So by all now we have seen this admittedly funny DNC ad on Romney’s tax plan. But what do we actually know about the candidates’ tax plans? And how are they going to impact your wallet? The answers to these questions AND many more in “Obama vs. Romney on Taxes,” a wonderfully detailed breakdown by our tax experts.)
Finance Debate Bingo. BRILLIANT. Thanks, Yahoo!
The U.S. suffers from staggering economic inequality — as staggering, in some places, as Nigeria, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. Richard Florida ran the numbers and compared cities in the U.S. to highly unequal foreign countries. That colorful map might look pretty, but its implications for U.S. income inequality are not.
If Congress fails to extend the payroll tax holiday, you’ll see the difference in your paycheck. It’s scheduled to expire December 31, and neither President Obama nor Governor Romney seem interested in extending it. You can calculate your exact (welp!) losses here.
Are you better or worse off now than you were four years ago?
You can compare yourself against other Americans by taking our quiz!
People save less now than they did four years ago — and way less than they did in 1982, when saving hit a record high. What’s up with that, America?! You can tell us in this handy poll and read more about indicators here.
How Many of These 21 Government Programs Have You Benefited From?
According to 2008 data from the Cornell Survey Research Institute reported Monday in a Times opinion piece, 96 percent of Americans — not 47 percent — have taken part in at least one of these government programs:
- Head Start
- Social Security Disability
- Social Security Retirement and Survivors Benefits
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Welfare (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or T.A.N.F.)
- G.I. Bill
- Veterans’ benefits
- Pell Grants
- Unemployment Insurance
- Food Stamps
- Government Subsidized Housing
- Home Mortgage Interest Deduction
- Hope and Lifetime Learning Tax Credits
- Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit
- 529 accounts (qualified tuition programs) or Coverdell education savings account (Education I.R.A.’s)
- Earned-income tax credit
- Employer subsidized health insurance
- Employer subsidized retirement benefits
- Federal student loans
Student loans! Mortgage interest deduction! We are the 96%.
