Page 292 – Taxpayers Protection Alliance

TPA and The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy Release Report on Wasteful Spending

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 30, 2016
Post category:Spending Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and Taxpayers Protection Alliance Release Report on Wasteful State Spending, Misuse of Taxpayer Funds Charleston, W. Va. - Thursday, the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance released a new report entitled: Wild and Wasteful West Virginia: Exposing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Your State Tax Dollars. The report (click here to read) exposes and highlights more than $330 million in wasteful spending spread across almost 60 different state programs. The examples cited in the report demonstrate that West Virginia has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. State lawmakers, who must now confront a $353 million budget shortfall, should look to cut wasteful expenditures instead of burdening the state’s already financially beleaguered residents with fees and tax increases.

TPA Joins Coalition in Submitting Comments to EPA on Destructive Clean Power Plan

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 29, 2016
Post category:Clean Power Plan Comments and Testimony Energy Environmental Protection Agency Michi Iljazi Regulation Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy Entering the final year of the Obama Administration, there are many priorities the President has and one of the biggest is a lasting legacy when it comes to environmental policy. The biggest component of that legacy domestically is the ill-conceived Clean Power Plan (CPP). The CPP is not only an attack on traditional fossil fuels; it’s a de facto giveaway (or redistribution) to the renewable energy industry. Setting massive targets for carbon reduction and forcing states to comply with the new rule will only ensure that green energy schemes like solar and wind will reap the benefits of new and existing incentives designed to artificially prop-up those failed technologies. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has been sounding the alarm on the plan for nearly two years now, as have many others. Just last week, TPA joined a coalition led by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) submitting comments (click here for the PDF version) to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the dangers of the CPP. Click 'read more' below to see the full comments

TPA and The Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy Release Report on Wasteful Spending

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 28, 2016
Post category:Spending Taxpayers Protection Alliance

Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and Taxpayers Protection Alliance Release Report on Wasteful State Spending, Misuse of Taxpayer Funds Charleston, W. Va. - Today, the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance released a new report entitled: Wild and Wasteful West Virginia: Exposing Waste, Fraud and Abuse of Your State Tax Dollars. The report (click here to read) exposes and highlights more than $330 million in wasteful spending spread across almost 60 different state programs. The examples cited in the report demonstrate that West Virginia has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. State lawmakers, who must now confront a $353 million budget shortfall, should look to cut wasteful expenditures instead of burdening the state’s already financially beleaguered residents with fees and tax increases.

NFL Subsidies: Taxpayers Left High and Dry After Rams Move to Los Angeles

Post author:David Williams
Post published:January 26, 2016
Post category:NFL Spending Taxes Taxpayers Protection Alliance

This article appeared in Inside Sources on January 20, 2016 With a great deal of fanfare from the National Football League (NFL) and the owner of the St. Louis Rams, the announcement was made on January 14 that the St. Louis Rams would be moving to Los Angeles. What was left out of that announcement was that taxpayers would still be on the hook paying for the Edward Jones Dome in. St. Louis. St. Louis and Missouri taxpayers paid the full $280 million cost of construction for the Edward Jones Dome in 1995. In an effort to keep the Rams in St. Louis, government officials tried to persuade the team to stay with the promise of $500 million for a new billion-dollar stadium. Rams owner, and billionaire, Stan Kroenke decided to move despite the generous taxpayer gift. The problem is that Missouri taxpayers aren’t off the hook because they will be paying $12 million until 2022 on the Edward Jones Dome.

IRS Credibility Gap Widens: Agency Admits to Deleting Hard Drives

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 25, 2016
Post category:Congress Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA)Michi Iljazi Taxpayers Protection Alliance

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been no stranger to controversy over the last few years. Political targeting, hollow complaints about budget cuts, and continued stonewalling into investigations of impropriety and misconduct have been nothing short of damaging to the credibility of the agency. Now, another major story is brewing as news unfolded about information related to an ongoing court case. And yes, the impropriety involves missing e-mails. And, this new revelation about the IRS impacts an ongoing investigation that the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is conducting. According to The Daily Caller, “Samuel Maruca, owner of the hard drive in question and a former senior IRS executive, participated in the IRS hiring of the outside law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP allegedly to investigate Microsoft. Maruca left the IRS in August 2014, according to court documents.” The name of the IRS officials may not seem important but it is. Mr. Maruca was in charge of a key hire at the IRS, the prominent trial lawyer law firm Quinn Emanuel. The firm was hired to handle an audit the agency was conducting. The IRS then used taxpayer money to pay the $1000 per hour billing that Quinn Emanuel charged the agency.

