Taxes
Covering topics such as bonds, cryptocurrency, federal aid and pensions.
Federal policy changes stand to make it harder for local governments to cope with housing instability and homelessness. There are some things they can do to brace for what’s coming.
Funding for a half-dozen tech hubs has been canceled in a setback for promising industrial policies. Local and regional actors must continue the work these valuable projects have begun.
President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act includes an increase to the SALT — State and Local Tax — deduction, quadrupling the cap from $10,000 to $40,000 and phasing it out for incomes over $500,000.
Washington and the states don’t run the program. Contractors do.
A number of states, including Oklahoma, have passed tax cuts that only take effect if future budget numbers are met. That may sound sensible but it hides their true costs.
Twenty GOP governors have endorsed the congressional budget package, praising its sizable tax cuts and funding for the military and border security.
Taxing sodas and taking them off SNAP will reduce intake — which in turn will cut down on diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
With so much federal funding going away, states and localities need to identify what’s most important before they decide what to keep. Across-the-board cuts are not the answer.
It’s no accident that Utah once again leads the nation in job and GDP growth. Free-market reforms in other states are boosting their competitiveness as well.
They help a lot of individuals and their communities. The proposed cuts would just shift the burden to emergency rooms, shelters and already overwhelmed local systems.
Work requirements remain on the table but Congress will not cut the matching rate for the Affordable Care Act expansion or impose per capita limits on states.
The House has twice passed bills that would end taxes for individuals who make money on stocks and other investments. It’s trying to reach final agreement on a cut with the state Senate.
Traditional pensions and 401(k)-style government plans have undergone major changes in portfolio structure since 2000, mostly for the better. But recent market gyrations remind us that there are always opportunities for improvement.
Salem, Ore., is in budget straits, in part because untaxed state buildings make up 8 percent of the property in the city. Tina Kotek is backing a local property tax increase as lawmakers consider ways to help the city directly.
With federal cuts coming, states, cities and counties need to step up their understanding of the programs they run and the priorities they hope to preserve.
Any future income tax increases would require supermajority votes. If the state House approves it, the amendment would go to voters for final approval.
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