It is impossible to turn on the cable news or the radio in San Francisco, or go online without reading, seeing or hearing about the fiscal cliff. There are just two weeks planned for Congress to be in session and the future is still murky.
Churches need not fear an IRS audit because they are nonexistent
True or false: nothing is certain in life other than death and taxes. Apparently the answer may be false for churches, synagogues and other religious institutions in San Francisco and across America. It may be false because the Internal Revenue Service has not been auditing religious institutions since 2009.
Bye-bye DOMA, hello refund for same-sex couples?
One of the reasons that same-sex marriage has been passed in other states in addition to California, is because of the preferential tax and legal status granted to married couples. One problem however is that the Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA, puts the federal government in conflict with the state government. Many of the states' marijuana laws do the same thing.
Update: Post-election California tax law changes
The taxes paid by those of us in California are a conglomeration owed to the state and federal government plus local municipalities. Those who follow the old saying that there is nothing so sure as death and taxes, may not have looked at the last California ballot with its multiple propositions.
State Franchise Tax Board zeroing in on back taxes
Those in the Bay Area who have been following our column understand that one of the main tasks of the Internal Revenue Service of late has been to collect uncollected taxes. The IRS has been using a carrot and stick approach to fill their coffers with the money owed.
