Citizens Against Government Waste America's #1 Taxpayer Watchdog

On Tuesday, November 6, South Dakota voters will decide whether to approve Initiated Measure 25 (IM 25).  This measure would increase taxes on cigarettes by $1 per pack and increase the wholesale tax on tobacco products from 35 to 55 percent.  The revenue, it is claimed, will be devoted to the state’s four technical schools.  These institutes’ mission is to offer “associate degree, certificate, and diploma programs in the state’s high-need career fields.”

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), the tax bill passed in Congress last year, represents the most substantial change to the nation’s tax code in a generation. This change has greatly benefited the U.S. economy as American businesses have become more competitive globally while American workers have seen an increase in their wages.

When Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico and other places in the fall of 2017, Americans of all types raced to help.  Utility companies were among the first to provide aid, as restoring the island’s power grid was a monumental task. 

As is customary for natural disasters, the federal government, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), will reimburse utilities for their work to restore service quickly to affected areas—work that does not earn them a profit. 

Montanans will decide the fate of Initiative 185 when they vote this November.  The ballot measure is needed, proponents say, because it will finally accomplish the most noble, yet elusive, of goals: reducing smoking and raising revenue for the expansion of Medicaid in Montana, so that thousands more can realize the benefits of healthcare.  It would raise the cigarette tax by $2 per pack; raise taxes on moist snuff by the greater of 83 percent of the wholesale price or $3.70 per 1.2 ounces; and raise taxes by 33 percent on vaping products.  The proceeds, it is claimed, would fund Medicaid e

The National Emergency Number Association estimates that 240 million 9-1-1 calls are made each year, with more than 80 percent of those calls originating from wireless devices in some areas of the country.  The 9-1-1 emergency systems, including fire and rescue operations, are funded, in part, through fees imposed on consumer telephone bills.  Unfortunately, over the years, numerous states have been raiding these funds for other purposes, including closing budget gaps and bolstering their rainy day funds.

In the spring of 2018, New Jersey’s new governor and leaders in the legislature were arguing about which state taxes to raise.  Governor Phil Murphy had pledged to soak the wealthy with a state individual income tax of 10.75 percent on all income more than $1 million, but powerful State Senate President Steve Sweeney preferred a tax increase on corporate income.

Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the risk online activities pose to privacy and data security following the Equifax data breach and Cambridge Analytica’s use of social media sites to collect information about potential voters.  It is understandable that consumers are concerned about how private companies protect their information; what should be of greater concern is whether the federal governmen