Voters in Multiple States Choose Higher Taxes for the Wealthy

shutterstock_253684528-converted

 

Of course, the big news from the election earlier this month was that Donald Trump shocked the world and defeated Hillary Clinton in the race to become the 45th president of the United States. However, there were several other important national, as well as local, election races and issues that were decided on November 8th. Not the least of which were several state measures aimed at raising taxes on high net worth individuals.

To that end, voters in both California and Maine decided that the rich needed to pay more taxes. In Maine, the vote to raise the state’s top tax rate from 7.15 percent to 10.15 percent was extremely close, passing by a narrow 50.4 percent to 49.6 percent margin. That means Maine will have the second highest top tax rate in the country in 2017, surpassing Oregon, which was number two in 2016 at 9.9 percent.

In California, meanwhile, the vote wasn’t even close, with 62 percent voting to extend temporary tax hikes already in place. Proposition 55 extended the hikes originally implemented in 2012 with Proposition 30. That means top earners, those who make $1 million or more a year, will continue to pay a tax rate of 13.3 percent at least until 2030. California will continue to have the highest tax rate for top earners in 2017.

So, while all signs point to Donald Trump lowering the federal tax rates, if you live in California or Maine and you’re a top earner, you won’t see any relief in the coming years in your state taxes.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleaebeling/2016/11/10/voters-okay-state-income-tax-hikes-for-the-rich/#71480a7b16d0

Posted in

Not Living on the Earth? You Still Have to Pay Your Taxes on Time

You gotta hand it to the IRS for being thorough. They’ll leave no stone unturned in an effort to make sure that every taxpayer files their return. That’s even true of very big stones, otherwise known as asteroids. In other words, even if an astronaut wanted to hide behind an asteroid or a moon rock,…

With Gas Prices Down, Could Gas Taxes Be Going Up?

Rich or poor, young or old, no one likes high gas prices – with the possible exception of oil and gas companies. In any case, the recent drop in gas prices around the country has no doubt brought some relief to just about everyone in America, including big corporations that own large fleets of vehicles.…

Hello? Is This Really the IRS, or Just a Scam?

No one enjoys getting a call from the IRS, but getting a call from someone who claims to be from the IRS, but who is really just a scammer, is even worse. However, according to the country’s top tax agency, that is exactly the kind of sophisticated and elaborate scam that has been going on…

United States and Singapore Buddy Up on Tax Evasion

For those who are still not convinced that the United States is serious about tracking down tax dodgers who are trying to hide money in offshore accounts, here’s one more piece of evidence that might change your mind. In a deal announced last week, the country of Singapore says it has come to terms with…