#Interest Rate Reduction in Arkansas

[selfdebtrelief]

Interest Rate Reduction in Arkansas

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[newstfionline]

Friday, January 14, 2022

An Omicron Peak? (1440) The current US COVID-19 surge may be close to peaking, according to researchers who suggest the highly transmissible omicron variant may soon run out of vulnerable candidates for infection. The cautious optimism comes as average daily cases dipped Tuesday for the first time since Christmas. A widely cited model currently predicts the number of COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization will peak around Jan. 26. Separately, a new study comparing the omicron and delta variants showed a 91% reduction in death and a 53% reduction in hospitalization with the omicron strain. South Africa, where the variant was first observed, appears to be fully through the omicron wave, while cases have begun dropping in Britain.

America’s other epidemic (Washington Post) The boy in Texas was shot at home by someone in a passing a car. The ninth-grader in Arkansas was shot at school by a friend. The girl in Kansas was shot by a toddler, who didn’t mean to do it. The teenager in South Carolina shot himself, but he did mean to do it. All of them were killed in an epidemic unique to the United States, where, on average, at least one child is shot every hour of every day. Many survive, but many others do not. In the nation’s capital, nine children were killed in gun homicides last year. In Los Angeles, 11 were fatally shot. In Philadelphia: 36. In Chicago: 59. Those figures don’t include the hundreds of other kids who died in accidental shootings and by suicide. Just how many were taken by gun violence last year will remain unknown until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention releases its data months from now. But in 2020, the number exceeded 2,200—by far the highest total in the past two decades—and 2021’s tally is expected to be worse.

Inflation at 40-year high pressures consumers (AP) Inflation jumped at its fastest pace in nearly 40 years last month, a 7% spike from a year earlier that is increasing household expenses, eating into wage gains and heaping pressure on President Joe Biden and the Federal Reserve to address what has become the biggest threat to the U.S. economy. Prices rose sharply in 2021 for cars, gas, food and furniture as part of a rapid recovery from the pandemic recession. Vast infusions of government aid and ultra-low interest rates helped spur demand for goods. As Americans ramped up spending, supply chains remained squeezed by shortages of workers and raw materials and this magnified price pressures.

Mexico refused to close its borders during the covid-19 pandemic (Washington Post) As the coronavirus swept the globe, nervous countries imposed bans on flights, cruise ships and border crossings. But from the beginning, Mexico has stayed open. New arrivals here aren’t required to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test, or to quarantine. The government estimates covid-19 has caused more than 450,000 deaths. Yet perhaps no other large country so acutely represents the difficult trade-offs involved in trying to slow the spread of the virus. Mexico has tens of millions of poor citizens and an economy dependent on trade and tourism. It shares the world’s busiest land border. With omicron now taking off, it’s one of many nations asking: How much can you seal yourself off? “You have to make these impossible choices almost—is it your economy or public health?” said Kelley Lee, a global health scholar at Canada’s Simon Fraser University. Countries that imposed strict testing and quarantine requirements have clearly done better at limiting coronavirus outbreaks, she said. “The challenge is most governments aren’t willing to go that route. There are costs, real economic costs, political costs, social costs.”

Salvadoran journalists’ phones hacked with spyware, report finds (Reuters) The cell phones of nearly three dozen journalists and activists in El Salvador, several of whom were investigating alleged state corruption, have been hacked since mid-2020 and implanted with sophisticated spyware typically available only to governments and law enforcement, a Canadian research institute said it has found. The alleged hacks, which came amid an increasingly hostile environment in El Salvador for media and rights organizations under populist President Nayib Bukele, were discovered late last year by The Citizen Lab, which studies spyware at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs. Known as Pegasus, the Israeli-designed software has been purchased by state actors worldwide, some of whom have used the tool to surveil journalists.

Brazil’s election (Foreign Policy) With months remaining before Brazilians go to the polls, former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has opened up an enormous lead over current President Jair Bolsonaro in a Wednesday poll. Asking to vote for a preferred candidate if the election were held that day, 45 percent opted for Lula, while just 23 percent chose Bolsonaro. The incumbent president faces low approval ratings, with 50 percent of Brazilian voters saying his government is bad or terrible.

Kazakhstan: Russia-led alliance’s troops prepare to pull out (AP) Troops belonging to a Russia-led security alliance were preparing to pull out of Kazakhstan, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. The withdrawal comes a week after they were deployed to the ex-Soviet nation on the request of its president, who was seeking to quell violent mass protests. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had blamed the unrest on foreign-backed “terrorists” and requested assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led military alliance of six ex-Soviet states. The bloc sent over 2,000 troops to Kazakhstan last week. On Tuesday Tokayev declared their mission accomplished and said they would start pulling out on Thursday.

Russia won’t rule out military deployment to Cuba, Venezuela (AP) Russia on Thursday sharply raised the stakes in its dispute with the West over Ukraine, with a top diplomat refusing to rule out a Russian military deployment to Cuba and Venezuela if tensions with the United States mount. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation in Monday’s talks with the U.S. in Geneva, said he could “neither confirm nor exclude” the possibility of Russia sending military assets to Cuba and Venezuela if the talks fail and U.S. pressure on Russia mounts.

The Army of Millions Who Enforce China’s Zero-Covid Policy, at All Costs (NYT) China’s “zero Covid” policy has a dedicated following: the millions of people who work diligently toward that goal, no matter the human costs. In the northwestern city of Xi’an, hospital employees refused to admit a man suffering from chest pains because he lived in a medium-risk district. He died of a heart attack. They informed a woman who was eight months pregnant and bleeding that her Covid test wasn’t valid. She lost her baby. Two community security guards told a young man they didn’t care that he’d had nothing to eat after catching him out during the lockdown. They beat him up. China’s early success in containing the pandemic through iron-fist, authoritarian policies emboldened its officials. Many officials now believe that they must do everything within their power to ensure zero Covid infections since it is the will of their top leader, Xi Jinping. The government has the help of a vast army of community workers who carry out the policy with zeal and hordes of online nationalists who attack anyone raising grievances or concerns. The tragedies in Xi’an have prompted some Chinese people to question how those enforcing the quarantine rules can behave like this and to ask who holds ultimate responsibility. Some Chinese are struck by how many officials and civilians—often driven by professional ambition or obedience—are willing to be the enablers of authoritarian policies.

Strike paralyzes Lebanon amid worsening economic conditions (AP) A general strike by public transportation and labor unions paralyzed Lebanon Thursday as the country suffers one of the world’s worst economic crises. The move comes as the country’s ruling class has done almost nothing to try to pull the country out of its meltdown, rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement. The political class that has run the small nation of 6 million people, including 1 million Syrian refugees, since the 1975-90 civil war is resisting reforms demanded by the international community. Universities and schools were closed all over Lebanon and many people were not able to reach work because of road closures. Protesters closed the country’s major highways as well as roads inside cities and towns starting at 5 a.m. The nationwide protests, dubbed a “day of rage,” are scheduled to last 12 hours.

Rubble brings opportunity, and risk, in war-scarred Gaza (AP) The Gaza Strip has few jobs, little electricity and almost no natural resources. But after four bruising wars with Israel in just over a decade, it has lots of rubble. Local businesses are now finding ways to cash in on the chunks of smashed concrete, bricks and debris left behind by years of conflict. In a territory suffering from a chronic shortage of construction materials, a bustling recycling industry has sprouted up, providing income to a lucky few but raising concerns that the refurbished rubble is substandard and unsafe. “It’s a lucrative business,” said Naji Sarhan, deputy housing minister in the territory’s Hamas-led government. The challenge, he said, is regulating the use of recycled rubble in construction. Israel and Egypt have maintained a crippling blockade on Gaza for the past 15 years, restricting the entry of badly needed construction materials. Israel says such restrictions are needed to prevent Hamas from diverting goods like concrete and steel for military use. Since 2014, it has allowed some imports under the supervision of the United Nations. But thousands of homes need to be repaired or rebuilt, and shortages are rampant.

People devote third of waking time to mobile apps (BBC) People are spending an average of 4.8 hours a day on their mobile phones, according to app monitoring firm App Annie. In 2020, UK regulator Ofcom found similar amounts of time spent, although its research included watching TV. App Annie's report indicates that apps were downloaded 230 billion times in 2021, while $170bn (£125bn) was spent. TikTok was the most downloaded app worldwide, with users spending 90% more time there compared to 2020. “The big screen is slowly dying as mobile continues to break records in virtually every category—time spent, downloads and revenue,” said chief executive of App Annie, Theodore Krantz.

Pope Francis takes a break from the Vatican to visit local record store (RNS) Pope Francis made a surprise visit to a local record store on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 11), adding music appreciation and support for small businesses to his long list of concerns as pontiff. Stereosound, near the Pantheon in downtown Rome, was a frequent stop for Francis when he was a priest and later archbishop when he came on business to the Vatican from his native Argentina. Francis has spoken in the past about his appreciation for classical music. In a 2013 interview with the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, Francis talked about his love for Mozart. On other occasions, Francis has praised classical composers such as Beethoven and Bach. The pope has also not been shy about sharing his enthusiasm for tango, which he listened to—and occasionally danced—in his native Argentina. This isn’t the first time the pope dropped into a local business in Rome. In 2015 he shocked a Roman optician when he came in unannounced to purchase new frames for his eyeglasses, and a year later, he visited a shop not far from the Vatican to buy new shoes.

[covid19updater]

COVID19 Updates: 07/27/2021

US:   WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL FOR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO MANDATE VACCINES FOR EMPLOYEES, BUT NO DECISION HAS BEEN MADE

US:  U.S. COVID update: More than 90K new cases as many states post weekend backlogs - New cases: 90,292 - Average: 56,008 (+4,685) - In hospital: 35,521 (+1,317) - In ICU: 8,978 (+297) - New deaths: 289

Japan:  NEW: Tokyo reports 2,848 new coronavirus cases, more than double from last week and the biggest one-day increase on record

Indonesia:  BREAKING: Indonesia reports 2,069 new coronavirus deaths, the biggest one-day increase on record, and 45,203 new cases

Massachusetts:  Almost 4,000 fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts have tested positive for COVID-19 | Fox News LINK

RUMINT (Arkansas):  Good morning, everyone. Arkansas worsening. I'm hearing a lot of medical helicopters. My kid was supposed to have a medical appointment today, to their credit they're doing it virtually. They called me to make the change. Medical offices adjusting. It seems we're right back where we started.

US:  BREAKING—CDC reverses course—CDC is expected to recommend on Tuesday that people vaccinated for the coronavirus  resume wearing masks indoors. The change follows reports of rising breakthrough infections with the #Deltavariant.  ABOUT DAMN TIME! #COVID19 LINK

Florida:  Baptist Health Jacksonville: Number of COVID-19 patients rise by 32 over 24 hours LINK

RUMINT (US): Sister in Law is an RN here & had a vaxxed covid patient yesterday...Holy cow, this is scary.   Apparently, the 44-year-old man received the J&J vax in June. The guy's fiancee said he went to work yesterday morning, like normal then on his lunch hour he just disappeared, he left & never came back ( he is a supervisor). A few hours later The cops were called by people at an apt complex because he was wandering around the dumpsters & had blood all over himself. The cops got there & the guy is totally catatonic, won't communicate. They bring him to the hospital thinking he is injured but upon further inspection, did not have a scratch on him (wtf). He started coming around but would not answer questions clearly, just kept saying that something was wrong in his head. Then all of a sudden he just started raging. They had to call security to restrain him & it took 4 of them to hold him down. They gave him a large dose of sedatives & it did nothing to him. My sister-in-law said he was like the exorcist on the bed, broke the end of it off completely. The interesting part of the story is that they did a routine covid test on him upon admittance to the hospital, and guess what....POSITIVE. He was asymptomatic but had encephalitis. The DR commented to her in private that covid was making people go crazy, altering their brains. Except, I had covid, it did nothing to my brain... it is the vax & spike proteins that are doing it. Most of us already knew this, though. And This was not the first time the DR had seen a patient come in like this. Not good.

