Tax Policy & IRS News
The Daily Signal reports on tax legislation, reform efforts, and tax enforcement by the IRS. Get conservative analysis on how tax policies and cuts affect families, businesses, and America’s fiscal outlook.
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Americans See Employment and Earning Retention Gains Thanks to Working Family Tax Cuts
Members of Congress are pointing to rising wages and private-sector job growth as evidence that the Working Families Tax Cuts Act is delivering results for American workers and businesses. The law, signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, reduced taxes on tips, overtime pay, and certain retirement benefits, while expanding the child tax…Pedro Rodriguez -
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Code Pink Should Lose Tax-Exempt Status for 3 Key Reasons, Watchdog Group Tells IRS
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The leftist activist group Code Pink should lose its tax-exempt status for engaging in potentially illegal activity, violating tax rules against engaging in prohibited political activity and excess lobbying activity, and for supporting the interests of China without properly registering with the Department of Justice, a conservative group said in a…Tyler O’Neil -
This Tax Day, Americans Are Finally Getting a Break
Historically, tax season has never been easy for working Americans. It’s typically marked by days or weeks spent digging through stacks of receipts, invoices, 1099s, and W-2s. It’s the undue stress of figuring out how to file or whom to hire for help. And it is uncertainty in not knowing if you’ll owe money—or how…Stefani Buhajla -
Why Americans Are Getting Larger Refunds This Tax Season
Each spring, tax refunds illuminate how federal policy interacts with household finances. This tax season, Americans are experiencing larger returns compared to prior years—and not because there are more filers, but because legislation passed by the Trump administration last summer is finally bearing fruit. Internal Revenue Service data for Week Nine of the 2026 filing…Nicole Huyer -
Tax the Rich?
“Tax the rich!” shout progressives. Why not? America’s richest people are ridiculously rich. “Five bucks to you is like $6 million to billionaire Jeff Bezos!” shrieks Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Taking more from billionaires and millionaires just seems fair. That’s why Washington state passed a new “millionaire’s tax,” California will soon vote on a “billionaire’s…John Stossel -
EXCLUSIVE: American Medical Association Should Lose Tax-Exempt Status, Watchdog Group Says
FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The IRS should investigate and potentially revoke the tax-exempt status of the American Medical Association’s philanthropic arm, according to a new complaint filed Tuesday. “Based on the evidence in our complaint, we believe the IRS should revoke the AMA Foundation’s tax-exempt status for operating a racially discriminatory program,” Dr. Kurt Miceli,…Tyler O’Neil -
Radical Tax Hikes Will Accelerate PA’s Outmigration
Gov. Josh Shapiro keeps repeating the claim that Pennsylvania is the only growing state in the Northeast. But that’s not true. Residents continue to leave Pennsylvania for greener pastures. New data from the Internal Revenue Service shows that Pennsylvania lost 15,000 residents on net to other states in 2023. Those residents took with them $2.3 billion…Nathan Benefield -
Courts Split on Role IRS Can Play in Immigration Enforcement, Data Sharing
In the span of two days, courts have issued somewhat conflicting rulings about what the Internal Revenue Service can do to assist the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly for the District of Columbia determined that almost 43,000 addresses the IRS shared with Immigration and Customs Enforcement last August…Fred Lucas -
Billions in Tax Dollars Pay for Empty Federal Buildings
FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL—Selling off unused or underused federal property could save taxpayers $3 billion in deferred maintenance costs, and more than $100 million in operation costs each year, according to one government report. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, chairwoman of the Senate DOGE Caucus, introduced legislation to expedite the sales of these properties. “Why should taxpayers be stuck with billion-dollar bills for bureaucrats…Fred Lucas -
HOT Tax Would Let Liberals Pay More, Sparing Everyone Else
Former U.S. Sen. Willard Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is neither the first nor the last billionaire to say that he wants to pay higher taxes, ergo, other Americans should suffer tax hikes, too. Romney recently wrote, “It’s time for rich people like me to pay more.” He advocated higher taxes on—among other things—payrolls, real estate, carried…Deroy Murdock -
