Backtracking? Donald Trump announced he is willing to take another look at his tax plan.

Trump Tax Plan v. Clinton Tax Plan

As previously discussed in this blog about the differences between Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Ted Cruz’s tax plans (graduated plan with increase taxes on the rich vs. flat tax), in the recent news, Republican frontrunner and presumptive nominee Donald Trump recently announced that he is willing to backtrack on his proposal to cut taxes for the rich while also cutting taxes for the middle class. See this MSN article.

Last fall, Donald Trump initially announced his tax plan.  See this MSN article.  His original plan would significantly reduce marginal tax rates on individuals and businesses, increase standard deduction amounts to nearly four times current levels, and curtail many tax expenditures. See Tax Policy Center’s analysis of the Trump tax plan. 

A closer look at the original proposed Trump Plan shows that the bulk of the tax cuts would be to rich and wealthy.  As stated by Tax Policy Center, “The highest-income 0.1 percent of taxpayers (those with incomes over $3.7 million in 2015 dollars) would experience an average tax cut of more than $1.3 million in 2017, nearly 19 percent of after-tax income.”  Meanwhile the Trump plan proposed only a modest tax cut for the middle class: “Middle-income households would receive an average tax cut of $2,700, or 4.9 percent of after-tax income.” See Tax Policy Center’s analysis of the Trump tax plan. 

In contract to Trump’s proposed tax plan is Senator Hillary Clinton’s tax proposal.  See Senator Clinton’s website, or the Tax Policy Center’s Analysis.  According to the Tax Policy Center, Senator Clinton’s plan would, “increase taxes on high-income filers, reform international tax rules for corporations, repeal fossil fuel tax incentives, and increase estate and gift taxes.”  Senator Clinton’s proposals would have the following estimated effects for 2017: In 2017, “taxpayers in the top 1 percent of the income distribution (those with incomes above $730,000 in 2015 dollars) would see their tax burdens increase more than $78,000, a reduction in after-tax income of 5 percent. Taxpayers outside the top 5 percent (those earning less than $300,000in 2015 dollars) would see little change in average after-tax income.”  See Tax Policy Center’s Analysis of Senator Clinton’s tax plan.

So the question is: how similar is Donald Trump’s new position to Hilary Clinton’s tax position.  While Donald Trump has not given specifics, he is now willing to incorporate  new taxes on the rich.  See this MSN article.

While the MSN article criticizes Trump for his flip flopping on taxing the rich and federal minimum wage, could Trump’s softening of his position be his appeal to the masses, especially now that he has won the primary audience in getting the Republican nomination?  Or is Trump’s position on taxes merely a “read my lips: ‘No new taxes’” maneuvering?

It remains to be seen what the change in philosophy will mean to the tax world and tax practitioners. 

Regardless of which proposed tax plan wins, if you know of any individual or corporation that is underpaying their tax liabilities, you should report the individual or corporation and collect an award from the IRS.  If you have specific and credible evidence, contact us to evaluate your information and whether it would qualify for an award between 15-30% of the collected proceeds in excess of $2,000,000 paid by the IRS.   

Happy Tax Filing Day....

As today is April 15, 2016, it should be the usual filing deadline for your taxes or to request an extension; except this year the deadline was extended to April 18, 2016.  Why?  Emancipation Day (a day set aside for commemorating the signing of the Emancipation Act by Abraham Lincoln (normally celebrated on April 16, but this year since it is on a Saturday, it is recognized on April 15) is a legal holiday in Washington D.C.).  So, since the deadline falls on a legal holiday in Washington D.C., the tax deadline is extended to Monday.

The hot topic story today is Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren’s introduction of a bill to make it unnecessary to file a tax return (for single people with simple returns, and in 2018 to extend to other filers).  According to the Huffpost both Democratic Presidential Candidates support Senator Warren’s bill, as do other Senators.

Two questions come to mind:

1. Is this bill different than Republican candidate Ted Cruz’s plan to abolish the IRS or Democratic Candidate Bernie Sanders’ plan?; and
2. How practical is Senator Warren’s proposal?

