tax

Newsom: 'Green' tech promises not good enough

San Francisco may have shaken some flowers from its hair since hosting the first Earth Day 38 years ago, but the city continues to be named one of America's greenest. Satirists mock its politically correct "smug cloud" of eco-hipness, but many other regions tend to follow the city's environmental lead. For instance, more than a handful of U.S. cities are now mulling a ban on plastic grocery bags, first passed in San Francisco last March.

Fresh into his second term, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson in January set goals for the city to become carbon-neutral … Read more

Renewable-energy pros plead president, Congress for tax credit

Heavy hitters in the renewable-energy business have scheduled a press conference on Tuesday to publicly lobby for long-sought policies, arguing that the industry and U.S. competitiveness are at risk.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) organized the press conference, which will include well-known energy investors and business people from General Electric, Credit Suisse, Google, and clean-tech venture capital firm Nth Power. It will be held at the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC), which is hosted by the U.S. government.

The renewable-energy industry has been thwarted at least two times in efforts to renew an existing federal … Read more

Satellite lobbying push could mean higher cable bills

WASHINGTON--In a political gambit that could lead to higher fees for cable providers and their subscribers, the satellite television industry urged politicians on Thursday to enact a federal law prohibiting "discriminatory" taxes.

DirecTV and Dish Network executives argue that the federal legislation is needed because six states--Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Utah--have enacted laws in recent years that impose steeper taxes on satellite subscribers than on cable subscribers. They claim that those laws are a direct result of cable industry lobbying in an effort to make their prices more competitive with those charged by satellite operators. … Read more

Economic stimulus package leaves solar industry in the cold

An economic stimulus plan passed the Senate on Thursday without extending an important tax credit for the solar and wind industries.

Renewable energy companies and advocates were bitterly disappointed late last year with the passage of the Energy Act, which did not extend an investment tax credit. It would have been funded by repealing an existing tax break to oil companies.

Right now, renewable energy projects receive a federal tax credit once they are completed, but that provision runs out at the end of 2008.

On Thursday, the Senate again left out the tax credit extension, which solar and wind … Read more

Get TaxCut Basic 2007 for a buck at Dollar Tree

My Cheapskate-in-law Charles reports that Dollar Tree has H&R Block TaxCut Basic 2007 for... drum roll... a dollar! You'll have to visit an actual brick-and-mortar to get this deal (click here for Dollar Tree's store locator), but it's worth the drive if you've got a store nearby: The download version costs $14.95.

This version of TaxCut is best for folks with, well, basic tax-prep needs. Note that the program covers only your Federal return; the State edition will run you another $29.95.

Where sensitivity is our middle name.

EPISODE 21 Digg users revolt, EA strikes back, Lost alternate reality game and a $600 rebate for your taxes... plus win some expensive headphones for listening.

Supreme Court rejects cell-phone tax case

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to weigh a dispute that could affect how taxes show up on Americans' cell phone bills, dealing a setback to wireless companies.

The case at hand, which pitted Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA against state utility regulators, centers on whether states should be allowed to forbid wireless carriers from breaking out various state and local taxes as line-item fees on a customer's bill.

Sounds like a simple enough matter, but it has actually stirred up quite a fuss.

The wireless companies, naturally, maintain they should be able to establish a visible separation … Read more

An early peek at tax apps: TurboTax and TaxCut

Although taxes aren't due until April, many people like to get an early start in step with the new year. Services from the two most popular digital tax-prep brands are available to try or buy, although state forms won't trickle in until mid-January.

As e-filing and online tax preparation become more popular, boxed applications and their Web-based counterparts offer most of the same tools and interface elements. As a rule of thumb, online products are ideal for one filer, while installed software can handle a bigger household. Although there are no revolutionary changes to TurboTax and TaxCut from … Read more

Climate legislation: Who gains? Who loses?

Most Americans now agree that something needs to be done to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Hopefully most Americans now appreciate that this is not a small, but even more so, not a simple problem. I am a big believer that the playing field for our low carbon future should start level, and the market should be structured to allow our major power and energy companies a chance to lead the way, instead of simply dishing out punishment for our combined historical choices. Carrots and sticks work well together, but sticks alone are not going to solve our global carbon … Read more