Results tagged “taxes”

If there's one thing that American politics has hammered into my brain, it's that the people hate tax increases. So when the Post hit the streets to talk to Washingtonians about the tax hikes proposed by the Council last week, there was probably mass carnage, eh? Suffice it to say that reporter Martin Ricard could have left the body armor at the office -- the only thing that would have overcome him was the massive indifference. In Ricard's sample: smokers, who will just buy cigarettes in Virginia; some guy who drives for a living, and will only be able to make five side trips a year instead of seven due to the gas tax increase; and transient interns, who can hardly be bothered about the District's fragile financial state. There are people out there who are deeply concerned about the measures the Council have taken to fix the large budget gap -- but if we take this report as at all indicative of public opinion (admittedly, somewhat of a stretch), it's quite possible that most people out there just don't care that much.

Do you have enough reusable bags? Mayor Adrian Fenty signed into law today the bill that will establish a 5 cent fee charged to consumers for every disposable plastic or paper bag they take from a retailer. The mayor's action means the 5 cent fee will go into effect in January (unless of course Congress intervenes, but we kinda doubt that'll happen on this one). Four out of every five cents charged will then go into the newly established Anacostia River Cleanup and Protection Fund (with the remaining cent for the retailer, for their trouble).

Before getting started on crime bill debate, the D.C. Council went ahead and passed the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act on a second reading earlier today, sending the legislation to Mayor Fenty for his signature. The first vote took place just two weeks ago; both votes were unanimous. The key feature of the law is a new 5 cent fee on consumers per paper or plastic carryout bag taken from District retailers. If all goes according to plan, and there's no reason at this point to think it won't, the five cent fees would be in place by January, 2010, so you've got roughly six months to get used to carrying around your own reusable bags.

The United Nations must be a fan of the D.C. Council's intention to impose a 5 cent fee on consumers for every disposable bag -- the international body's environmental chief this week called for a worldwide ban on single-use plastic bags. Via McClatchy:

"Single use plastic bags which choke marine life, should be banned or phased out rapidly everywhere. There is simply zero justification for manufacturing them anymore, anywhere," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme. His office advises U.N. member states on environmental policies.

Continue reading "UN Calls for Global Ban on Plastic Bags"

Stock up on your canvas bags, everybody. The Washington Times has its story up already: the D.C. Council voted unanimously just a little while ago to give initial approval to the Anacostia River Clean Up and Protection Act of 2009, which among other things enacts a 5 cent fee on consumers per paper or plastic carryout bag taken from District retailers - retailers get to keep one cent of the fee, with the other four cents going toward Anacostia River cleanup. The bill also bans the use of non-recyclable disposable plastic carryout bags by retailers.

But it's still a pretty impressive figure, nonetheless: Councilman Kwame Brown's office sent out a press release earlier this week noting that District residents, as of Taxday Eve on April 14, had fronted a total of $1,013,552,816.98 to the Feds so far in 2009. Of course, this figure has likely increased by, oh, a friggin' ton after the official deadline passed on Wednesday.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson has yet to rule on anything, but most of the reporters in the courtroom are already making the call that Mayor for Life (and Ward 8 D.C. Council member) Marion Barry won't be sentenced to a single minute of jail time. Tom Sherwood and Jim Iovino at nbcwashington.com declared it to be so hours ago, and the City Paper's Mike DeBonis has since reported that federal prosecutors have actually dropped their request to revoke Barry's probation and send him to jail.

The Examiner's Michael Neibauer brings bad news for fans of delicious, fried catfish. Christopher Dinwiddie, the owner of popular Edgewood carryout Catfish Fridays, was arrested today on charges of operating without a license and failing to pay more than $175,000 in sales taxes.