Florida:  COVID-19 cases in NE FL continue to climb, projections from Mayo Clinic show no flattening of curve

Saudi Arabia:  Saudi Arabia will impose a three-year travel ban on citizens traveling to countries on the kingdom’s “red list” under draconian new measures, state news agency SPA has said;

Indiana:  Up again ... Indiana exceeds 1,000 COVID-19 cases for the first time since May 7, according to IDOH's updated dashboard.

US:  Rolling seven-day average of new U.S. covid cases, per The Post Three weeks ago: 12,696 Two weeks ago: 25,694 Last week: 37,936 Today: 55,986

Canada:  Fifth resident dead at care home outbreak in Canada. 97% of residents were fully vaccinated. Doesn't make clear if the deaths were in the unvaccinated or vaccinated. The home on Upper Middle Road has a resident capacity of 144 people, says Schlegel's website. It is unclear whether all of those spots are currently filled. LINK

Florida:  The mayor of the Florida county that's home to Disney World and Universal Studios is sounding the alarm on a spike of Covid-19 cases in the area, saying the county is now in "crisis mode" as it grapples with its worsening infection rate. LINK

California:  #BREAKING: Students, faculty, and staff will be required to vaccinated against COVID-19 to access @calstate 's 23 campuses this fall. LINK

US:  Some internal news: All @washingtonpost employees will be required to show proof of covid vax “as a condition of employment,” per new memo from publisher Fred Ryan (exceptions for documented medical conditions and religious concerns). Plan is to return to the office by mid-Sept.

California:  Higher COVID Rate Found In Some Counties With Higher Vaccination Rate – Why, And What It Says About The Delta Variant LINK

US:  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says "new data" shows "breakthrough cases" of vaccinated individuals can have as much virus to shed and spread as an unvaccinated person. (so, no reduction in viral load?)

World:  A study found that heavy wildfire smoke could be linked to an increase in COVID-19 cases LINK

US:  Biden is considering a vaccine mandate for ALL federal employees because of the surging Delta variant LINK

Canada:  Passengers getting off international flights at Toronto Pearson International Airport will no longer be separated into queues based on their vaccination status. LINK

Israel:  Israel COVID update: Nearly 2,200 new cases, biggest one-day increase since March 11 - New cases: 2,195 - Average: 1,497 (+101) - In hospital: 243 (+32) - In ICU: 33 (-) - New deaths: 0

Florida:  NEW: Florida reports biggest one-day increase on record in number of people hospitalized with COVID-19

US:  NEW: Number of Americans hospitalized with COVID-19 tops 38,000, highest since May

Saudi Arabia:  Saudi Arabia to Impose Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate LINK

Arkansas:  The situation at Baxter Regional is critical. We have 43 COVID-19 inpatients, with 10 in ICU and 9 on a vent. Our ICU is full, with both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. We are weary, concerned for our community and desperate for this pandemic to end.

Arkansas:  Hospitalizations statewide now exceed 1,000. ADH says 1,025 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, up 45 from yesterday. There are 205 people on ventilators, up 33 from Monday.

Florida:  Colombian COVID Variant Hits Florida LINK

US:  CDC warns COVID-19 may be a few mutations away from evading vaccines LINK (It already does)

Louisiana:  Louisiana reports the biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations since March 2020

US: Op/Ed:  The 'worse' is how they're trying to spin the fact of the vaccine being an epic fail to prevent Covid at all - which is what they've led the population to believe all this time. All they're doing now is trying to play the ole scapegoat the unvaccinated shell game which only rallies psychotics, but does nothing to hide the fact the population has been bamboozled. The disaster unfolding will be compounded by the businesses following along with the political whims as they institute mandates and completely destroy their businesses altogether, causing even more social chaos as destitution spreads even more. It's a precarious situation.

US:  U.S. COVID update: More than 100K new cases, including backlog from Florida, amid surge in hospital admissions - New cases: 106,084 - Average: 62,411 (+6,403) - In hospital: 39,288 (+3,767) - In ICU: 9,851 (+873) - New deaths: 426

Alaska:  562 COVID-19 cases reported in Alaska over the past 3 days LINK

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

In reading coverage of the Republican tax bill, which passed the House on Wednesday and is ready for President Trump’s signature, I was reminded of this famous clip of the 1992 “town hall” presidential debate between Bill Clinton and George W. Bush,1 in which a voter asked the candidates a question about the “national debt” and how it had “personally affected” their lives.

Bush answered the question literally, talking about the effect of the debt on interest rates and awkwardly objecting to the notion that he couldn’t understand the impact of the debt if it hadn’t affected him personally. Clinton understood that the voter was asking about the economy overall — which had recently emerged from a recession — and not the national debt per se. He asked the voter how she was doing personally, and then spoke about people he knew in Arkansas who had lost businesses and jobs. Clinton took the voter seriously but not literally, you might say — and delivered a more effective answer as a result.[foootnote]Clinton gained 3 percentage points in national polls after the debate.[/footnote]

As the GOP tax bill has neared final passage, a number of Republican lawmakers — and some nonpartisan journalists and commentators — have predicted that the bill, which is highly unpopular for now, will become more popular after final passage because voters haven’t yet realized they’re getting a tax cut but will soon receive one.

I wonder if these commentators aren’t making a version of Bush’s mistake, taking voters’ concerns about the bill literally but not seriously.

It’s true that the bill will provide a tax cut next year to most Americans. According to the Tax Policy Center, 80 percent of households will see a federal tax reduction next year as a result of the bill, as compared to 5 percent who see an increase (the remaining 15 percent will see their taxes essentially unchanged). This is improved from previous versions of the bill, because of changes to policies such as the child tax credit and because of more favorable rate schedules. For instance, taxable income between roughly $10,000 and $38,000 dollars will now be taxed at a marginal rate of 12 percent, as compared to 15 percent under current law.

However, most voters don’t expect a tax cut. A Monmouth University poll released this week found that just 14 percent of voters expect their federal taxes to go down, as compared to 50 percent who expect an increase. Once those misinformed voters realize that less is being withheld from their paychecks as a result of the lower tax rates, they’ll come around to supporting the bill, right?

Well, maybe not. For one thing, the voters aren’t necessarily wrong, even in a literal sense, if they’re looking toward the long term.2 Because the cuts to individual tax rates are temporary, 53 percent of households (including 70 percent of households in the middle income quintile) will see an increase in their taxes by 2027 if the law is left intact, according to the Tax Policy Center, as compared to 25 percent who will see a decrease.

But more importantly, voters probably aren’t being quite so single- and literal-minded about whether or not they’re getting a tax cut. Instead, they’re using polling questions like these to signal their overall skepticism and discomfort with the bill — discomfort that also registers when they’re asked other questions about the bill that have nothing to do with their personal finances.

A CNN poll this week, for instance, found that 66 percent of voters expect the bill to do more to benefit the wealthy than the middle class. (Other polls show similar numbers.) Voters have a reasonable basis to be concerned about this. According to the Tax Policy Center, voters in the top income quintile will see an average tax reduction of $7,640 next year, as compared to $930 for the middle income quintile. (High-earners will also do better on a percentage basis.3). The reduction in the top corporate tax rate — to 21 percent from 35 percent — is much more substantial than any of the reduction to individual rates. And the corporate tax cuts are permanent while the individual cuts aren’t.

Voters also have reason to be concerned about deficits — which most economists expect to increase by $1 trillion or more as a result of the Republican bill. For instance, a Marist College poll in September found that, by a 66 percent to 26 percent margin, Americans were opposed to an increase in deficit spending even if it meant they received a tax cut. Voters could also be worried that Republicans will attempt to balance budgets by cutting entitlement programs; after all, the GOP spent most of the year trying to repeal Obamacare, and their tax bill includes a repeal of the Obamacare individual mandate, which the Congressional Budget Office expects to increase health care premiums.

The GOP bill also suffers from not having popular messengers — and from not having a trustworthy message. Trump’s approval rating is 37 percent, close to its all-time low. But Republicans in Congress have even worse numbers, with only about 20 percent of voters approving of the job they’re doing. Party leaders Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan are also highly unpopular. Republicans have also mislead voters about some of the consequences of the bill — although so have Democrats — and they’ve lost their traditional polling lead on Democrats on which party the public trusts more on taxes.

Finally, voters are usually change-averse when it comes to complicated bills that affect their finances. The GOP bill is not really a simplification of the tax code, and in some ways it makes the tax code more complex. And some popular deductions have been removed or capped. Although some voters will see greater take-home pay by early next year as a result of less tax withholding, others will have profound uncertainty about the overall effects of the bill until they pay their 2018 taxes in April, 2019.

For all that said, there are a couple of reasons for Republican optimism. About 15 to 20 percent of voters don’t yet have an opinion about the bill, and those undecided voters are more likely to be Republicans than Democrats; now that the bill has passed, those GOP voters may come around to supporting the bill as a result of partisanship. That won’t make the bill popular overall, but it would improve its numbers around the margin.

And in the long run, any effects the bill has on the economy could outweigh its popularity rating in political importance. This isn’t a panacea for Republicans; voters already feel pretty good about the economy and yet Trump and Republicans are highly unpopular despite that. Also, even pro-free-market economists are skeptical that the bill will improve long-run economic performance, in part because it increases deficits. But if Republicans can steer the discussion of the tax bill into a conversation about how the economy is doing — instead of how voters feel about Trump or the Russia investigation or their unpopular efforts to repeal Obamacare — that’s a conversation they’ll be happy to have.

Nonetheless, if Republicans are looking toward Obamacare for an example of a bill that eventually became popular once voters learned what was in it, they may be waiting a long time. The Affordable Care Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in March 2010, didn’t become popular until late 2016, after Trump had become president-elect. In the meantime, it contributed to a disastrous midterm for Democrats; a fate that Republicans are increasingly likely to endure next year.

[ericvick]

State tax changes could mean bigger refunds for some this year

Numerous U.S. states made favorable tax changes for the 2020 tax year, meaning some taxpayers may get a bigger refund this filing season.

Arizona, Arkansas, and Massachusetts are among the states that lowered their tax rates for the 2020 tax year, while Minnesota and North Carolina — among others — stepped up their standard deductions. Meanwhile, some high-income earners in New Jersey may find themselves in a higher income tax bracket this year.

Read more: Here’s how you should use your tax refund in 2021

“A lot of states saw income tax reductions in 2020, whether that be in the form of rate reductions or standard deduction increases,” Katherine Loughead, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, told Yahoo Money. “Really almost everyone will benefit from these changes.”

Taxpayers in California, Hawaii, and New Jersey will see the highest top marginal individual income tax rates this filing season respectively 13.3%, 11%, and 10.8%. Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance

In Arizona, the second-, third-, fourth-highest marginal rates are all lower than in 2019, while the bottom tax bracket rate remained unchanged. Taxpayers in Arkansas who are taxed the top marginal rate will see their income tax rate drop from 6.9% to 6.6%.

The second marginal individual income tax rate in Wisconsin dropped from 5.84% to 5.21%. In Massachusetts, the single-rate individual income tax fell from 5.05% to 5.0% this tax year. Coloradans may also be surprised by a bigger refund after the adoption of Proposition 116 in November 2020 that decreased the individual income tax rate from 4.63% to 4.55% — retroactive to tax year 2020.

Read more: Taxes: Here’s how to know if you should itemize

“A lot of people were overpaying throughout the year and will get a larger refund than expected,” Loughead said.

Arizona’s standard deduction is also increasing, more than doubling to match the federal deduction. Additionally, Minnesota increased its standard deduction by adopting the federal standard deduction and North Carolina increased its standard deduction by 7.5% for all filing statuses this season. Virginia’s standard deduction also went up.

Story continues

‘Many more taxpayers will have income exposed to that rate’

Taxpayers in California, Hawaii, and New Jersey will see the highest top marginal individual income tax rates this filing season of all states at 13.3%, 11%, and 10.8%, respectively. Seven states including Texas and Florida have no individual income taxes at all, while Tennessee and New Hampshire only tax interest and dividends income for 2020. In 2021, Tennessee will get rid of that tax, joining the states with no income tax.

