Thursday
Oct092008
Tax gap reform will stop tax increases
"Some taxpayers shortchange the American people by nearly $300 billion, which is roughly $950 for every man, woman, and child in America," said Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.) at a roundtable discussion to find ways to cut the tax gap. With the financial crisis continuing to drive stocks down and the impending bailout bail threatening America's national debt levels, he said, it has become more important than ever to ensure taxes are being paid and to collect additional revenue without having to raise taxes in the next administration. The tax gap has not been examined since 2001, when more than $290 billion was not collected.
The discussion panel included the Inspector General, members of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the National Taxpayer Advocate from the Internal Revenue Service, and members of the U.S. Treasury Department. Each panelist discussed seven ideal proposals to close the tax gap. These included the encouragement of more frequent, voluntary estimated tax payments by small businesses, the withholding of payments to noncompliant federal contractors, requiring information reporting by financial institutions about non-interest bearing accounts, reversing matching against state and local tax data, allowing voluntary withholding agreements among independent contractors and service recipients, eliminating the exception to 1099 information reporting for closely held corporations, and improvement of the IRS's data collection infrastructure. Carper has not specifically advocated any one of these proposals and believes that "no single approach, alone, will work." Carper encouraged the participants of the discussion to "think outside the box for new solutions."
The discussion panel included the Inspector General, members of the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the National Taxpayer Advocate from the Internal Revenue Service, and members of the U.S. Treasury Department. Each panelist discussed seven ideal proposals to close the tax gap. These included the encouragement of more frequent, voluntary estimated tax payments by small businesses, the withholding of payments to noncompliant federal contractors, requiring information reporting by financial institutions about non-interest bearing accounts, reversing matching against state and local tax data, allowing voluntary withholding agreements among independent contractors and service recipients, eliminating the exception to 1099 information reporting for closely held corporations, and improvement of the IRS's data collection infrastructure. Carper has not specifically advocated any one of these proposals and believes that "no single approach, alone, will work." Carper encouraged the participants of the discussion to "think outside the box for new solutions."
tagged 
Senator Tom Carper, benjamin netanyahu, irs, tax gap in Congress
Senator Tom Carper, benjamin netanyahu, irs, tax gap in Congress 
Absentee Voting- Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Count Too
The numbers include “stateside” military- military personnel stationed in states other than the one they are registered in-, civilian Government workers overseas, and overseas military members and their families. The FVAP has set up a website, www.fvap.gov, to assist in their efforts to get all those votes counted.
But what happens after their votes are cast? FVAP has assisted in setting up expedited mail delivery of ballots, and also made sure that people are aware of the existence of the “backup ballot,” a ballot that allows a registered voter to cast a vote for Federal Offices in case their regular ballot isn’t available for them to use. The ballots are sent back to the respective states utilizing green tagged transports and are marked and tracked as a priority on regular transports.
“Absentee Voting Week” is October 12-18, 2008, and that is when a Department of Defense-wide email will be sent out, and comprehensive voting awareness and assistance programs will begin, to encourage voters to vote and return their state ballots as soon as possible. Express mail (via the United States Postal Service, through the military APO, FPO offices) will be used for returning cast ballots between the dates of October 29 and November 4, 2008.
There are also electronic alternatives available to receive a ballot, and some states will even allow a ballot to be returned that way. Arizona, for example, will allow a scanned ballot to be returned via a secure state server. Eleven states allow a voted ballot to be returned this way, and 26 states allow a voted ballot to be returned by fax (up from 17 states in 2000). It is up to the states to ensure via registration rolls that absentee ballots are on their lists and that no one is able to vote more than once.
The primary mission of FVAP is to inform and educated United States citizens of their right to vote, and to encourage all Uniformed and Overseas Citizens to participate in the elections.