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According to This Maryland Group, Rich People Don’t Like Taxes

Posted on by Adrienne Gonzalez

Self-described non-partisan group Change Maryland is convinced the 31,000 individuals who left Maryland from 2007 to 2010 did so due to the state's increasingly burdensome tax rates. Surely it has nothing to do with Pepco's unreliable service, bad traffic, swampy summers, sandy crabs, the proliferation of Natty Boh or any other number of annoyances that might make a person flee the state.

According to the most recent IRS data, tax bases in Montgomery and Prince George's counties shrank by .07 percent and .27 percent, respectively from 2009 – 2010. A Change Maryland report says Maryland lost $1.7 billion of its tax base from 2007 – 2010 as a direct result of the tax-averse exodus.

"In 2007, Maryland passed some of the largest tax increases in history, and I believe a lot of the exodus of taxpayers out of the state has to do with the tax burden," said Larry Hogan, founder of Change Maryland and a former member of Republican governor Bob Ehrlich's administration.

The study says 40% of Maryland's fleeing taxpayers set up camp in Virginia, taking $390 million in taxes with them. The only states who lost more people during the same three year period were New York, California, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey.

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has, naturally, come out with a retort, first off calling Change Maryland a "a GOP-led, partisan organization" and second getting really personal, calling Larry Hogan a "a former Ehrlich appointee, failed congressional candidate and failed would-be candidate for Governor." Ouch.

O'Malley claims Maryland has the highest percentage of millionaire households in the United States and says Marylanders have the 3rd lowest state and local tax burden adjusting for income, ahead of only South Dakota and New Hampshire according to the non-partisan Federal Funds Information for States. If that weren't enough to make his point, his office also reminds everyone that when you factor in all of Maryland’s sales tax exemptions, Marylanders pay the 9th lowest adjusted state and local sales taxes in the nation (including adjustments for zero local sales taxes and exemptions on services, gasoline, groceries and more). But wait, there's more! O'Malley's helpful response to Change Maryland's claims goes on to share a 2011 EY report that found Maryland to have the 12th lowest tax burden on new investments and that Maryland businesses pay the 2nd lowest combined state and local taxes as a share of total state and local tax revenue (only Connecticut is lower).

Conclusion? Maybe rich people just don't like the Ravens and obnoxious War of 1812 license plates.

 

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IRS Unit Fully Intends to Make Rich People’s Audit Experience as Unpleasant as Possible

As you my have heard, being mega-rich these days has its disadvantages, including but not limited to – 1) governments getting overly reliant on the wealthy pitching in with revenues; 2) people giving you a hard time when you buy new toys; 3) your own kind selling you out.

Because times are tough and elected officials are having difficulty convincing anyone that higher taxes for the middle class are a good idea, the affluent are having the unfortunate luck to experience the rigor of the Global High Wealth Industry Group – a new unit within the IRS designed to perform the financial equivalent of a full rectal exam:

The reviews performed so far have been particularly harsh, say attorneys. Investors are being asked to turn over numerous hard-to-get documents in short order. These are “the audits from hell that your grandfather warned you about,” says Charles P. Rettig, a partner at Hochman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher & Perez in Beverly Hills, Calif.

And don’t think for a second that the Service is putting scrubs on these assignments. Extra-special auditees deserve extra-special auditors:

Miriam L. Fisher, a tax attorney and partner at law firm Morgan Lewis in Washington, says the audit teams comprise “A-list examiners” drawn from around the country who are knowledgeable and experienced with various financial products and industries. The audits are so intensive that each team is handling only a few right now and they aren’t far along in the process, she says.

IRS spokeswoman Michelle Eldridge says the group is looking at “individuals who have a complex set of situations, and looking at the complete financial set up.” She acknowledged that “these cases are full audits.”

Although you would never expect an IRS audit to be as delightful as, say, your average weekend in the Hamptons but haven’t rich people suffered enough? The least the IRS examiners could do is bring something from Maison du Chocolat to bring the tension down a notch.

[via TaxProf]

CORRECTION: The AICPA Will Now Answer Your Last Minute Tax Questions

Correction: We regret to inform readers that no such assistance actually exists, the following is only meant for tax-stumped reporters who need help figuring out tricky tax rules.

Have no fear, little taxpayer, the AICPA is here to help you out if you’re stumped as to how to add up items H, K, L minus M x .412.

This year’s April 18 tax filing deadline is 13 days away, but approximately 59 million taxpayers still have to file their returns, the Internal Revenue Service said on April 4. These taxpayers are still collecting records, wrestling with forms and struggling to get answers to their last minute tax questions.

Edward Karl, vice president of taxation for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and other members of the AICPA tax staff are available to answer questions for end of tax filing season stories about credits, deductions, errors to avoid, what to do if you can’t pay the taxes you owe and what to consider if you need to file for an extension. Taxpayers should be sure to remember that their tax bill is due and must be paid on April 18, even if they file an extension; otherwise penalty and interest fees apply.

The IRS said about 58 percent of the approximately 141 million returns it expects to be filed this year have been filed. About 20 to 25 percent of returns are filed in the last two weeks and about 7 percent of taxpayers will file for an extension. The IRS’s numbers are based on filing statistics as of March 25.

If you are a taxpayer who needs helpyou’re more of the self-service type and prefer interacting with a website over an actual human being, check out the AICPA’s 360 Degrees of Taxes for tax tips and suggestions. We found the Help! I can’t pay my tax bill article to be especially helpful for those who are in the delicate position of owing a bunch of money to the IRS but not actually having any to pay the piper. While the suggestion to take out a loan or borrow from family to pay a due tax bill seems offensive at first, it’s reasonable given that a bank loan will probably carry a smaller interest rate than fees and penalties associated with not paying the IRS promptly.

Vastly Unpopular 1099 Requirement Survives Thanks to the Reliable Dysfunction of the U.S. Senate

Everyone’s favorite Two Minutes’ Hate from the healthcare reform legislation – the 1099 reporting requirement – managed to live to fight another day despite being as unpopular as the Democrats who originally got behind it (although don’t look at Nancy Pelosi).


As is the wont of Senate, this sliver of bipartisanship was foiled by…wait for it…politics:

The provision survived because of the complex politics of the Senate. Some lawmakers were reluctant to back repeal on Monday since the rule change would have been added to a popular food-safety law that is nearing approval, potentially jeopardizing its passage. In addition, dueling Democratic and Republican proposals allowed lawmakers to register their disapproval of the 1099 requirement whether the repeal passed or not.

In other words, everyone agrees that they hate this thing but they hate it in different ways. You see, it’s not enough to be against the 1099 requirement, it matters who gets the credit for being against so much that they actual introduced the proposal to do away with it.

Sigh. But it’s cool, the rule doesn’t actually go into effect until 2012, so blowing it off for another 12 months is totally an option. And a pretty realistic one, too.

Senators Cannot Agree on Fix to the Health Law [NYT via CPA Success]