Read more: Bitcoin and cryptocurrency tax 2021: Tips and guide

In New Jersey, the top marginal individual income tax rate has a lower income threshold, meaning some high-income earners may be moved into higher tax brackets. Previously, taxpayers making above $5 million (both single and joint filers) had to pay the top rate of 10.75%, but this year taxpayers making more than $1 million in income also pay that rate.

“The top rate itself didn’t change, but it kicks in at a much lower level than it used to,” Loughead said. “New Jersey has the third-highest top marginal individual income tax rate in the country, and starting this filing season, many more taxpayers will have income exposed to that rate.”

Yahoo Money sister site Cashay has a weekly newsletter.

Denitsa is a writer for Yahoo Finance and Cashay, a new personal finance website. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova

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[csrgood]

AEP to Switch 100% of Cars and Light-Duty Truck Fleet to Electric Vehicles by 2030

American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) today announced that it will accelerate its electric vehicle purchases with the goal of replacing 100% of its 2,300 cars and light-duty trucks with EV alternatives by 2030. AEP’s total fleet is composed of nearly 8,000 vehicles, including medium- and heavy- duty vehicles. By converting medium- and heavy-duty vehicles as electric or hybrid models become available, AEP will achieve its goal of electrifying 40% of its entire on-road vehicle fleet in less than 10 years.

“AEP has made great progress in reducing the carbon dioxide output of our power generation fleet, cutting emissions by 65% since 2000 and setting a goal to achieve a more than an 80% reduction, and aspiring to be net-zero, by 2050,” said Nicholas K. Akins, AEP chairman, president and chief executive officer. “Through our commitment to transitioning to electric vehicles, we will cut tailpipe emissions, reduce operating costs, and encourage other companies that rely on large vehicle fleets to switch to battery or hybrid vehicles.”

AEP estimates that it will avoid using more than 10 million gallons of fuel, amounting to a $40 million savings in fuel costs over the life of the vehicles.

Transitioning light-duty vehicles to EVs has been part of AEP’s fleet strategy and will now become the standard across its subsidiaries. AEP will begin to transition medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as off-road equipment, as electric and hybrid alternatives become available. In addition, AEP will electrify 50% of its forklifts by 2030.

Encouraging the Switch to EVs

AEP’s fleet currently consists of 85 EVs, and employees are able to utilize more than 230 charging ports installed at locations throughout its 11-state service territory.

AEP is also working with customers and communities to share the benefits of electric transportation and support EV adoption. The company has created programs, such as incentives for charging station installations, off-peak charging programs, energy efficiency rebates, and consultative services to encourage electrification.

For example, AEP Ohio is deploying 375 charging stations in partnership with local governments, workplaces, multi-family dwellings, and low-income areas to increase publicly-available charging sites and demonstrate the benefit of public-private partnerships.  Indiana Michigan Power customers can participate in rebate programs that reduce EV charging infrastructure costs and use EV-specific off-peak rates to reduce their charging costs.  Residential customers of Appalachian Power Company in Virginia can also take advantage of EV-specific off-peak charging rates.  Residential customers of Public Service Company of Oklahoma and Southwestern Electric Power Company in Louisiana and Texas are eligible for energy efficiency rebates on qualified EV chargers.  AEP subsidiaries continue to develop and deploy programs to optimize the electric grid and bring the benefits of electric transportation to all customers.

In addition, AEP has partnered with ChargePoint™ to offer tailored evaluations for commercial and industrial customers considering electrifying their fleets. This partnership offers customers the opportunity to learn about available incentives, the latest in charging technologies, and how to ensure that the local utility grid is utilized efficiently. Fleet electrification offers many advantages, but requires companies to evaluate their site, their local electric facilities and navigate a wide array of charging equipment options. This partnership helps streamline the information gathering and decision-making process for businesses interested in switching their fleets to EVs.

Customers can learn more about AEP’s sustainability plan by visiting AEPsustainability.com.

American Electric Power, based in Columbus, Ohio, is focused on building a smarter energy infrastructure and delivering new technologies and custom energy solutions to our customers. AEP’s approximately 17,400 employees operate and maintain the nation’s largest electricity transmission system and more than 221,000 miles of distribution lines to efficiently deliver safe, reliable power to nearly 5.5 million regulated customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation’s largest electricity producers with more than 30,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including approximately 5,300 megawatts of renewable energy. AEP’s family of companies includes utilities AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, AEP Energy Partners, AEP OnSite Partners, and AEP Renewables, which provide innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. For more information, visit aep.com.

source: https://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/45847-AEP-to-Switch-100-of-Cars-and-Light-Duty-Truck-Fleet-to-Electric-Vehicles-by-2030?tracking_source=rss

[jobsearchtips02]

Wall Street Set to Open Higher Regardless Of Increase in New Virus Cases: Live Updates

Today

Wall Street was set to rise at its opening, according to futures markets.

Business are reversing pandemic pay cuts for magnates.

As economies resume, companies that cut incomes in the dark days of March and April have already started to reinstate them, notes Michelle Leder in today’s DealBook newsletter

Rollins Inc., the parent company of the Orkin pest-control brand name, recently divulged that it was bring back the executive salaries it had cut by as much as 35 percent two months previously. Rollins is among lots of business that slashed top supervisors’ incomes as sales fell and expenses increased in the early phases of the pandemic.

Darden Dining Establishments, which runs the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse chains, was one of the very first companies to restore its executives’ wages, which it had actually cut in early April. On Might 28, the company divulged that it was restoring on June 1 the $1 million salary of its president, Gene Lee, along with the incomes of 4 other executives who had taken 50 percent pay cuts.

Other business have actually made a point of maintaining a few of the decreases to magnates’ pay. Penis’s Sporting Product recently stated that in addition to reinstating its dividend, it was likewise ending short-lived pay cuts and furloughs for a lot of its staff members– “except for specific executives.” Another retailer, The Buckle, stated that its chairman and chief executive, who gave up their incomes in late March, would receive 50 percent of their pay in June and July.

Although airline companies are showing some modest indications of recovery, executive pay cuts are likely to stick around for longer. United Airlines, which initially stated that its leading 2 executives would forgo their base salaries through June 30, has now extended that for the rest of the year

Wall Street is set for an upbeat open while worldwide markets drift.

U.S. stock futures increased while European markets fluctuated on Monday, as investors’ hopes for the reopening of economies vied with relentless fret about the ability of worldwide leaders to stop the coronavirus from spreading out even more.

Futures for the S&P 500 were up almost 1 percent, signifying a favorable start to the week on Wall Street. The significant stock exchange in Europe opened lower however then rose through the early morning, ultimately breaking into positive area. Asian markets ended blended.

Prices for U.S. Treasury bonds, normally seen as a financier safe haven, were mixed. Oil prices too were mainly the same.

Financiers were viewing the spread of cases in the United States, where a leading advisor to President Trump stated on Sunday that officials are getting ready for a possible 2nd wave of infections They were likewise enjoying prospective trade stress in between the United States and China, after Beijing stated it was temporarily suspending poultry imports from a Tyson Foods slaughterhouse that has had coronavirus cases among its workers.

It was unclear whether the wave of problem would be enough to deter financiers entirely. There were indications on Monday that governments were taking actions to more ease restrictions. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was stated to be preparing to reveal a relaxation of lockdown guidelines sought by restaurants and other companies looking for to open, and on Sunday, Spain reopened its borders to European travelers.

Stocks have actually risen in recent weeks on hopes of financial recovery as governments around the world stepped up financing and spending to fight the damage from the pandemic. Markets took heavy losses in some weeks, the S&P 500 index is down only about 4 percent year to date.

Here’s business news to watch today.

The International Monetary Fund updates its economic projections on Wednesday. Gita Gopinath, the company’s primary economic expert, stated recently that the numbers were likely to show negative growth rates even worse than formerly approximated.

Albertsons is expected to price its I.P.O. on Thursday, raising approximately $1.3 billion. The grocery chain, which has actually been owned by the personal equity company Cerberus since 2006, ditched a previous effort to go public a few years ago.

Nike is the highest-profile company disclosing incomes this week, with its report on Thursday expected to reveal a steep drop in sales since of store closures all over the world. It may likewise be requested for information on its $40 million dedication to support black communities and other initiatives to improve “variety, inclusion and belonging.”

The annual rebalancing of FTSE Russell stock indexes, which takes place on Friday, is normally among the heaviest trading days of the year. With trillions of dollars connected to the indexes, financiers try to prepare for the comings and goings, with health care and tech stocks anticipated to feature plainly among the stocks winning promotions in the indexes.

Retirement home are evicting susceptible homeowners.

Image

Lakeview Balcony, a nursing home in Los Angeles, forced out RC Kendrick, an 88- year-old man with dementia. Credit … Andrew Cullen for The New York Times

RC Kendrick, an 88- year-old male with dementia, was living at Lakeview Terrace, a retirement home in Los Angeles with a history of regulatory problems. On April 6, the nursing home transferred Mr. Kendrick at an uncontrolled boardinghouse– without bothering to notify his family. Less than 24 hours later on, Mr. Kendrick was roaming the city alone.

According to 3 Lakeview employees, Mr. Kendrick’s ouster came as the assisted living home was informing employee to try to clean out less-profitable residents to include a new class of consumers who would generate more income: patients with Covid-19

More than any other institution in the United States, nursing homes have actually come to represent the fatal damage of the coronavirus crisis More than 51,000 residents and employees of nursing homes and long-lasting care facilities have been eliminated, representing more than 40 percent of the overall death toll in the United States.

However even as they have actually been damaged, nursing houses have actually also been enlisted in the response to the outbreak. They are handling coronavirus-stricken clients to relieve the burden on overwhelmed hospitals– and, at times, to reinforce their bottom lines.

But retirement home nationwide are tossing out old and disabled homeowners– amongst individuals most vulnerable to the coronavirus– and shunting them into homeless shelters, rundown motels and other uncontrolled centers, according to 22 guard dogs in 16 states, along with lots of elder-care attorneys, social employees and previous assisted living home executives.

The Bundesliga’s new TV deal could mark the end of an inflationary bubble.

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The Bundesliga’s tv rights offer uses a look into the post-coronavirus market. Credit … Pool picture by Michael Sohn

Germany’s top soccer league returned to action in May after a two-month hiatus, using a design to other leagues pushing forward with their own returns.

Now the league, the Bundesliga, has actually ended up being the very first major European soccer competitors to offer its domestic broadcast rights since the coronavirus break out. The ideas from Germany this time are far less reassuring.

The Bundesliga’s four-year offer, which will be revealed on Monday, produced less than the record 4.6 billion euros ($ 5.1 billion) that the league earned under its current agreements, however not by a substantial amount, according to 2 people with understanding of the sale. The pool of broadcasters narrowed, too.

The modest reduction in the brand-new offer’s value might be encouraging for other leagues and clubs that are going into settlements unpredictable if video games will be used schedule, in front of fans– or perhaps if they will happen at all.

However the decreased cost and smaller pool of interested bidders might also be a sign that a yearslong inflationary bubble for elite-level sports shows may be over, even as superior sports homes are likely to command large fees for the foreseeable future.

China stops some Tyson Foods poultry imports.

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The meat section of a grocery store in Beijing, where officials are attempting to eliminate even low-probability threats. Credit … Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

China on Sunday said it was temporarily suspending poultry imports from a Tyson Foods slaughterhouse that has actually had coronavirus cases among its workers.

A public notification by China’s General Administration of Customs supplied the registration variety of a Tyson facility in Springdale, Ark. On Friday, the company stated that 13 percent of the 3,748 employees at its centers in northwestern Arkansas had checked positive for the virus. Practically all were asymptomatic.

Tyson released a declaration stating that it was “looking into” China’s action which it was running in compliance with all government security requirements.

” It is necessary to keep in mind that the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control & Avoidance, U.S.D.A. and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration concur that there is no proof to support transmission of Covid-19 related to food,” the business help.

Safety limitations on food imports from the United States could make it even harder for China to meet its pledge to buy more American products as part of the very first stage of a trade arrangement signed with the Trump administration in January.

Researchers have said that the coronavirus appears to spread primarily through the air, not polluted meat. But China has actually already curbed almost all transmission of the virus within its own borders and is looking to stamp out even low-probability risks

The once-stable U.S. cheese market takes an unstable turn.

