As a Graduate Tax student, I would wait in line to get my hands on “Tributin” (or “Little Tax”), a new video game planned by the Cuban government to teach kids about fiscal policy and the importance of paying taxes. No details have emerged as to what the game play will be like, but with a name like Tributin, it must be good. According to a phone interview with Reuters, the project director of the game, Dagoberto Marino, said that “It is a fun software to help children learn about fiscal policy, because since they were born in a socialist society with some gratuities, they don’t have all the elements needed to understand taxes.”
MSNBC, Cuba Plans children’s video game to promote taxes.
Click on the picture below to see if you can find the word tax in the word cloud of President Obama’s 2011 State of the Union. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text according to Wordle.
As reported earlier, the IRS has officially released its first smartphone application for use on your iPhone and Android mobile devices. The move marks a continued effort by the Service to modernize the agency and engage taxpayers where and when they want it, according to IRS commissioner Doug Schulman. The app allows taxpayers to check the status of their federal refund as well as obtain easy-to-understand tax tips. The app can be downloaded now at the iTunes app store or the Android Marketplace.
Earlier today, the IRS tweeted from one of its usernames, IRSnews that it will be releasing a new app for iPhone and Android. Here is a copy of the tweet:
#IRS will be launching a new phone app today for #android and #iPhone. Look for news release today on IRS.gov. #tax
If you happen to be attending the AFC or NFC Championship game in Pittsburgh or Chicago (respectively) and planning on having a beer, smoking a cigarette, buying a new sweater or driving to the game (or any combination of these) you may be interested in this chart. It lists the sales, gas, beer, spirits, and table wine taxes in Pennsylvania and Illinois as of February 1, 2010. The data was compiled by Tax Foundation and I modified the chart to cater to today’s games.
This week, I was determined to retrieve the perfect song for Tax Tracks Volume 11. I wanted a song that was powerful. It needed to have just the right message that would send everyone into tax season on the right note. Ben Franklin once said that “the only things certain in life are death and taxes.” Well, Celine Dion only agrees with part of that statement. In her opinion, it is rain and taxes that are inevitable. This week’s Tax Track is Rain, Tax (It’s Inevitable). Turn it up!
‘Tis the [tax] season for new ways to file your tax returns. Last week we told you about a new app that allows you to file various individual and business tax returns on your iPad. Yesterday, TurboTax released a new app that allows a taxpayer to file his or her 1040EZ or state income tax return on an iPhone or Android mobile device. According to the app’s description on iTunes (Apple’s interface for downloading apps to the iPhone), filing a tax return using SnapTax is as easy as 1-2-3. First, you snap a photo of your W-2. Then, you answer a few questions. Finally, you review, pay $14.99, and e-file securely (I heard Ron Popeil saying “Just set it and forget it” as I was typing that last sentence).
For more information on this new app checkout the YouTube video below and see WalletPop’s article.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Treasury Department plans to launch a new program that will deliver tax refunds to taxpayers using prepaid debit cards rather than mailing paper checks. The move is another cost-cutting measure by the Department to decrease the number of mailings made to individuals. Approximately 600,000 taxpayers composed of low-to-moderate income earning individuals will be invited to participate in the pilot program by letter (irony). The letter will explain the program and request that the taxpayer enroll in the program by activating a debit card that can receive the deposits.
• Due to a combination of improving revenues and growing political opposition to increased state-level taxes and additional federal aid to states, 2010 was a lighter year on state-level tax changes than anticipated. But as temporary federal stimulus aid ends in mid-2011 and with many states still not balancing their projected revenues with desired expenses, 2011 may be a year of dramatic tax increases.
• In addressing gaps between desired spending and projected revenues, state officials have relied on three choices: raise taxes, roll back spending growth commitments made during previous years and take actions to spend no more than the state brings in, or use one-time funds and accounting gimmicks to paper over the current state budget shortfall, without significantly curtailing spending.
• Most of the states that raised taxes in 2010 have aimed the increases at specific groups, such as high-income earners, smokers, or out-of-state business transactions. These revenue sources may provide short-term relief but can cause harm to the state economy in the short and long term.
• State policymakers should learn two lessons from California: revenue surges in good times will not continue indefinitely, and the more reliant a state is on high-income earners, the bigger hit it will sustain when those revenue surges eventually end.
As a Graduate Tax student, I would wait in line to get my hands on “Tributin” (or “Little Tax”), a new video game planned by the Cuban government to teach kids about fiscal policy and the importance of paying taxes. No details have emerged as to what the game play will be like, but with a name like Tributin, it must be good. According to a phone interview with Reuters, the project director of the game, Dagoberto Marino, said that “It is a fun software to help children learn about fiscal policy, because since they were born in a socialist society with some gratuities, they don’t have all the elements needed to understand taxes.”
