Tax policy isn't just for economists, lawyers, or policymakers. It's for you, and me, and everybody in between. The Tax Hound starts conversations about what government taxes, and why. I uncover how tax policy affects us in our day-to-day lives. How do they affect how we pay for K-12 education, what drinks we buy for our kids, or how we help protect the planet? Join the conversation—I’d love to hear from you.

 

 

2024

• Could a bigger tax credit boost employer-provided child care? (August)
• Is it too easy for an organization to become a 501(c)(3) (July)
• What's to become of the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (June)
• Conservation easements still cause consternation (February)
• Flexible Spending Accounts: How they work and who benefits (January)

2023

• Is everyone forming an LLC but me? (December)
• O Canada! What might its digital services tax mean for us? (November)
• Should online sports betting firms withhold taxes from all winnings? (October)
• A European Vacation and Tax Appreciation (September)
• Taxing remote workers: "Convenience," conflict, and the courts (August)
• No taxation without realization? (July)
• How can artificial intelligence help the average taxpayer? (June)
• To e-bike, or not to e-bike? Should that be a tax question? (May)
• Venmo, The $600 Threshold, And You: What's An (Honest) Taxpayer To Do? (April) 
• Taxes, Scholarships, And A College Freshman: No Such Thing As Free Money (March)
• Extra! Extra! Should Local News Organizations Get Tax Breaks? (February)
• Dogs, Taxes, and Choices (January)

2022

• Congress could save the day for more savers (not just the wealthy ones) (December) 
• A marshmallow by any other name is just as sweet, but maybe not taxable (November)
• Voters In Three States Will Face The Consequences Of Earmarking Tax Dollars (October)
• The Educator Expense Deduction: It May Be Time To Trade This Token Benefit (September)
• Could crypto mining taxes in the US help save the planet, or is there an easier way? (August) 
• Taxes, Religion, and Education: How much are we willing to pay for choice? (July)
• Absent Roe v. Wade, will "qualifying child" mean more in the tax code? (June)
• In states' culture wars, tax policy--and taxpayers--should be off-limits (May)
• Hey tax filers, there's (at least) one thing you should know... (April)
• Sales tax carveouts: They're all about that base (March)
• Does the world need tax-advantaged art freeports? (February)
• Excise taxes on guns and ammo: Sin taxes that don't prevent the sin (January)

2021

• Could tax incentives help recruit and retain teachers? (December)
• Will the Ohio Supreme Court fuel the state's NASCAR tax? (November)
• How to make retirement saving easier for millions of Americans (October)
• What's easier: Killing aliens, or levying a vehicle-mileage tax? (September)
• Balancing free speech and tax exemption for nonprofits (August)
• Tax-exempt hospitals and charity care: Should those hospitals do more? (July)
• Are state tax-credit scholarships the best way to support school choice? (June)
• Should government use tax incentives to encourage people to get the COVID-19 vaccine? (May)
• Should all families receive the Child Tax Credit? (April)
• Big Tech has our data. Should we tax them on it? (March)
• What do you think about taxes? (February)
• Why are dependents over age 16 still ineligible for economic impact payments? (January)

2020

• A Tax on Remote Work: Yes or No? (December)
• Who gets the tax benefit of those checkout charity donations? (November) 
• Budget Transparency in a Pandemic: A Steeltown Story (October)
• The Road to Abusive Tax Shelters Is Paved With Good Intentions (September)
• Lights Flashing, Sirens Blaring: State and Local Governments Need Federal Aid (August)
• Tax Day Is Around The Corner: Who's (Been) Ready? (July)
• Balancing School Budgets and Tax Hikes in the Middle of a Pandemic (June)
• CARES Act Support Is Falling Short (May)
• Homeschooling Tax Policy, Or How We Spent the First Week of the Pandemic (April)
• "Corporate Taxes: Are They Fair? Who Really Pays Them, And When?" (March)
• "Don't tax me, don't tax thee, that that person who's richer than... we." (February)
• Could a redesigned tax deduction make more people feel good about charitable giving? (January)