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Buyers are buying far more cheese at shops than they did last year. Credit … Jeenah Moon for The New York Times

The wholesale market for Cheddar is normally a moderate one. But the vagaries of supply and need during the pandemic have caused sharp swings in cheese prices, which increased to tape highs this month– simply weeks after plummeting to almost 20- year lows.

Customers are buying method more cheese, even as the normally huge demand from restaurants and schools has actually fallen off. Dairy farmers and prepared-food companies, which provide ingredients to cheese makers or buy their items, have seen interruptions in their businesses. Together, these countervailing forces have sustained the up-and-down trading in the market.

” It’s the most volatility that we have actually seen in the cheese market ever,” said Phil Plourd, president of Blimling and Associates, a dairy product seeking advice from company in Madison, Wis.

This month, as restaurants around the nation gradually reopened, companies that supply cheese started to stockpile to make sure an adequate supply. So much so, some cheese factories have actually struggled to fulfill need, as dairy farmers who cut production during the worst of the decline were unable to supply them with sufficient milk.

Consumers continue to purchase 20 to 30 percent more cheese at shops than they did in 2015, according to data from IRI, a marketing research firm in Chicago. The return of need has actually again pressed cheese prices higher, where they hover roughly 3 percent listed below record levels.

” The orders fell off actually in days, and they came back literally in days,” Mr. Umhoefer said. “It was simultaneously, very much a roller rollercoaster.”

The pandemic is expected to bring more claims, and more backers.

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Peter Suarez has actually bought lawsuits funding given that2015 His return is 38 percent, however losses can be huge, too. “I’ve just had five losses, but when you lose, you lose everything,” he said. Credit … John Francis Peters for The New York City Times

If there is one thing that is often ensured in a financial downturn, it’s an increase in lawsuits.

Organisations are going to sue services. Occupants are going to sue landlords, who will sue their tenants right back. Insurer will contest claims, and start-ups will try to defend their copyright from more established companies.

Yet in this economic downturn, one industry that was simply beginning during the 2008 downturn has entered its own and is attracting wealthy investors looking for outsize returns.

Meet litigation financing, a mystical, high-risk financial investment technique that lures with the siren song of double-digit returns. It’s a market with a few publicly traded leviathans, but it remains the maintain of private-equity-style funds that invest in cases, back law office and serve as financial intermediaries when settlements have actually been reached.

And the pandemic could be its time to emerge from its obscure niche.

” We have the wind to our backs in this unusual environment,” stated Howard Shams, the president of Parabellum Capital and an early specialist in the industry.

Reporting was contributed by Matt Phillips, Jessica Silver-Greenberg, Jason Karaian, Amy Julia Harris, Michelle Leder, Tariq Panja, Michael Ives, Keith Bradsher, Mohammed Hadi, Gillian Friedman, Carlos Tejada and Paul Sullivan.

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/wall-street-set-to-open-higher-regardless-of-increase-in-new-virus-cases-live-updates/

[selfdebtrelief]

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[newstfionline]

Monday, May 24, 2021

Coming population decline (NYT) Maternity wards are shuttering in Italy. Ghost cities are appearing in China. Hundreds of thousands of properties in Germany have been leveled and the land turned into parks. The world’s demographics are changing, pushing toward more deaths than births. Though some countries’ populations continue to grow, fertility rates are falling nearly everywhere else. Demographers now predict that toward the middle of this century, the global population will enter a sustained decline for the first time.

New COVID-19 cases plummet to lowest levels since last June (AP) New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism. As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama’s port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552—a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.

An IRS refund logjam (WSJ) Taxpayers are encountering unprecedented delays getting refunds, said Laura Saunders at The Wall Street Journal. “A host of problems rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic” has led to a severe backlog at the Internal Revenue Service. The agency is “reviewing about 16 million 2020 returns, mostly because of tax changes last year and in March,” while simultaneously gearing up “to send checks to millions of families” who qualify for upfront child tax credits this summer. Having to delay two annual filing deadlines last year, apply new tax-law changes, and “coordinate 470 million stimulus payments” hasn’t made the IRS’s job easier. Fortunately, the agency will pay 3 percent interest on “most tax refunds issued after April 15,” as long as the return was filed by May 17.

Leaving home: West Virginia population drop is largest in US (AP) After her company told employees in 2017 to start working remotely, customer service representative Haley Miller decided to break from her lifelong home of West Virginia. The beaches of St. Petersburg, Florida, provide a far different view than the mountains of her native state. She is not alone. According to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia lost a higher percentage of its residents than any other state in the nation. From 2010 to 2020, the population dropped 3.2%, or about 59,000 people. Reasons for leaving vary, but common themes emerge: a lack of opportunity or low pay; not enough to do; a political climate that some find oppressive, and poor cellphone and internet service. About 16% of West Virginia’s residents live in poverty, surpassed only by Arkansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Italian cable car plunges to the ground, killing at least 14 (AP) A cable car taking visitors to a mountaintop view of some of northern Italy’s most picturesque lakes plummeted to the ground Sunday and then tumbled down the slope, killing 14 people. The lone survivor, a young child, was hospitalized in serious condition with broken bones, authorities said. Six of the dead were Israeli citizens, including a family of four who lived in Italy, the Israeli foreign ministry said. It wasn’t clear if the other couple was related. The mayor of Stresa, where the incident occurred, said it appeared that a cable broke, sending the car careening until it hit a pylon and then fell to the ground. At that point, the car overturned “two or three times before hitting some trees,” said Mayor Marcella Severino. The car was believed to have fallen around 15 meters (50 feet), according to Italian media. Sunday’s tragedy appeared to be Italy’s worst cable car disaster since 1998 when a low-flying U.S. military jet cut through the cable of a ski lift in Cavalese, in the Dolomites, killing 20 people.

Croatia ready to welcome foreign tourists, hoping they come ROVINJ, Croatia (AP)—Sun loungers are out, beach bars are open and rave music is pumping. Hotels and restaurants are greeting visitors hoping to get a head start on summer after more than a year of coronavirus lockdowns and travel restrictions. Croatia has widely reopened its stunning Adriatic coastline for foreign tourists, becoming one of the first European countries to drop most of its pandemic measures. Now, the ability of people to go there depends on each country’s travel rules. The mood is relaxed in the Istria region, the northernmost part of the Croatian coast famous for its pebble beaches, thick pine forests, wine and delicacies such as truffles, olive oil, goat cheese and prosciutto. Hardy anyone wears masks on the streets or in restaurants in the picturesque town of Rovinj. Still-standing limits on indoor dining and rules requiring a set amount of distance between tables are rarely observed. “People are fed up with lockdowns,” said Nikola Sandic, a waiter at a seafood restaurant located in a small boat harbor. “They have a glass of wine, watch the sea, and that’s all they need.”

Belarus opposition figure detained when flight diverted (AP) A prominent opponent of Belarus’ authoritarian president was arrested Sunday after the airliner in which he was traveling was diverted to the country after a bomb threat, in what the opposition is calling a hijacking operation by the government. The Ryanair plane was carrying opposition figure Raman Pratasevich and traveling from Athens, Greece, to Vilnius, Lithuania. Deputy air force commander Andrei Gurtsevich said the plane’s crew made the decision to land in Minsk, but Ryanair said in a statement that Belarusian air traffic control instructed the plane to divert to the capital. The Belarusian Interior Ministry said Pratasevich was arrested at the airport. Pratasevich is a co-founder of the Telegram messaging app’s Nexta channel, which Belarus last year declared as extremist after it was used to help organize major protests against Lukashenko. Pratasevich, who had fled the country for Poland, faces charges that could carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years.

In the Russian Arctic, the First Stirrings of a Very Cold War (NYT) Chunky green trucks carry Bastion anti-ship missiles that can be prepared for launch in just five minutes. A barracks building, sealed off from the elements like a space station, accommodates 150 or so soldiers. And a new runway can handle fighter jets, two of which recently buzzed the North Pole. Franz Josef Land, a jumble of glacier-covered islands in the Arctic Ocean named after an Austro-Hungarian emperor, was until a few years ago mostly uninhabited, home to polar bears, walruses, sea birds and little else. But thanks to a warming climate, all that is changing, and quickly. Nowhere on Earth has climate change been so pronounced as in the polar regions. The warming has led to drastic reductions in sea ice, opening up the Arctic to ships during the summer months and exposing Russia to new security threats. As the sea ice melts, Russia is deploying ever more soldiers and equipment to the Far North, becoming essentially the first military to act on the strategic implications of climate change for the region in what some have called the beginnings of a Very Cold War. The Arctic ocean has lost nearly a million square miles of ice and is expected to be mostly ice-free in the summertime, including at the North Pole, by around the middle of the century. “In a sense, Russia is acquiring new external borders that need to be protected from potential aggressors,” the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, a Berlin-based think tank, wrote of Russia’s problem of disappearing ice.

More than 125,000 Myanmar teachers suspended for opposing coup (Reuters) More than 125,000 school teachers in Myanmar have been suspended by the military authorities for joining a civil disobedience movement to oppose the military coup in February, an official of the Myanmar Teachers’ Federation said. The suspensions have come days before the start of a new school year, which some teachers and parents are boycotting as part of the campaign that has paralysed the country since the coup cut short a decade of democratic reforms. Myanmar had 430,000 school teachers according to the most recent data, from two years ago. The disruption at schools echoes that in the health sector and across government and private business since the Southeast Asian country was plunged into chaos by the coup and the arrest of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Around 19,500 university staff have also been suspended, according to the teachers’ group.

Iran says inspectors may no longer get nuclear sites images (AP) Iran’s parliament speaker said Sunday that international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran’s atomic accord with world powers. The comments by Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, aired by state TV, further underscored the narrowing window for the U.S. and others to reach terms with Iran. The Islamic Republic is already enriching and stockpiling uranium at levels far beyond those allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal. “Regarding this, and based on the expiration of the three-month deadline, definitely the International Atomic Energy Agency will not have the right to access images from May 22,” Qalibaf said. May 22 was Saturday.

Life Under Occupation: The Misery at the Heart of the Conflict (NYT) Muhammad Sandouka built his home in the shadow of the Temple Mount before his second son, now 15, was born. They demolished it together, after Israeli authorities decided that razing it would improve views of the Old City for tourists. Mr. Sandouka, 42, a countertop installer, had been at work when an inspector confronted his wife with two options: Tear the house down, or the government would not only level it but also bill the Sandoukas $10,000 for its expenses. Such is life for Palestinians living under Israel’s occupation: always dreading the knock at the front door. The looming removal of six Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem set off a round of protests that helped ignite the latest war between Israel and Gaza. But to the roughly three million Palestinians living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war and has controlled through decades of failed peace talks, the story was exceptional only because it attracted an international spotlight. Even in supposedly quiet periods, when the world is not paying attention, Palestinians from all walks of life routinely experience exasperating impossibilities and petty humiliations, bureaucratic controls that force agonizing choices, and the fragility and cruelty of life under military rule, now in its second half-century.

[bigyack-com]

Your Money: A Hub for Help During the Coronavirus Crisis

If your income has fallen or been cut off completely, we’re here to help. This guide will connect you to the basic information you’ll need to get through this, including on government benefits, free services and financial strategies.If there’s something you need — or something you can offer that large numbers of people can access — please write to hubforhelp@nytimes.com. Ron and Tara will respond to every message they can.

How unemployment insurance works

The coronavirus outbreak has already handed many people sudden drops in income, if it hasn’t dried up completely. Anyone who has experienced this or is worried they might needs to understand unemployment benefits.How they work and how much they’ll help depends a lot on where you live. The program is jointly run by the federal government and states.States have their own eligibility rules about how many hours you must have worked or how much you must have earned, and over what time span. Benefits are generally a percentage of your income over the past year, up to a certain maximum, but states set their own rules — and some are more generous than others. Typically, though, unemployment replaces about 45 percent of your lost income.Most states pay benefits for 26 weeks, but some have pared that back: Michigan, Missouri and South Carolina pay benefits for 20 weeks; Arkansas pays for 16; and Alabama pays for 14. Five states — Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Idaho and North Carolina — have sliding scales tied to unemployment levels.Many states only cover full-time workers, and some have made it more difficult for temporary workers to get coverage. Gig workers are also unlikely to qualify because they’re largely considered self-employed.One important note: You might not even have to lose your job to qualify. If you’re quarantined or have been furloughed — and you’re not being paid but expect to return to your job eventually — you may be able to get benefits.