Question 1:  Is Senator Warren’s proposed plan different from Senator Cruz’s proposed plan or Senator Bernie Sanders’ proposed plan:

Simple answer is Yes.  A more detailed explanation is:

Senator Cruz is advocating a flat tax plan.  What this means, is that Senator Cruz is proposing to compress the current rates of personal income tax to one single rate of 10%, See paragraph 2 of his summary.  He states that the simple flat tax will eliminate the IRS as it exists.  He also proposes to levy a simple flat business tax at 16%.

Contrasting Senator Cruz’s plan is Senator Sanders’ plan (NOTE: Bernie’s plan is outlined in the FAQ’s for paying for medicare, about ¾ of the way down the page.  It seems that his plan is summarized at this unofficial site.)  He proposes to keep the graduated rates based on income.  His proposal seeks to raise the rates at the higher income levels.  For example, the current 33% bracket is for incomes between $230,451 through $411,500.  Bernie’s plan would make this band smaller, specifically for income between $230,451 through $250,000, and amounts over $250,000 would be in the next bracket.  The brackets are delineated for incomes up to $10,000,000 with the top rate at approximately 52%.

Senator Warren’s proposal merely seeks to eliminate the need for single filers, who meet the following criteria:

1. do not have deductions adjusting their income,
2. do not have to file a schedule C (income from a business operated or a sole proprietorship),
3. income only from wages, interest or dividends,
4. No dependents.

For the single filers that meet these 4 criteria, Senator Warren proposes that the IRS will develop a tax return preparation service that will file a return on single filers that opt in to the program.  Senator Warren’s proposal also seeks to expand the program for 2018 to: married individuals, heads of households, taxpayers claiming the earned income tax credit, taxpayer with dependents, taxpayers claiming the child tax credit, and taxpayers claiming deductions for non-employee compensation.  Senator Warren’s proposal also allocates money to pay for this “new” tax preparation service.

Senator Cruz’s plan and Senator Sanders’ plan are plans designed to re-think how we tax people and their income.  Senator Warren’s plan is a change to the implementation of the existing tax regime.

This leads to the second question, how practical is Senator Warren’s plan?

The IRS already has a form that simplifies the tax filing procedure.  The Instructions for 1040EZ provides a checklist for those eligible to use Form 1040EZ as follows (Note a taxpayer has to meet all of these before utilizing Form 1040EZ):

1. Your filing status is single or married filing jointly.
2. You do not claim any dependents.
3. You do not claim any adjustments to income.
4. If you claim a tax credit, you claim only the earned income credit.
5. You (and your spouse if filing a joint return) were under age 65 and not blind at the end of 2015.
6. Your taxable income (line 6 of Form 1040EZ) is less than $100,000.
7. You had only wages, salaries, tips, taxable scholarship or fellowship grants, unemployment compensation, or Alaska Permanent Fund dividends, and your taxable interest was not over $1,500.  If you earned tips, they are included in boxes 5 and 7 of your Form W-2.
8. You do not owe any household employment taxes on wages you paid to a household employee.
9. You are not a debtor in a chapter 11 bankruptcy case filed after October 16, 2005.
10. Advance payments of the premium tax credit were not made for you, your spouse, or any individual you enrolled in coverage for whom no one else is claiming the personal exemption.

Senator Warren’s proposal appears to check the same boxes as IRS 1040EZ (or at least her proposal for post 2018).  So why would we need another tax return preparation method that would mirror IRS 1040EZ.  Also why would need to spend more money and appropriations for developing a system to mirror the filing of an existing IRS Form, when only about 16% of the filing population could benefit from this “simplified plan”?

Year	Total # of Returns Filed	Total 1040EZ Filed	Percentage
2014	148,686,586	23,259,850	16%
2013	147,735,801	23,463,055	16%
2012	144,948,385	23,115,401	16%
2011	145,579,530	22,643,149	16%
2010	142,856,282	18,007,553	13%

Shouldn’t we spend the money it would take the IRS to develop this new proposed system in closing the “Tax Gap” ?

Happy Tax Filing Day!

If you have specific and credible evidence of taxpayers failing to file their tax returns and/or paying their tax liabilities in excess of $2,000,000 of taxes, interest and penalties you should consider filing an IRS tax whistleblower claim.  Contact us to assist you in filing your tax whistleblower claim to receive an award of between 15-30% of the amounts collected by the IRS on tax liabilities in excess of $2,000,000.