2019

• Naughty or Nice: What if Santa Claus had to levy sin taxes? (December)
• When it comes to tax policy, should getting mad mean getting even? (November)
• Michigan: Let's tax (not ban) vaping products (October)
• There's no such thing as a free lunch. Or sales tax holiday. (September)
• Save (for) Yourself: Or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the Solo 401(k) (August)
• Road Rage and Raising Revenue: Is it time for states to embrace even bigger gas tax increases? (July)
• The Section 529 savings plan is a sweet deal. Too sweet. (June)
• Are public pension and benefit shortfalls and local taxes worthy of a neighborhood duel? (May)
• A good volunteer is hard to find. Could tax policy make it easier? (April)
• "Tell me what you want, what you really, really want." (March)
• America, We Have A Problem: The IRS Brain Drain (February)
• Political Campaigns and Tax Incentives: Do We Give to Get? (January)

2018

• For charitable giving, 'tis the season... but will it still be, post-TCJA? (December)
• What Do Women Want? Or: The Case of the Tax-Exempt Tampon (November)
• Straight Teeth, Misaligned Tax Policy (October)
• School Daze, School Funding Haze (September)
• High Hopes and Altered States: Choices, Marijuana, and Tax Revenue (August)
• Tariffs, Trade, and Time: Making America Pay Again (July)
• Tax Protests and Business Boycotts: History Repeats, Maybe. (June)
• Taxes and Public Education: We get what we pay for... When we want it. (May)
• The Case of the Plastic Bag Tax: Why don't we all carry that weight? (April)
• Guns, Soda, and a Modest Proposal (March)
• Will the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act grow US businesses? (February)
• ​Tax Cuts in 2018: Will we feel them? Will it matter? (January)

2017

• How would the TCJA treat my family? The same, but different. (December)
• Transformational Brownfield of Dreams in Motor City: If he builds it, will they come? (November)
• A Tale of Two Cities: An Income Tax in Benton Harbor? (October)
• Keeping Your Eyes on the Tax-Advantaged Prize (September)
• The Case of Oregon's Bicycle Excise Tax (August)
• My Vacation in the Sharing Economy (July)
• Taxing Bubbles, Or The Case of the Tax for Racial Equity (June)
• The Case for Tax Policy Education and Teacher Appreciation (May)
• Strange Love: Or, how I learned to stop complaining and like the tax code (April)
• Them's the Breaks: Taxing Retirement Income (March)
• Can we make small stockholders feel great again? (February)
• Why are Chicago homeowners leaving money on the table? (January)

2016

• A tax cut in exchange for more federal debt? Taxpayers consider the tradeoff (December)
• When Angry Doubt Triumphs: A Case of Tax Debt and Tax Collection (November)
• Transparency, Tax Returns, and Tax Reform: An Open and Shut Case? (October)
• For whom the interstate tolls: It may toll differently for thee. (September)
• "I was framed!" Or, the Case of the Tax Policy Overpowered by Words (August)
• Tax Exemption, Free Speech, and a Bold Campaign Promise: An Independence Day Mystery (July)
• The Case of a Good Walk, and Tax Expenditure, Spoiled (June)
• A Case of Love, Death, Estates, and Taxes (May)
• The Case of the Hidden Import Tax, or, "It's all about the shoes." (April)
• Much Ado About Everything But Tax Plans (March)
• What's so funny about taxes, love, and solidarity? (February)
• The Case of Tax Scams, Private Debt Collectors, and Wishful Thinking (January)

2015

• The Case of the Mislabeled ABLE Account (December)
• The Case of the Questionable Tax Incentive: Women and Retirement Savings (November)
• The Case of the Carrot in Need of a Stick: A Tax Credit for Paid Family Leave (October)
• The Case of the Unreturned Call for Tax Code Simplicity (September)
• The Case of the Little Wrong Thing: Evading Online Sales Tax (August)
• MEGA tax credits: Will Michigan bust a deal, or will residents face the wheel? (July)
• School’s out: What if parents take the tax money and run? (June)
• Why do taxpayers leave money on the table? (May)
• A penny for your sugar: Setting a price on Sin (April)
• What we hear when we talk about taxes... musings of a Tax Hound (March)