Where to get free financial planning help

Many financial advisers are offering free phone sessions to people whose incomes have fallen, no matter where they live.The XY Planning Network of advisers has a spot on its search webpage for “Coronavirus help” and will be adding names to it as people sign up. There are already dozens.We’ve heard from the following planners or firms who want to help as well: Daren Blonski, Wesley Botto, Jill Isbell, Fairlight Advisors, Ted Klontz, Andrew Komarow, Brandt Kuhn, Anna N’Jie-Konte, Elizabeth Lundstrom, Kevin Mahoney, Howard Morin, Maddi Napier, Kimberly B. Ogden, Alan Rhode, Matt Rinkey, Dawn Santoriello, Chris Saxton and Alex Wilson.We’ve included links to their sites so you can see their experience and credentials. Nearly all of them are certified financial planners, a designation that requires continuing education and passing a difficult exam.

How consumer lenders are helping

On Sunday, Goldman Sachs and Apple told Apple credit card customers facing hardship that they could skip this month’s payment. They won’t have to pay interest, either.We asked the biggest card, mortgage and auto lenders whether they would allow customers to do the same thing. American Express and Capital One said they would. If their customer service representatives claim ignorance, point them to this item and let us know if they still don’t help.Bank of America, Barclays, Ford Credit and General Motors Financial will allow skipped payments, but interest will still accrue.We could not get firm commitments from Bank of America, Citibank and Wells Fargo.And Ally Bank, a big bailout beneficiary during the last economic downturn? They would not match the offer from Goldman Sachs and Apple.

Ways to keep the lights on and the phones working

Some utility providers are offering to stop cutting people off for nonpayment.A number of large internet companies have agreed not to terminate residential or small business customers who can’t pay their bills: AT&T, Comcast, Cox, RCN, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. A full list of companies is available on the Federal Communications Commission site.It is not yet clear whether companies want customers to call to invoke this relief and provide proof or whether they will offer it automatically to everyone. People who need help should call and ask.A number of water service providers have either suspended shut-offs for nonpayment or don’t shut service off for late payments generally, according to a ProPublica roundup. They include Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; Long Beach, Calif.; Los Angeles; Newark; New York City and St. Louis.In Washington state, the main Seattle area utilities are suspending cutoffs as well. In addition, the provider of electric and water service in Seattle is allowing people to self-certify their recent income reductions in order to qualify for at least half off their bills.In California, Pacific Gas and Electric has, until further notice, stopped shutting off its services to consumers and businesses who have not paid.In New York, Con Edison also has temporarily suspended any electric and gas service shut-offs.If utilities in other areas follow suit, they are likely to publish alerts somewhere on the top of their websites or in the news release section of their pages.

How student loan relief may help, or may not

President Trump said he was waiving interest on tens of millions of student loans held by the federal government until further notice. But here’s the catch: Monthly payments are not actually going to decrease.Instead, people will pay the same amount they are currently. The difference is that the full sum will go toward the principal on their loans, according to a Department of Education spokeswoman.That means they could pay their loans down faster, but they won’t have more money in their pockets now.The biggest benefit may be to borrowers who have paused their monthly payments because of hardship, or may in the future. In student loan terms, this is known as forbearance. Normally, the interest on their loans would continue to pile up, but that won’t happen during the waiver period.The waiver will not apply to student loans issued through state agencies and private lenders, including Sallie Mae. Other loans that are not part of the waiver program include the majority of Federal Family Education Loans, which are mostly held by commercial lenders, and school-held Perkins loans.And if you take the tax deduction for student loan interest? The waiver might raise your tax bill, Forbes reported.

What a shady sales pitch looks like

Sometimes you can tell by the exclamation marks. One email sales pitch arrived with the subject line: “The Coronavirus may be Fatal — to Your Retirement Savings!”It may be tempting right now to buy into anything offering safe returns. But now is when you’re most vulnerable — and you have to scrutinize any sales pitch more carefully than ever.The sales pitch above involved an annuity. Not all annuities are ill-advised, but they’re often confusing. Some can provide retirees with a pension-like stream of income, which can bring peace of mind at a moment like this. But there are many kinds — some with unappealing attributes — and they can be offered by brokers collecting commissions of up to 8 percent, so they have plenty of incentive to close a sale.“One of the things you don’t want to do is buy them when you are emotional,” said David Lau, founder and chief executive officer of DPL Financial Partners, which helps financial advisers find insurance products for their clients. “Now is not the time to rush out and buy an annuity because you are feeling panicked.”Fixed-index annuities, for example, can keep most of your money locked up for many years, accessible only if you pay a painfully high surrender fee. You might also hear about buffer annuities, which allow investors to capture some gains, while curbing some, but not all, losses. Then there are variable annuities, which may promise guaranteed income. They are essentially a portfolio of investments tied to an insurance policy, which can be expensive.“If you need more than the back of a cocktail napkin to explain the math, I’d be concerned,” said Mark Cortazzo, a financial planner and founder of Annuity Review, a service that analyzes annuity policies for a flat fee.Mr. Lau suggested focusing not on what is being pitched, but on the problem you’re wanting to solve. If you want a guaranteed stream of income or to ensure you have enough to cover your fixed expenses, that’s a concrete goal you can keep in mind as you read the fine print.

How to prep for refinancing your mortgage

Mortgage rates are very low right now, so it’s a great time to refinance. But that means everyone else is trying to do it, too.Lenders are being swamped by requests, and you can only lock in a low rate for so long. And if you don’t get everything done during the lock-in period, your lender might charge you a fee to extend it.Communicate constantly. It sounds simple, but check your voice mail and your spam folder. Don’t miss a request for a document. And respond right away.Pick your rate and go. Don’t get distracted by changing rates, and know how to find them. The best rates don’t always show up on aggregator sites, so contact your current lender directly. And once you find the rate you want, be careful not to miss your chance by shopping around some more.Ace your appraisal. Print out listings of comparable properties for your appraiser, who might not know your area well. If you remodeled, provide before-and-after photos and paperwork.Avoid dumb credit moves. Lenders often check your credit report more than once during the application process. If there have been inquiries or new debt, they come back to you with questions, which slows things down.“Don’t open up any new auto loan, credit card or any new credit while this is in process, period,” said Bill Banfield, an executive vice president at Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest lender. “People get very excited about refinancing and suddenly want to go out and buy a new BMW.” Read the full article

[crypytech-blog]

Bitcoin Mining Can Lead Global Temperature and Climat to Deadly Consequences

To any ardent follower or interested parties of cryptocurrency, it is common knowledge that the processes involved in ‘Bitcoin-ing’ consume a lot of power. For quite a while now, this has raised eyebrows in its direction on the cost of generating more power to sustain mining and trading. From its point of view, this is needed if Bitcoin is to replace the current fiat currencies. But what crypto lovers haven’t realized, or did realize but decided to keep mute, is the extent to which it could affect our climate. According to results from a new study, it is estimated that between now and the next two decades, continuous Bitcoin mining, trading and activities could bring about a 2oC (35.6oF) increase in global temperatures. The accuracy of this finding is strengthened by results obtained from the research carried out by the University of Hawaii. In UoH’s findings, enormous amounts of electricity would be required should a worldwide adoption of Bitcoin take place. The 2oC (35.6oF) global temperature increase would occur by 2033. This is because annually, Bitcoin trading emits approximately the same levels of carbon dioxide emissions (69 million metric tons) as that emitted by the state of Arkansas, USA. This was filed in a 2017 report for carbon dioxide emission which also showed that a single trade involving bitcoin consumed as much electricity as a home would in a month. Although it may seem like a small number, but the effects of this temperature rise could be catastrophic to the environment. It would bring about a rise in global sea levels, droughts, increase the likelihood and frequency of tropical storms and other disasters related to climatic fluctuations. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has it that such rise could cause a 30% decrease in water in some places, increase the possibility of polar bears, caribou, and other arctic animals become extinct while so increasing the tendency of coastal flooding in other areas –putting about 10million more lives at risk. According to the IPCC’s prediction, temperature levels by 2040 would have increased by 1.5oC (34.7oF) but it is possible the 2o threshold is surpassed before then. Since the advent of bitcoin and other digital currencies, it has received strong backing by investors and individuals. As such, it has assumed a Messiah-like status in the financial world due to its transparency and a significant reduction in fraud cases helped by lower security risks. It is believed to be a means to solving problems, asides the on-going financial crisis, ranging from homelessness to cancer and human trafficking. Also, it is being viewed as a way to ensure that governments remain accountable for and devise means to reduce global carbon footprint.

Currently, in the US, it can be argued that Bitcoin trading doesn’t produce as much carbon dioxide emissions compared to other pollution-heavy industries like transportation and agriculture. Despite this, Bitcoin, like other cryptocurrencies, rely heavily on the coal industry for cheap power generation. Over time, these carbon dioxide emissions add up and it is adding up, very fast. Researchers have been unable to determine what lies ahead for Bitcoin due to its short history and fluctuations between boom and bust cycles hence, a conservative approach employed. One of the researchers and lead author of the study, Camilio Mora, said that “if the rate of adoption of Bitcoin is likened to the slowest pace of adoption of tech innovations such as credit cards or cars, the global climatic consequences would be felt sooner.” To drive home this point, he recalled the hurricane disaster in Florida which happened earlier in the year. If that could happen with a less than 1o warming, he said, the Bitcoin industry is set to double these occurrences. If in doubt of these statements, one has to look at the processes involved in Bitcoin mining/trading. A blockchain, which plays the role of a record-keeper, requires huge computer power to process a transaction. What researchers like Camilio Mora do is to compare the CO­­­­­2 emissions due to electricity generation in countries where Bitcoins are mined with how efficient the Bitcoin mining computers are. An avenue to reducing these carbon emissions would be to carry out multiple transactions in one block. Consequentially, it would affect the efficiency rate and speed of transaction-processing Bitcoin is renowned for. The earlier the Bitcoin industry is able to utilize more energy-efficient methods and reap the financial benefits, the better. But, actions need to be taken immediately. “Presently, there’s no cause for alarm,” said Mora, “but should Bitcoin mining/trading gain more popularity and adoption, it just may hasten doomsday. Read the full article

[livingwellpage]

Does episode-based payment reduce cost?

That is the question that Carroll and co-authors try to answer in their latest NBER working paper (WP #23926).  They examine the Arkansas Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative (APII), which is a state-wide, multi-payer episode-based program.  Unlike most episode-based payment (EBP) models, provider participation  in the program was mandatory (as of 2013).  NBER summarizes the program as follows:

The APII initially covered five types of health care episodes, including perinatal care. Like many modern EBP programs, the APII employs a retrospective payment model, where providers are paid FFS while they oversee episodes, but face reconciliation payments at the end of the year. The provider’s annual average spending per episode (adjusted for patient risk factors) is calculated based on episodes for which they served as Principal Accountable Provider (PAP). Each PAP’s average episode spending is then deemed to be either commendable, acceptable, or unacceptable based on pre-determined thresholds. PAPs with unacceptable ratings are responsible for half of the spending beyond the acceptable level, while those with commendable ratings can share in half of the savings.

The authors use a difference-in-difference approach comparing cost in Arkansas before and after the APII implementation to changes in spending for neighboring states for whom no EBP was implemented.  Costs were measured for episodes constructed from claims data for perinatal episodes.  The authors found that:

…in the first full year of EBP implementation, spending per episode declined by 3.8 percent, or $403, in Arkansas relative to the control states. The savings were driven by slower spending growth in Arkansas after EBP implementation, while spending growth continued on a similar trajectory in the control states.