More Tax on Tips: Blue States Undercutting New Federal Tax Cuts
Filthy, vile, and disgusting. And I would add: reprehensible, repulsive, and rebarbative. These words perfectly describe the latest Democrat scheme to shaft industrious, economically embattled Americans, all so that the Left can get President Donald Trump. There are no depths too low for Democrats to dig to hurt this president. They were at Sub-basement Level 14 and have now jackhammered their…Deroy Murdock -
Changes to ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ to Cost Extra $140B Over 10 Years, Tax Panel Estimates
Want some extra SALT with those budgetary fries? It will cost you. The congressional Joint Committee on Taxation has released its latest cost estimates on the latest House budget proposal, which includes a quadrupling of the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions on federal taxes. The projections suggest late compromises on issues such…George Caldwell -
Why the House’s New Education Plan is a Win for Students and Taxpayers
In response to a directive to cut $330 billion in mandatory federal education spending over the next decade, the House Education and Workforce Committee has proposed a reconciliation package projected to save taxpayers approximately $350 billion—surpassing the target by $20 billion. This part of the reconciliation bill, passed at the end of April, now moves…Madison Marino Doan -
Voters Want Balanced Budget and Low Taxes, Poll Finds
Most Americans want to balance the budget and keep taxes low, a new poll suggests. According to a Napolitan News Service survey—organized by noted pollster Scott Rasmussen—31% of registered voters would “strongly favor” a proposal to balance the federal budget in 10 years, while 39% “somewhat favor” it. Taken together, that's a 70% supermajority. That…George Caldwell -
Harvard by the Numbers: How University Will Fare Without Taxpayer Subsidies
Losing federal funding will hit more than two-thirds of Harvard University’s research grants, but the vaunted Ivy League institution won’t be financially strapped in other areas. The university has $70.6 billion in total assets, and most of its more than $6.2 billion in annual expenses goes to salaries and benefits, according to its financial report…Fred Lucas -
The High Cost of Big Government—A Heist on Taxpayers
$521 billion. That’s the estimate the federal government itself put forward of annual fraud levels. That’s enough money to rebuild every crumbling bridge and school in the country—all squandered due to government incompetence. In fiscal year 2024, just 16 agencies reported improper payment estimates that totaled $162 billion—money lost to error, fraud, overpayments, or ineligible…Richard Stern -
You Don’t Just Pay Taxes on April 15. Here’s a Hidden Tax That Picks Your Pocket All the Time.
The government doesn't just directly charge Americans in taxes—it also imposes a hidden tax that makes everything more expensive, according to a new report. The federal government doesn't just pass laws in Congress. Each year, many of the 438 federal agencies—nominally under the president's control through the executive branch—publish tens of thousands of pages in…Tyler O’Neil -
Virginia’s ‘DOGE’ Saves Taxpayers Millions
Editor’s note: For additional context for the story below, what would become Virginia’s Office of Regulatory Management began as a pilot program under Gov. Ralph Northam that covered two agencies. Under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the pilot program was turned into an official agency and expanded to cover all agencies of the executive branch of Virginia…Joe Thomas -
Americans Support Pulling Funds from Harvard, Taxing Endowments According to Poll
Americans are broadly supportive of the Trump administration’s battle with Harvard University, and majorities even support the federal government taxing the endowments of wealthy universities. This is according to a poll conducted by RMG Research and released by the Napolitan Institute on Wednesday. The major exception to the broad-based support for restricting funds to Harvard and…Jarrett Stepman -
End US Taxpayer Support for the Higher Education Gravy Train
One of the most important insights of public policy is the understanding that most laws are predicated upon a (stated or unstated) quid pro quo. Take, for example, the roiling monthslong debate about President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. Prior to the media uproar over the much-ballyhooed MS-13-tied “Maryland man,” the since-deported Salvadoran national Kilmar…Josh Hammer