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2010’s expiring tax cuts likely to be dealt with by a lameduck Congress

July 2, 2010


Giant sausage The old saying about not wanting to see how the sausage is made applies perfectly to our federal legislative system. Whether you love the eventual outcome or find the resulting laws completely unpalatable, the process tends to be nauseating.

Well now there's word that Capitol Hill is going to shut down its legislative sausage factory, at least when it comes to some critical taxes.

Democratic leaders are likely to punt on taxes, reports Alexander Bolton in The Hill
newspaper, thereby p
ushing the task of renewing Dubya's sunsetting tax cuts until after November's midterm elections.

That will mean voters won't have a clear idea of their future tax rates when they go to the polls.

This will really help with the anti-incumbent sentiment. Not!

Does this mean that the tax extenders that many individuals and their tax advisers are wondering about will be pushed to the brink,
too? And let's not even get into the morass that is the now-nonexistent federal estate tax.

Remember: Not making a decision is a decision.

And putting off decisions until the very last minute (a la the homebuyer extension) often make for very bad laws.

I understand there's recalcitrance from the GOP, but really, folks. This is starting to get beyond the absurd.

To borrow a phrase, can't we all just get along and act like adults and professionals? 

What ever happened to doing what is best for the country, not just what benefits a political party?

It's so sad that apparently there are no longer any statesmen or women in Washington, D.C.

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TO WRAP UP 2026

It’s over! With October’s extended filing deadline behind us, it is now time to focus on year-end moves to reduce your 2026 tax bill. 

You’ll find ways to do just that on the Tax Tips page (see the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of the blog), as well as the separate tax tip pages for each month, notably October through December. If you’re on the Tax Tips page, you’ll find a monthly list at the end of this column. If you’re on another blog page, you can head straight to the October tips; at the bottom of that tips page you’ll find links to all the other 11 months’ collections of tax advice.

Not to spoil what you’ll find in that tax advice, but it does cover such things as tax deductions for charitable donations, investment moves that could reduce tax due, and ways to max out your tax-favored retirement savings. 

Finally, as the year winds down, things get hectic. There are lots of other things to occupy our time, like the much more fun upcoming holidays. But don’t lose sight of taxes, since timing is key. To be of use, most tax moves must be made by the end of the tax year. That’s Thursday, Dec. 31, which also is the last business day of the year. 

So that you don’t miss that final tax year deadline, also keep an eye on the countdown clock below. It will keep you on top of just how much time is left to make important, tax-saving moves. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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