A trickle seems to have turned into a small flood as another member of Congress has been found be exploiting a tax break meant for District residents who own a home. The Hill is reporting that Rep. John Fleming (R-La.) has tried to take advantage of the District's homestead exemption, which offers District residents a deduction on the assessed value of D.C. homes and limits annual property tax increases. Last week Roll Call picked off four other members of the House doing the same; in 2005, 22 senators were found to be enjoying the tax break too. Fleming's staff claim the tax exemption on his $825,000 Capitol Hill rowhouse is a mistake, but it has apparently already stirred up complaints back home that the freshman congressman has "gone Washington." We're still waiting to see if Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Ut.) gets busted trying to claim the exemption on what has famously become his D.C. home -- a cot in his office. Props to him if he tries.

D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry's most recent round of tax troubles went on the back burner for several weeks while he recovered from kidney transplant surgery. But now Mike DeBonis is reporting that federal prosecutors have filed additional court documents they say show that Barry hasn’t made any back tax payments to the District government, which he is required to do as part of his probation, since last July. "In total, according to a IRS affidavit, Barry owed the feds $277,688 in back taxes, penalties, and interest as of Jan. 8," writes DeBonis. Prosecutors are once again asking that Barry be jailed for violating the terms of his probation. A hearing is set for April 2.

Much as Karl Rove and 22 senators did a few years back, it seems that some members of Congress living in the District are taking advantage of a homeowners tax break meant only for D.C. residents. Roll Call is reporting (subscription required) that four members of the House of Representatives have been taking advantage of the District's homestead exemption, which allows residents to deduct $67,500 on the assessed value of their home, resulting in 2009 savings of $573.75. So what's the big deal? They own homes in D.C., right? Sure, but as members of Congress their primary residence remains in their home state, not in the District. This year's offenders include Rep. Tom Petri (R-Wis.), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.). Rogers is off the hook, though, as the D.C. Office and Tax and Revenue has admitted that he never requested the exemption. Petri, who is listed as one of Congress' 50 richest members, has tried to weasel out of responsibility for claiming the exemption, stating that his wife does all the bookkeeping and has a D.C. drivers license. The problem? She's still registered to vote in Wisconsin. Oops. King comes out looking worst of the bunch -- not only is he seemingly cheating on his taxes, but he also helped stall the recent D.C. voting rights bill. Tsk tsk.

WJLA picked up the story that Renew Shaw first reported last week: DCRA now confirms that a handful of controversial, long-vacant properties owned by the trustees of Shiloh Baptist Church in Shaw were improperly reclassified as no longer vacant, thus allowing the church to avoid paying additional nuisance property taxes. WJLA cites an official who estimates that the city lost out on $100,000 in revenue due to the error.

The AP's Brett Zongker is reporting that former D.C. mayor and Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry has been admitted to Howard University Hospital in preparation for a kidney transplant.

Hospital spokesman Ron Harris says 72-year-old Barry was at the hospital Thursday for a surgery scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday. Harris says the six-hour procedure has a 95 percent success rate.

WUSA9 reports that D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) filed his 2007 tax returns. Barry's 2007 state return was hand-delivered to the D.C. Tax office late Friday, and his federal return was delivered to the IRS office today. Earlier this month prosecutors asked a federal judge to jail Barry for failing once again to file a tax return, in violation of his parole. Barry has since said he failed to file because he was distracted by health problems, including an impending kidney transplant. Barry's attorneys reportedly have until Monday to tell the judge in writing why he should not have his probation revoked for failing to file on time again.

Thanks to the eagle eyes at Consumerist for spotting this kind of amazing TV spot produced by Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot. The spot aims to remind Maryland residents to E-File their tax returns this year by aping those old Bud Light "Real Men of Genius" Ads. Note the Barry White-styled voice over. Note the screechy background soul singers. Note Franchot appearing at the end as though he's proud of himself. We suppose if anything, this thing is so astoundingly silly that it'll at least get the attention of taxpayers. Has anyone actually seen this on TV, or is it special to YouTube?

