WASHINGTON, March 28 (Reuters) – If the U.S. Supreme Court
strikes down a federal law defining marriage as between a man
and woman, the newfound rights for gay married couples may bear
something not so welcome – a bigger tax burden.

That’s because with equality, gay couples will face the same
tax woes of many heterosexual couples with similar incomes,
including the tax hit known in America as the marriage penalty.

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) – The tax reform tempo is
picking up in the U.S. Congress, with lawmakers meeting, task
forces floating proposals and lobbyists scurrying to get in on
the action – a small piece of which recently took place in an
historic Capitol Hill meeting room.

There, officials from Exxon Mobil Corp, the world’s
largest publicly traded oil company, and refiner Tesoro Corp
met on March 14 for almost three hours with
Representative Kevin Brady, a Texas Republican, as well as with
Representative Mike Thompson, a California Democrat, and others.

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate
overwhelmingly passed a largely symbolic resolution calling for
repeal of a 2.3 percent tax on medical device companies on
Thursday, as more than 30 Democrats joined Republicans in
approving it.

The tax helps to fund President Barack Obama’s 2010
healthcare law. It applies to a range of medical products – from
bedpans to expensive heart devices – many manufactured in the
home states of the senators backing the repeal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Opponents of a 2.3 percent tax on medical device companies will likely win passage this week in the Senate of a largely symbolic resolution calling for repeal of the tax, with some Democrats likely to join all Republicans.

The tax helps to fund President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law. It applies to a range of medical products – from bedpans to expensive heart devices – many manufactured in the home states of the senators backing the repeal.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A list of tentative tax reform options was floated on Thursday in the U.S. Senate, including repealing the alternative minimum tax and requiring insurers to report more financial data, along with a range of modest administrative improvements.

Focused largely on making the Internal Revenue Service and the tax system generally more efficient, the nine-page list was being circulated among lobbyists and members of the tax-writing Senate Finance Committee. It was obtained by Reuters.

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Reuters) – A list of tentative tax
reform options was floated on Thursday in the U.S. Senate,
including repealing the alternative minimum tax and requiring
insurers to report more financial data, along with a range of
modest administrative improvements.

Focused largely on making the Internal Revenue Service and
the tax system generally more efficient, the nine-page list was
being circulated among lobbyists and members of the tax-writing
Senate Finance Committee. It was obtained by Reuters.

WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) – The Republican chief of a
congressional panel looking to rewrite the U.S. tax code
suggested on Tuesday that a federal tax deduction claimed by
individuals for state and local taxes paid is encouraging some
states to keep their taxes high.

Dave Camp, chairman of the House of Representatives Ways and
Means Committee, spoke at a hearing focused on the merits of the
state and local tax deduction, as well as the tax exemption for
municipal bond interest income.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A congressional panel on Tuesday will delve into two major tax breaks – one for state and local tax payments, and one for municipal bond interest. Both highlight the painful choices lawmakers face as they seek to clean up the tax code.

No decisions are expected from the hearing, and the tax breaks likely are not in any imminent danger with lawmakers still deeply divided over fiscal policy. But talk of tax reform has intensified in recent weeks on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Republican tax writer in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday proposed shaking up taxation of privately held businesses in ways that would tighten rules on partnerships, such as private equity and hedge funds.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp laid out two options – one incremental; one more drastic – to revamp non-corporate business taxation, with the aim of reducing tax gaming and simplifying filing for hundreds of thousands of businesses.

WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) – The top Republican tax
writer in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday proposed
shaking up taxation of privately held businesses in ways that
would tighten rules on partnerships, such as private equity and
hedge funds.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp laid out
two options – one incremental; one more drastic – to revamp
non-corporate business taxation, with the aim of reducing tax
gaming and simplifying filing for hundreds of thousands of
businesses.