First Half of Current Fiscal Year a Record-Breaker for U.S. Treasury
It’s been another record year for the federal government so far, which is in the midst of its current fiscal year. At the end of March, when the government reached its halfway point of the 2016 fiscal year, it had already collected $1.48 trillion. One might think that this massive haul would help ease the nation’s federal deficit. However, despite the record intake, the federal government still finds itself in the hole to the tune of $461 billion.
According to the U.S. treasury Department, the amount of taxes it has collected from October 2015 through March of this year has been greater than any other previous fiscal year on record. That even takes adjustment for inflation into consideration.
The Treasury Department counts revenues from several sources, including individual income taxes, unemployment insurance taxes, social insurance and retirement taxes, estate and gift taxes, corporate income taxes, excise taxes and a few other items. Of the $1.48 trillion collected so far this fiscal year, the majority comes from individual income taxes, which accounts for nearly half of the total, at $675 billion.
By way of comparison, last year, the federal government collected a total of $3.24 trillion in taxes for the entire 2015 fiscal year.
IRS Finally Says Sorry for Seizing Small Businesses Bank Accounts
Small businesses face a tough battle in general, but when they have the IRS breathing down their necks it makes it that much more difficult to find success. Things are even more difficult when the IRS decides seize some of these business’s bank accounts. At least now the tax agency is apologizing for its actions.…
Lawmakers Vote To Make Three Tax Provisions for Businesses Permanent
Late last year lawmakers in Washington extended a bill that made three important tax provisions for businesses valid through December 31, 2014. That means those provisions were good for last year’s taxes, but expired when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2015. The extension was welcome news last year for many businesses. Now there…
It’s Time for a Tax Scam Refresher Course
Despite repeated warnings from the media and the IRS alike, thousands of people are conned out of money every tax season by scammers. Make sure you’re not one of them. Here is a list of some of the most common scams the IRS sees this time of year. The list is not all-inclusive, as scammers…
Believe it or Not, So Far the IRS Is Refunding More Money This Year
It’s a rarity that anyone ever has anything good to say about the IRS; just as it’s a rarity that the federal tax agency has good news for taxpayers. However, according to recent reports, the IRS does have some very good news to share in regards to tax returns so far in 2015. While earlier…