city and state governments struggling to provide public services with the collapse in tax revenue– Hazard pay for front line workers– Virus testing, tracing and treatment– Second round of direct payments to citizens make up for lost income–…
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New Jersey political forecast 2020
Political forecasting is an important part of effective small business strategic management. This is a digest of the latest Politico “New Jersey Playbook” published Thursday 4/23 reporting on the latest Monmouth University statewide poll results: MARIJUANA: It looks like New Jersey will be legalizing marijuana. 61% in favor, 34% opposed. PRESIDENT AND SENATE: Biden leads…
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Armchair epidemiology
This is one of those times when a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous and frustrating thing. I’ve had some formal training in epidemiology, virology and public health policy and worked as an intern in a high profile medical research lab but never pursued this as a career. My most recent formal education comes…