Still Time for Congress to Take Action on Patent Litigation Reform

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 22, 2016
Post category:Congress Intellectual Property Patents Taxpayers Protection Alliance

In an election year there is rarely optimism about the ability of Congress to get big things accomplished. This year has just begun, and while the campaign for the White House is in full swing there is still an appetite in Congress to get moving on important items including tax reform and trade. However, another area that Congress should focus their attention on and keep momentum going is patent litigation and venue reform. The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) believes in the foundations of intellectual property (IP), the importance it has to the overall economic health of the economy. Protecting IP will benefit taxpayers and ensure the success of small and large businesses. Laws that encourage innovation and creation are key to ensuring that IP can be abundant, and worth the time and investment from those in the private sector; which impacts jobs and economic output. That logic applies even when it comes to the rules that govern patents in the United States today. Unfortunately, there are still some glaring problems with regards to how the law treats this area of IP.

TPA Joins Coalition Urging Senate to Pass Permanent Ban on Internet Access Taxes

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 21, 2016
Post category:Congress Internet Michi Iljazi Senate Taxes Taxpayers Protection Alliance

The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) continues to fight a number of battles in order to make certain taxpayers won’t have new or increasing taxes coming from federal and state governments. In the next few weeks Congress has an opportunity to end one potential new tax forever and that’s Internet access taxes. Passage of H.R. 644, Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 by a vote of 256-158 in the House in late December was a critical step because legislation contained the "Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act" (PITFA), which will forever eliminate any threat of tax increases for Internet access. Now, the Senate must act in kind to end the threat of Internet access taxes permanently. Keeping that in mind, TPA signed onto this coalition letter (click here) this morning urging Senate leadership to keep the PITFA provision and pass the bill. Click 'read more' below to read the full letter

Stack of Money

The Deficit Soars While Washington Fiddles

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 20, 2016
Post category:Appropriations Budget Congress Debt Deficit Earmarks Michi Iljazi Taxpayers Protection Alliance

On January 12, 2016, President Obama, with his rose-colored glasses, wanted to put the nation at ease about the overall track of the country with his final State of the Union Address. But, as far as the economy is concerned, nobody should be buying what the President is selling. The job market is struggling and the earning power of families nationwide continues to lag throughout the duration of the Obama era. Now, even more troubling for the economy is the news from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) that the budget deficit is about to balloon to $544 billion this year, with the deficit increasing over the next decade.

A Bipartisan Growth Fix? Comprehensive Tax Reform

Post author:David Williams
Post published:January 19, 2016
Post category:Congress Taxpayers Protection Alliance

This piece originally appeared on Real Clear Markets on January 11, 2016 Welcome to the start of a New Year, a time when many Americans make resolutions to improve their quality of life. Invariably, one of those resolutions is being smarter when it comes to spending and saving money. One New Year's resolution that the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) has for Congress is to also be more fiscally responsible, and that means passing comprehensive tax reform. Simplifying the tax code and a commitment from lawmakers to do so is the blueprint to ease some of American consumers and businesses' financial woes and increase economic growth. Fortunately, certain Presidential candidates, and some leaders in Congress, are starting to understand the importance of tax reform and have pledged to make this issue a priority in 2016. But all talk will be hollow unless the candidates and lawmakers put their words into action.

Surprise! New York Losing Revenue After Tobacco Tax Increase

Post author:Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Post published:January 15, 2016
Post category:Michi Iljazi Taxes Taxpayers Protection Alliance

In a not so shocking development, the state of New York is finding out how ineffective and damaging excise tax increases can be to state and local economies. According to The Daily Caller, “New York raised taxes on cigarettes to $4.35 in 2010 from $2.75. In total, cigarette taxes have increased by 190 percent since 2006. The sharp rise has resulted in a raft of unintended consequences which are dealing a significant blow to the state’s finances. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli reports New York’s revenue from cigarette taxes has plunged by $400 million over the past five years.” The Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA) is hardly surprised or amused at what amounts to yet more proof of the failure of ‘tax first’ policies.