Over 80 percent of these savings stem from a large (6.6 percent) reduction in spending on inpatient facility care. The researchers find that this decline was largely driven by changes in the price of inpatient care rather than in the quantity of care. While unable to test directly for a mechanism underlying this effect, they suggest that a change in referral patterns is a likely cause. Outside of inpatient facility care, the implementation of EBP led to few changes in perinatal care. Declines in physician spending and outpatient spending were small and statistically insignificant, as were changes in utilization, including caesarean section rates and the length of inpatient stays. In terms of quality measures, EBP implementation was associated with improvements in chlamydia screening rates but no other changes.

I would guess that most policy wonks and academics (yourself included) would have assumed that EBP would have little effect on price, but would incentivize providers to reduce health care utilization.  In the case of perinatal care, one may hypothesize that the number of cesareans would go down.  Perhaps it is easier for provider’s managers to dictate to physicians which providers they should use (i.e., lower cost ones) rather than to try to mandate to physicians that they need to change their practice patterns.   This is just a hypothesis, but it will be interesting to see if the results from Arkansas are also found in other EBP initiatives.

Source:

Carroll, Caitlin, Michael Chernew, A. Mark Fendrick, Joe Thompson, and Sherri Rose. Effects of Episode-Based Payment on Health Care Spending and Utilization: Evidence from Perinatal Care in Arkansas. No. w23926. National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017.

Does episode-based payment reduce cost? published first on your-t1-blog-url

[jamesgierach]

Postscript To the Clinton Presidency

POSTSCRIPT TO THE CLINTON PRESIDENCY This “Postscript to the Clinton Presidency,” was written by James E. Gierach on the evening of January 20, 1993, the First Day of Pres. Clinton’s Presidency. Not all my predictions came true. This commentary is from the future – The Clinton presidency has finally come to a close. In retrospect, these years marked a grand turning point in American history, a period of remarkable change and reinvestment in America. During his first 100 days in office, no American, not even Bill Clinton himself, would have predicted such dazzling and lasting accomplishments. Perhaps, no other presidency in our 200-year history had so profoundly affected the lives of so many. It was January 20, 1993 when the young Arkansas governor raised his right hand to take the oath of office to become the 42nd president of these United States of America. His inaugural address spoke of forcing an early spring upon that clear winter day in Washington, D.C. The West Front of the Capitol was crowded with humanity: watchful, hopeful, prayerful – for these were not easy times for many Americans. Millions of people were unemployed. Layoffs and business failures threatened millions more. IBM had just reported the largest business loss in Wall Street history, and the federal government reported an annual deficit which had surpassed all expectations. Despite the arrest of inflation and the lowest interest rates in many years, the economy, more than any other issue, had dethroned a Republican president and disengaged an era of trickledown economic policy. Crime and drugs continued to plague every American community. More than one million Americans were locked behind iron bars, and violence on the streets seemed to insatiably demand more prisons and more public funds. Many Americans felt imprisoned in their own homes, fearing indiscriminate and unpredictable violence. One in six Americans was without health insurance, and the AIDS epidemic compounded the national health problem to unknown proportions. Local governments and schools struggled to pay their bills and competed with each other for limited tax dollars. Like the federal government, deficits and borrowing were commonplace. Many Americans were homeless. Our cities begged for repair of long-neglected infrastructure. Education was no longer taken for granted as an indisputable American right, and many graduates were unable to read or figure equivalent to their years of schooling. Even distinguished graduates were no longer guaranteed the best of life, or even assured the reasonable expectancy of a job. Social security and other entitlement programs seemed to leave the Chief Executive with too little room to maneuver the nation to safe economic harbor. Many pension plans were underfunded and the median age of Americans was increasing. Traditional American values were under siege. The American family was often headed by a single parent, and the rights of gays and lesbians challenged the very definition of family. The role of woman clearly was not, what once it clearly was; a new dualism challenged her contentment at home and in the workplace. The American dream had become a two-income, two-car, two-child necessity. Bigotry and discrimination against other races, religions and lifestyles naggingly tested the national conscience. Dr. Martin Luther King Day, the recent Los Angeles riots, and the golden screen, black-and-white release of Malcolm X questioned whether we, as a nation, remembered, or had yet learned, the lessons taught since America’s Civil War. Internationally, Haitians had been risking life and limb to reach American shores only to be repatriated. Within a week of inauguration day, American servicemen again found themselves embroiled in armed conflict with Iraq, as the incorrigible Saddam Hussein tested American resolve to enforce United Nations' resolutions during the Bush-Clinton presidential transition. The USSR was no more, and Cuba had lost its communist allowance. Civil war continued to make refugees of former Yugoslavians. Western Europe strained under severe economic recession and from neo-Nazi fascism, and bemused the taxation of Royalty and marital discontent within the British Royal Family. Starving Somalis were also besieged by armed bands of lawless, khat-chewing fellow countrymen. Despite world problems, the American mood predominately favored the focus of the president's attention on domestic problems first, second and last. The Vietnam memory was still a recent nightmare. Many Americans were expressing the view that America could no longer assume the role of policeman to the world. Saddam Hussein, Muammar al-Gaddafi and others hoped such was the case. Now, in hindsight, the beginning of President Clinton's first term in office seems like yesterday. Pres. Clinton had filled his first Cabinet with Washington veterans. He had been particularly careful in the selection of his economic advisors. He knew that the economic issue had catapulted him into office, and the mishandling of the American economy could retire him just as quickly. Half of Clinton's team of economic advisors had urged him to prime the pump to revitalize the economic engine of America. However, the central message of Ross Perot's campaign remained vivid in the bright president's mind: "The deficits are destroying the future of Americans for generations to come." The other half of Clinton's economic brain trust argued Perot's case. Significant federal spending would surely rekindle inflation and further enlarge obviously disastrous deficits. Both sets of advisors were correct, but their advice was contradictory, and the new president could not choose one course of action without effectively repudiating the other. The status quo was equally unacceptable because such inaction belied the new president's central theme of change and reinvesting America. Indeed, the president had expressly renewed his campaign promise in his inaugural address. Not one American could have predicted Pres. Clinton's response to the dilemma posed by the ailing economy and the red-ink governmental accounts. Of course, history has now recorded that Pres. Clinton did not prime the pump, nor did he curtail entitlements. Rather, he ended America’s drug war, a war that for twenty years, and more, America had waged upon itself. In one fell swoop, shockingly, even to the president himself, hundreds of billions of American dollars which had been siphoned from the U.S. economy were reinvested into the production and purchase of useful goods and services. The illicit drug business, having reached its zenith as the second-largest business enterprise in the world, was decimated overnight. The $20-billion annual U.S. expenditure on prisons, prison guards and related expenses was cut in half. The $10-billion annual appropriation that had fed the, so-called, "war on drugs" was now plowed into education, job-training and infrastructure repair. Drug treatment became available upon demand, ending the typical six-month waiting period. Drug addicts reconstituted their own lives and returned to legitimate employment, some receiving maintenance dosages of the drug to which they were addicted, by prescription, as part of a long-term rehabilitation regimen. Physicians spearheaded a frontal offensive in what became a health and education battle against drug addiction. Instead of funding the hire of 100,000 more policemen as he had pledged during his campaign, Pres. Clinton funded one million lesser jobs which provided intermediate help for unemployed Americans who simultaneously pursued new job skills and education. Probationers, who for years had been returned to their former environment and lifestyles without jobs or support, were offered voluntary, minimum-wage jobs in their own neighborhoods. They were offered public service work that featured hand tools and sweat, instead of capital-intensive heavy equipment that would have created fewer jobs. Derelict buildings were razed and others were rehabilitated. Private businesses joined in partnership with government to provide low-cost debris removal, tools and supervision. Many probationers became employees of private businesses through their association with the program. Urban neighborhoods which long had suffered from neglect were again proud communities. Children played safely outdoors, and families walked about their neighborhoods without fear. Public aid was transformed into public service where no one received a handout without contributing time and service. Self-esteem was restored and hope with it. Harm reduction became the new national drug policy. Mothers addicted to cocaine were no longer fearful of losing their children if they sought medical help or happened to encounter law-enforcement officials. Many drug addicts who had been injecting drugs were now orally ingesting their drug or using a lesser drug. Injecting addicts were furnished with clean needles without charge. The AIDS epidemic, exacerbated by intravenous drug users sharing infected needles, was contained and more money became available for AIDS research. Crime was cut in half, enabling government to prioritize the prosecution and incarceration of violent criminals instead of citizens whose drug use, first and foremost, harmed them. The notion that drug informants should betray friends and other gang members to save themselves was displaced, and scholarship awards were granted to informants in exchange for information concerning drug caches. The aim of informant-busts was no longer the arrest of citizens, but rather the seizure of narcotics possessed without benefit of prescription, now commandeered into government drug reserves. Students quickly learned that the new American drug policy had destroyed drugs as the business of opportunity, limiting America’s loss to only one generation of uneducated, prohibition-era youth who had opted for quick riches in the drug business under the old rules. Students again realized that education and the conventional American work ethic was the key to the good life. Instead of destroying narcotic drugs confiscated by law-enforcement authorities, the government now distributed those drugs through mobile drug-treatment facilities, hospitals and medical clinics after appropriate testing of commandeered drugs by crime or health laboratories. Criminal laws prohibiting drug possession were amended to permit medically-certified addicts to obtain and possess the drug of their addiction. But the criminal law and the courts remained the backstop by which authorities identified drug users, the courts ordering counseling, drug treatment narcotic maintenance regimens rather than the incarceration of drug users. Federal law had been overhauled, encouraging the states to experiment with drug programs that were designed to undercut drug profits that had driven the drug-business engine for so long. The option of fully-legalizing, licensing, taxing and regulating illicit drugs after the alcohol model had become unnecessary. America’s huge trade deficits were also reversed. By halting the drain of American dollars into the pockets of drug producers from Colombia and the Golden Triangle in exchange for valueless powders and by reinvesting those dollars in America, her citizens, infrastructure and new technology, America again became a competitive player in world markets. Instead of pouring foreign aid into the economies of drug-producing countries, paltry sums were spent by Congress to purchase drug produce for peanuts from drug-producing countries. Drug caches seized by law-enforcement agents were no longer burned; they were added to U.S. drug reserves. Drug dealers lost the benefit of a governmental policy that efficiently converted law-enforcement, drug-seizure successes into instant failures by the destruction of the goods that could have been used against the drug dealers in wonderfully unfair competition for addicts, destroying dealers’ addicted customer base. Although today brings a close to the Clinton presidency, the American legacy and the American dream have both been restored. Reminiscing this past week about his years of national leadership, Pres. Clinton recalled his fateful reading of a Chicago newspaper headline, "$7-billion addiction: the drug trade in Chicago and suburbs." (Chicago Sun-Times, 12/2/92) Pres. Clinton said, "It was that headline that suddenly brought me to the realization that a new drug policy held enormous economic potential to change America without resorting to the contradictory fiscal and monetary choices recommended by my economic advisors. Not only did drug-policy reform offer powerful economic leverage to heal and reinvest America, but it also positively addressed the nation's crime and health crises." Indeed, America’s new, economic-based drug policy had become Archimedes' lever that had empowered the president to change America and move the world. One wonders where America might have headed but for our nimble and courageous Chief and that simple Chicago headline. During a televised, presidential debate held on the Washington University campus, then-Governor Clinton had declared his intention to champion the failed drug policies of his Republican predecessors: "I have a brother who is a recovering drug addict . . . if drugs were legal, I don't think he'd be alive today. I am adamantly opposed to legalizing drugs. That's a mistake." Later, during U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearings concerning the Clinton nomination of Zoe E. Baird, the president's intention to continue a counter-productive, prohibitionist U.S. drug policy (more police, more prisons, more courts, more money for law-enforcement agencies) was again reaffirmed. Nominee Baird testified that the Clinton administration was giving consideration to the elevation of the U.S. drug czar to a cabinet-level position. But such recollections are all history now. Fortunately, America's failed drug policy was displaced, and a physician was appointed Addiction Dean, a new cabinet-level post. America will not soon forget what this president did for his country. Now, therefore, this day we salute, America salutes, the international community salutes, President William Jefferson Clinton, the intelligent and courageous young governor from Arkansas, the man who ended America's most destructive war, reinvested America and healed a nation. Palos Heights. Illinois, U.S.A. 1/20/93 James E. Gierach is a retired Chicago attorney, former delegate to the Illinois Constitutional Convention 1970, former candidate for state’s attorney of Cook County and Illinois governor, 1992 and 1994, respectively, advocating drug policy reform, former Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) speaker and board member, and author of the first proposed, comprehensive amendment of U.S. drug prohibition treaties that serve as fountainhead and mainstay of the killer World War on Drugs (1961-2017…)

[maxihealth]

U.S. Hospitals Will Lose $323 Billion in 2020 – Before Accounting for Growing COVID Cases

U.S. health systems are projected to lose $323 billion in 2020 due to declining inpatient and outpatient volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the “normal” hospital business.