NBC4 gets the first react from Marion Barry on yesterday's late breaking news that federal prosecutors will once again seek jail time for the D.C. Council member. Barry stands accused of violating his parole yet again by failing to file a tax return for the year 2007. In typical Barry style, the mayor for life pleads ignorance to the latest developments.

You sorta had to know this was coming. Ever since news first broke in the Washington Post on January 29 that D.C. Council member and former mayor Marion Barry had failed to file his taxes for the 11 millionth time, our collective Spidey Sense told us that those same federal prosecutors who were pushing for jail time for Barry for violating his parole in 2007 would be back. Now the Post is reporting that prosecutors are once again seeking to imprison the "mayor for life."

Although it often comes second or third in the news listings of current major world crises, the global food crisis has had profound effects on the way that we eat. The nation's corn crop has been diverted from livestock feed (and human food) toward ethanol production. Wheat from the nation's breadbasket — an important symbol for America, and once a source of food for the entire world — has been largely replaced by soy bound for China, forcing production costs for simple staples to soar.

When news broke last week that the Lerner family was witholding rent payments on the new baseball stadium because they claimed it wasn't fully complete, many residents were predictably peeved. But today the Post is reporting that the D.C. Council may take a step that will similarly annoy everyone else who attends Nats games -- they might raise taxes on tickets and concessions to cover the rent shortfall.

Cigarette taxes are popular with voters, so it's no surprise, as we've mentioned earlier, that the D.C. Council voted Tuesday to include an additional $1 per-pack cigarette tax in the 2009 budget as a means of making up a predicted shortfall.

The Examiner reports on a new bill before the D.C. Council that would levy a $25 per month tax on all private employee parking spaces. The legislation is the brainchild of Ward 1 Council member Jim Graham and At-large member Phil Mendelson, and is designed to discourage employees from driving in to work even though they have access to a parking space at their office.

We know. After the D.C. quarter debacle, we're getting the message -- voting rights is just too controversial an issue for the American public.

Apparently Starbucks wasn’t the only coffee shop closed yesterday. According to a post on Murky Coffee's website, their Capitol Hill location was shuttered on Tuesday by the D.C. government.

We've had a hiccup with the DC Government, and were shut-down for a couple of non-compliance issues. We're in communication with them, and expect to be back up-and-running in a couple of days.

Remember those billboards that popped up in the 1980s that counted up the national debt, dollar by dollar? Pretty scary, huh? Well, District voting rights activists want something similar for their cause. Today the D.C. Council held a hearing on legislation that would allow the city to place two large LED billboards -- one outside the John A. Wilson Building and the other outside the new Washington Nationals stadium -- that would display the amount...

Sure, it's December and we're all preoccupied with holiday cheer and making plans for that one New Year's party that will finally be worth the all the hype. But even though they've suffered some setbacks this year, D.C. voting rights activists are pushing the cause through the holiday season. On Thursday, December 6, the D.C. Council will hold a hearing to consider legislation that would place large electronic billboards outside the John A. Wilson Building...

Channel 9 reporter Bruce Johnson has broken the story on the dust-up at the Washington Post this past week. Classical music critic Tim Page, winner of a Pulitzer prize, has long been one of the best writers in the Style section, making the paper's shrinking coverage of classical music all the more shameful. In response to a mass email from the staff of Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry, which was sent to Page apparently...

Via Wonkette, we get this mind-blowingly angry letter to Examiner columnist Harry Jaffe (text doc) from Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry's chief of staff, Keith Andrew Perry. As you'll recall, Jaffe published a column last week wondering why Barry couldn't have used a rather expensive collection of watches and cuff links, which were recently stolen from his home, to pay some of his tax burden in the years when he was known not to...

Good morning, Washington. Remember that recent weird burglary at Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry's house -- the one that Barry seemingly didn't want investigated in favor of telling the police they had more important things to do? Well, Harry Jaffe got hold of the police report, and it turns out Barry may have had good reason not to want it looked at it too closely. Apparently the former mayor had a large collection of...