Hospitals racked up over $200 bn in losses between March and June 2020. according to the American Hospital Association’s report, Hospitals and Health Systems Continue to Face Unprecedented Financial Challenges Due to COVID-19.

AHA suggests that the $323 bn loss figure may be underestimated, as growing coronavirus cases are emerging in certain states: as of this writing, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah among those states heating up. Some hospitals in regions of these states are approaching full capacity in ICUs and COVID units. Thus, the AHA issued a caveat on the projection of $323 bn losses for 2020 with the proviso that, without reducing the spread of the virus and patients entering inpatient care, health system financial losses will be greater than this forecast.

What’s the worth of $323 billion? To the pharmaceutical industry, it’s the annual revenue generated from 323 blockbuster drugs, as “blockbusters” are defined as products yielding $1 bn in sales a year.

“Hospitals and health systems are committed to ensuring the safety of their patients and sataff, as wella simproving the health of our country,” this report explains. “It’s likely that these policies wille xtend financial recovery for hospitals and health systems, because of their effects on patient flow and hospital volumes.”

By early June when AHA surveyed 1,360 hospitals across 48 states, average reductions across the country were 19.5% declines in expected inpatient volume and 34.5% fall in outpatient volume.

There are two sides to this decline in volumes: the consumer/demand side, and the health system/supply side.

On the consumer-demand side, one in two U.S. adults surveyed in the May 2020 Kaiser Family Foundation Tracking Poll had skipped or postponed medical care in the past three months due to concerns about the coronavirus. One in four people said they would wait at least four months to get back to the doctor’s office.

On the supply side, in the interest of bolstering public health and that of staff, hospitals and health systems have put in place many policies and restrictions, AHA notes: limiting bed capacity, reserving PPE (which can lead to cancelling/postponing procedures and surgeries), and screening staff and new patients for COVID-19, among other tactics that have reduced access or volume flowing to and through the hospital.

Two in three hospitals polled said they did not expect to achieve their expected baseline volumes by the end of 2020.

Hospitals noted additional costs they expected could exacerbate their financial situations. These included:

Drug acquisition and drug shortage costs

Wage and labor costs

Uncompensated care costs (owing to the sharp upturn in unemployment in the U.S., leading to growing un- and under-insured people)

Non-PPE medical supplies and equipment costs, and,

Capital costs for filling the need for additional treatment capacity when needed.

Even with funding flowing to hospitals from the CARES Act and the PPP Provider Relief fund, there will remain a gap of

Kaufman Hall’s June 2020 National Hospital Flash Report noted that median hospital operating margin rose 4% in May, versus what it would have been without the government support: -8.0%.

That’s a snapshot, immediate-term blip, because CARES funding was allocated in April and May, with no plans yet from Congress to add to the relief pot.

“If the current surge trends continue,” AHA warns, “the financial impact on hospitals and health systems could be even more significant.”

Health Populi’s Hot Points:  By April 2020, a month into the pandemic, most Americans feared the health care system would be overrun by the virus’s impact.

Many media stories have portrayed mask-less Americans congregating on beaches and in bars up-close-and-personal in fear-of-missing-out mode (FOMO). But there’s a large percentage of people with “FOLH:” fear-of-leaving-home, as I’ve coined it in the Age of Corona. Millions of people — including lots of patients managing chronic conditions and cancer — have postponed returning to health care visits and to other parts of life outside, from retail to barbershops and auto malls.

The rise of telehealth in the pandemic has been a positive artifact, insofar as virtual care has expanded patients’ access to consulting with clinicians and avoid exposure to the virus in doctors’ offices or hospital ambulatory clinics.

At the same time, virtual care has enabled clinicians to risk-manage exposure to COVID-19 for themselves and their staff.

Millions of patients-as-health-consumers experienced telehealth for the first time in the pandemic, most of whom expect to have the option of virtual care platforms after the crisis subsides.

In today’s Cain Brothers’ Comments (dated July 1, 2020), Matthew Margulies and David Johnson assert that, Home Health Is Where the Growth Is, explaining the post-COVID rise of platform solutions.

The top-line is that, even before the pandemic, home health care was “on the march,” the Cain Brothers team writes, as financial pressures intensified and value-based payment models advanced among providers and payers.

As hospitals suspended non-essential procedures and reduced the volumes, as AHA quantified in their report, demand for care at home grew. While home health has typically focused on post-acute nursing, therapy, hospice and personal care, payment models have expanded the concept of home as one’s health hub, to address social determinants of health: food, transportation, loneliness and social connection, among other touch points of social care.

Hospitals must continue to pivot operations in the necessary “now,” as COVID-19 hasn’t yet been extinguished and, in some parts of the U.S., is accelerating in infection rate and inpatient admissions.

At the same time, hospitals must re-imagine care outside of the hospital walls, as they deal with declining margins in 2020. The person’s home will evolve into a place of healthcare that’s safe, accessible, and satisfying, even empowering. Hospital financial managers must sort out how to make the math work, as we begin to see examples of hospital-at-home programs emerging among forward thinking institutions.

The post U.S. Hospitals Will Lose $323 Billion in 2020 – Before Accounting for Growing COVID Cases appeared first on HealthPopuli.com.

U.S. Hospitals Will Lose $323 Billion in 2020 – Before Accounting for Growing COVID Cases posted first on https://carilloncitydental.blogspot.com

[unixcommerce]

State Tax Websites for Your Small Business

Understanding and fulfilling your tax obligations remain one of the biggest challenges with running a business. You usually complete your personal tax returns once a year with a few forms. But preparing and filing your business taxes can prove, for lack of a better term, taxing. Even more so if you do not know about your state’s particular tax regulations.

As a result, everyone faces the chore of gathering various documents to complete the annual ritual of filling of IRS Form 1040. And the same goes for whatever form your state may require. This means you may need to get familiar with some of the forms that are new to you.

The financial state of your business may be stagnant. Still tax law changes during the past year may require you to complete some new forms and calculations. If you’re not on top of your taxes you’re also probably missing out on some legal tax reduction tactics.

State Tax Obligation

If you are not up to speed with your tax obligation you risk exposing yourself and your business to risks. For example, you might face a penalty for failure to file, be required to pay interest on the amount due or might have a large tax bill coming your way by not planning in advance to handle your taxes. That is why you should be informed on your tax obligation, your state’s particular regulations and other issues related to your taxes.

Very often businesses will hire a tax adviser or go about it on their own. Whether you decide to hire tax advisers or deal with taxes on your own, your best strategy for reducing your small-business taxes and complying with tax laws is to educate yourself.

Besides avoiding penalties, not knowing about your taxes could make you lose out on some much-needed cash. For example, small businesses have to stretch their financial resources especially when it comes to business expenses. These can include a myriad of expenditures that include vehicle expenses, wages, rent on business property, utilities, insurance and others. As a small business owner, you can minimize your business taxes by writing off a lot of those operational expenses come tax season.

Tax Regulations

Knowing that you need to fill your 1040 form alone is not enough. For example, you need to know what new legislation has been passed in regard to your taxes. Business taxes often vary by state. As a result, you will also need to know what regulations apply to you. And what tax write-offs are available in your particular state.

State tax websites are your small business’ one-stop-shop for specifics. For example, they provide tax regulations, tax forms, and answers to questions you may have. Below are the state tax websites that can provide you with valuable information about your state’s taxes, form 1040, sales tax, business tax by state and others. These websites will also provide you with insights, access forms, instructions on how to fill them, and worksheets for each tax division.

State Tax Websites

Alabama

The Alabama Department of Revenue’s site has this nifty website that offers valuable information on the services. From finding tax forms to designation of your business tax and also offers great advice.  Additionally, the site has a mobile app and My Alabama taxes to help you navigate your tax queries.

Alaska

Alaska’s Department of Revenue website comes with a dedicated tax division section that includes information about the state’s Permanent Fund Dividend, forms, services for businesses and revenue sources book.

Arizona

Besides forms and regulations Arizona’s department of revenue’s website comes with complete taxpayer education section on its YouTube channel. This comes in handy if you want to get up to speed with license renewals, electronic payments, forms, reporting your business taxes and other issues.

Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration’s site offers insightful information on business taxes, motor vehicles, sales and use tax and forms.

California

The state of California’s franchise and tax board’s website has a straight forward and easy to navigate website. It comes with designated pages for forms, how to file business taxes, payment options and how to collect refunds.

Colorado

The site offers paying options, state sales, taxation, forms, business tax and a quick answers page to help navigate through tax issues.

Connecticut

Department of Revenue Services allows you to find forms,  register your business to file and pay online. Its Taxpayer Service center plans to launch its myconnectCT solution to help streamline processing as well as round the clock self-service option.

Delaware

Besides offering the run of the mill tax filing system Delaware’s Division of Revenue’s website offers a one-stop business license, forms, withholding and renewal application system.

District of Columbia

This website offers a one-stop-shop to register, find forms, file and pay your business taxes. It also includes updated news on processing, legislation and other pertinent information.

Florida

Florida’s Department of Revenue website offers advisories on its e-services, tax forms, its for business page, refunds and much more.

Georgia

This website offers information in regards to renewing your tag, forms, state sales, status of refunds, business services, unclaimed property and a help page on Georgia taxes.

Hawaii

The Department of Taxation provides forms, services for businesses and e-services for audit assistance well.

Idaho

 The Idaho State Tax Commission provides a complete site with considerable resources. As a result, you’ll find information on filing, forms, business services, refund and e-services.

Illinois

Illinois’ Department of Revenue offers information on business registration, filing returns, making payments, forms, withholding taxes and more resources.

Indiana

Indiana’s Department of Revenue offers businesses general tax information. For example, the site includes tax rates, excise taxes, e-payment services, forms and more.

Iowa

Iowa’s Department of Revenue has resources on business taxes, forms for filling, IA 1040 instruction and others. In addition, the site offers subscriptions to those who want to get frequent news on the department’s work.

Kansas

The Kansas Revenue Cabinet’s site offers a wide array of resources on business tax, vehicles, forms, refund information and a handy scam alert.

Kentucky

Kentucky’s Revenue Cabinet has a handy tax answer section that allows you to look through business resources. For example, you’ll find information on income taxes, sales and excise taxes, forms as well as other changes in the state’s tax legislation.

Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Revenue’s website includes a  variety of tax filing options. As a result, you can file tax returns and make e-payments. You’ll also find taxpayer education, online forms, and resources for businesses.

Maine

Maine’s Revenue Services offers resources on tax filling and payment; starts of refunds; forms, tax registration and tax relief with additional online services. The business resources also include some valuable tax information along with information on how to grow your company in Maine.

Maryland

The Comptroller of Maryland offers a trove of resources. For example, you’ll find tax alerts, tax calculators, tax credits, information on filing deadlines, forms and due dates. You’ll also find online business services.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue website provides business information on rulings and regulations, tax policy analysis, communications, forms and legislative affairs.

Michigan

The Michigan Department of Treasury offers forms, news and payments via its e-services. As a result, its SIGMA Vendor Self Service (VSS) system allows you, as a payee/vendor/grantee, to manage your information, view your financial transactions, forms, view business and grant opportunities.

Minnesota

Besides offering a sign up for email updates this sites offers robust resources on businesses, forms, e-services, regulations and much more.

Mississippi

Mississippi’s Department of Revenue website allows for filing business taxes online, check the status of refunds, get tax forms and, facilitates requests for copies of tax returns.

Missouri

The Missouri Department of Revenue offers tax forms and manuals, 1099-G inquiry, withholding taxes calculator, forms, business registration and others.

Montana

Montana’s Department of Revenue comes with forms, information on taxes and fees and online services. It also includes a calendar and due dates for planning your taxes. On the business side of taxes, Montana’s site provides a handy calendar with important tax dates in the state for different industries.

Nebraska

Nebraska Department of Revenue offers business tax information on refund service, legislative changes, payment plans, e-services, forms and tax incentive information.

Nevada

Nevada’s Department of Revenue offers business tax services, tax forms, online services, publication, calendar and other information for taxpayers.

New Hampshire

The Department of Revenue Administration website offers an overview of business taxes in the state, forms and instructions, taxpayers’ assistance and frequently asked questions sections.

New Jersey

The New Jersey’s Division of Taxation offers business tax resources on forms, tax returns, auction information, payment procedures and others.

New Mexico

The Taxation and Revenue Department offers business tax information including forms and publications, information resources as well as news and alerts for visitors.

New York

New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance offers a one-stop site for businesses including filling returns, make payments online, find forms, check on the status of refunds and other tax information.

North Carolina

This website offers you the option to receive notices when you owe business taxes, file and find forms. You’ll also find pay options and ways to register your business.

North Dakota

The State Tax Department categorizes tax information on  its website. For example, it provides information and forms for business taxes, taxes on alcohol, coal severance tax, corporate income tax, fiduciary tax, income tax withholding and other tax-related information.

Ohio

The Ohio Department of Taxation offers online business tax services such as filling online, ID confirmation quiz, get forms, check refund status, filing season central, online payment and other tax pertinent information.

Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Tax Commission provides comprehensive information on taxation in the state. It comes with forms, resources for businesses, payment options and others.

Oregon

The Oregon Department of Revenue comes with a diverse set of tools to help you navigate through your taxes. From finding forms, tax calculator and dedicated pages for individual and business tax issues.

Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania revenue site provides all-round information on tax-related issues and has its own blog. From finding forms, resources for businesses, e-services and making payment, the site has it all.

Rhode island

The Rhode Island department of taxation website comes complete with a variety of features. For example, there are tax advisories, declaratory rulings, forms, an online business tax filings section and much more.

South Carolina

The site provides a wide array of resources. For example, you’ll find a businesses and tax section, news updates, refund information, forms and more.

South Dakota

This website has a dedicated page for businesses. For example, you’ll find tax filling dates, file and pay services, forms, tax license application and other features.

Tennessee

The Tennessee Department of Revenue website offers an e-filing information page, tax resources, title and registration services, a dedicated page for business, forms and taxpayer help page.

Texas

The Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts provides visitors with tax-related resources including forms, registering, e-filing and pay options, business taxes, due dates and other resources.

Utah

The Tax Commission of Utah offers general information and line by line guide through the tax process. The website has a dedicated section for forms, refunds, file and payment options and taxpayer access point.

Vermont

Vermont’s Department of Taxes offers a comprehensive guide through the tax process. For example, the site is designed with dedicated pages for forms and publication, tax guidelines, business-related taxes, data and statistics and even a help section.

Virginia

This site comes with a complete information portal containing considerable resources. For example, you’ll find forms, payment and penalties, a section dedicated for businesses and credit and a deduction page. The department of taxation even has a sign-up option for users to receive email alerts.

Washington

Washington state’s Department Revenue allows for filling taxes online, a depository of sales and use tax rates, a business directory, forms and a section for businesses.

West Virginia

The Department of Revenue has a section dedicated for businesses. This  contains important resources. For example, it includes a section for forms, status of refunds, audit collections, research and other pertinent information.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Department of Revenue offers resources on taxes for businesses and individuals. For example, it includes items such as bill notices, online tax registration, forms, resources for business development and others.

Wyoming

Wyoming’s Department of Revenue offers the standard tax resources. For example, you’ll find e-tax services, forms,  registration services and e-filling systems.

The Value of Organizing Important Resources

For your business to grow you will need to get started by organizing your resources. Top on the list is the need to make sure your finances are in order. Tracking your expense receipts and transactions can help you get ready for taxes that need to be paid during the course of the year. It also can help mitigate any legal action that can come your way via the IRS.

It is imperative that you have an efficient record-keeping system. A good record not only helps you in your tax obligations but also helps to keep track of your business financial health and performance during the year. Things like how are your profits running compared with last year? Can you afford to hire new staff? Analyzing your monthly or quarterly business financial statements can help you answer these important business questions.

Also don’t forget, that you will still need your receipts to back up your claims in case you are audited. As a result, if your business records have been lost or destroyed, you will need duplicate bills from your suppliers. You shouldn’t have a great deal of trouble getting copies of receipts from utilities, rent, credit cards, and other bills.

Digital Technology and Taxes

There are a number of financial software packages on the market that can help you keep track of your spending for tax purposes. Ask friends, family or business associates on which software help their business. Most importantly you will need to figure out how to use the software, and you need to enter a great deal of data for it to be useful to you come tax time.

By using your computer to prepare your income tax return, you can do an increasing number of other tax activities through the Internet. For example, you can go search for some good online tax resources such as your state’s tax website. These sites can help you track down factual information regarding your taxes. Also bookmark other sites that provide you with guidance, tips and tutorials for your business needs.

Aside from organizing your finances, you will need to make sure your office space is organized too. Research on how to design your workspace for maximum productivity and make your space easy to navigate through.

You might consider going paperless as well. For example, store your documents in the cloud. This can help reduce the paper clutter in your office. As a result, it helps you access them remotely. An organized workstation can help you get what you want when you need it without the need to rummage around the entire office. Keep an updated list of contact information for customers and suppliers.

Having organized inventory and sales reports help bring efficiency to your business. However, you have to make sure your data is backed up and protected.

Time and the Tax Calendar

How you spend your time is also important since time is literally money. For example, build the habit of using an efficient calendar for your business to track and schedule your business operations. This includes being fully aware of the tax calendar year.

Organize your resources. As a result, they become available in a way that makes them easy to retrieve and use. This is the hallmark of an efficient business. No matter the size of your business, how you organize and use your resources determines your bottom line and also your productivity. As a result, the key to any business is identifying the needs of your organization, weighing the options available and efficiently using the tools available to it.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “State Tax Websites for Your Small Business” was first published on Small Business Trends

https://smallbiztrends.com/

The post State Tax Websites for Your Small Business appeared first on Unix Commerce.

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Tax law changes in 2020 at federal and state levels

How Texans see the United States.

Each new year brings hope.

A flip of the calendar pages, and the suddenly clean slate, at least metaphorically, means better things ahead are possible for us personally, professionally, financially and, of course, on the tax front (taxically, which spellcheck wants to change to toxically…).

When it comes to taxes, the goal every year is to pay less.

While we're still working under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) changes at the federal level, we still see some changes in 2020.

Notably, especially when it comes to our always hoped for lower tax bills, the annual federal inflation adjustments help out here. Take 2020 vs. 2019 tax brackets, for example.

Last year, as a single taxpayer you could make up to $84,200 and be in the 22 percent tax bracket. In 2020, the 22 percent bracket tops out $85,525. Looking at this, it could be the first time you're not mad about the small raise from your parsimonious boss!

Plus, thanks to our progressive tax system, much of your earnings before you hit the 22 percent tax rate level (it starts in 2020 when you make $40,126) is taxed at 10 percent and 12 percent rates, which also have had the amount of income in each increased.

Federal effects on state tax law changes: Federal income taxes, however, aren't the only taxes that millions of us must deal with each year.

Forty-three states impose some sort of tax on income. Many local jurisdictions collect their portions, too.

Both individual and business taxpayers are affected by these state levies on earnings.

There also are state sales taxes, a variety of excise taxes and a handful of estate and inheritance taxes.

In recent years, state legislators have had to cope with two major tax matters that were out of their hands:

the aforementioned TCJA federal tax reform law that took full effect in the 2018 tax year and

the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) South Dakota v. Wayfair decision in May 2018 that opened up sales taxation of products sold by remote retailers.

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has comprehensive reviews of the challenges TCJA and Wayfair have posed for states and what they've and are doing to deal with the implications of these federal actions.

2020's new state tax changes: The Tax Foundation recently took a more New Year focused look at state taxes, producing a Fiscal Fact paper on state tax changes as of Jan. 1, 2020.

Key findings by Katherine Loughead, a policy analyst at the tax think tank in Washington, D.C., include:

34 states have major tax changes taking effect on January 1, 2020.

3 states (Arkansas, Tennessee and Massachusetts) will each see reductions in their individual income tax rates.

5 states (Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina and Ohio) will see notable changes to their individual income tax bases.

1 state (Florida) has a general sales tax rate change (a reduction).

5 states will see changes to their estate taxes. Four (Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont and New York) will have taxpayer-friendly increased estate tax exemptions, while one (Hawaii) goes the other direction.

2 states (Illinois and Louisiana) will implement new excise taxes on cannabis products.

3 states (Maine, Nevada and New Hampshire) will begin applying excise taxes to vapor products.

2 states (Connecticut and Virginia) will see notable changes to their sales tax base. (The Nutmeg State's sales tax base will broaden to additional consumer goods and services; the Old Dominion's base will become narrower.)

8 states will make remote-sales related tax changes, ranging from

Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin requiring marketplace facilitators to collect sales taxes to

Arizona, Georgia and Washington modifying the economic nexus threshold in their remote sales tax collection requirements and

Hawaii (again) and Pennsylvania on Jan. 1 using Wayfair-like standards to determine economic nexus for income tax purposes.

Didn't see your state's taxes mentioned in the above highlights? Then check out the full Tax Foundation state taxes 2020 paper.

Notable specific state taxes: Virginia this year will reduce its so-called Pink Tax, the sales tax that applies to feminine hygiene products, as well cut the sales tax on purchases of disposable diapers and incontinence pads.

The Old Dominion also will offer in 2020 tax credits to employees that telework.

In neighboring Maryland, there's now a new law establishes a state tax sale ombudsman in the State Department of Assessments and Taxation. This person will assist Old Line State homeowners with delinquent taxes. Maryland Homeowners who are low-income, at least 65 years old or disabled must be provided with information that is clear and concise if their properties are subject to tax sales.

Across the country, Washington state residents will see some real estate excise tax changes this year. The rate goes from a flat 1.28 percent of the sales price to a sliding scale that tops out at 3 percent for properties worth more than $3 million.

Specifics tax matters: Some people will welcome the new 2020 tax changes in their states. Others will not be happy.

Part of the reasons for the different reactions is that no cliché has ever been more appropriate to taxes than the devil is in the details.

Take, for example, the apparently good news for Georgians that on Jan. 1 their state's sales tax on cars was reduced.

Georgia's tax rate on all auto sales dropped from 7 percent to 6.6 percent for a savings of about $100 on a new car sold for $25,000.

But, and you knew it was coming, some used car buyers in the Peach State will have to pay more in taxes. That's because many used cars will be taxed on their sales price rather than lower, estimated value.

But, yes, another one, if the car dealer finances the used car sale, Georgia's sales tax then will be calculated based on the book value of the car.

My advice to Georgia car shoppers? Don't drive yourself crazy over the sales tax permutations. Just save as much as you can for your next car and either buy a used one outright or find a great financing deal if you must take out a loan.

More state tax changes on the way: And while there are many state tax law changes that went into effect at the start of this year, rest assured that more are on the way.

Many states operate on a fiscal year that runs from July 1 through June 30. So summer often is a prime time for law changes, taxes and otherwise, to appear.

Ohio residents won't have to wait that long. On April 1, the Buckeye State will repeal its Pink Tax, no kidding.

That's just one example of one tax in one state. We can expect even more, some not even thought of as yet.

"With states continuing to grapple with the taxation of international income, collections obligations for remote sellers and marketplace facilitators, and potential new tax regimes for marijuana, vapor products, and sports betting (no tax changes for the latter taking effect yet on January 1), to name only a few, the coming year is unlikely to be any quieter," notes the Tax Foundation's Loughead.

Happy State Tax New Year!

You also might find these items of interest:

State tax departments directory

Wyoming & New Jersey bookmark business tax climates

Billionaires make literal wealth preservation moves to avoid state estate taxes

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