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Supporting Main Street Startups

Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL) has reintroduced the American Innovation Act (H.R. 1778), which seeks to modernize and expand the tax treatment of start-up costs for new businesses.

Under current law, entrepreneurs can deduct just $5,000 in start-up expenses in their first year of operation, with the benefit phasing out once expenses exceed $50,000. The Buchanan bill would increase that deduction to $20,000 and raise the phase-out threshold to $120,000. It also clarifies eligibility for partnerships and S corporations, ensuring the vast majority of new businesses structured as pass-throughs can fully benefit.

As S Corporation Association President Brian Reardon noted:

Nearly

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2026-02-26T16:39:20+00:00February 26, 2026|

The More Tariffs Change, the More They Stay the Same

Tariffs are a little outside our wheelhouse, but last week’s Supreme Court decision striking down the IEEPA tariffs has broader implications for the tax policy landscape. Here are some thoughts.

First, as we noted the last time tariffs were on the front page, striking down the IEEPA tariffs doesn’t really change the landscape for the next few years. As Bruce Mehlman posted over the weekend, the President has many options when it comes to tariffs, and has made clear he plans to use them:

Second, the decision is unlikely to affect

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2026-02-23T22:37:06+00:00February 23, 2026|

Talking Taxes in a Truck Episode 47: Jared Walczak on the Wealth Tax Proposal That’s Forcing Californians to Flee

On the latest episode of Talking Taxes in a Truck, we’re joined by Jared Walczak, Senior Fellow at the Tax Foundation, to unpack California’s proposed wealth tax and what it signals for state tax policy nationwide. Walczak explains why the unprecedented 5 percent tax – particularly its aggressive valuation rules for founders with super-voting shares – could dramatically overtax entrepreneurs, invite serious legal challenges, and accelerate capital and job flight. Jared also zooms out to talk national migration patterns, as many states move to cut taxes and boost competitiveness while a small number double down on higher taxes, intensifying interstate

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2026-01-30T18:36:38+00:00January 30, 2026|

Tax Cuts Don’t Sell Themselves (But Big Refunds Help)

As tax season progresses, supporters of the Working Families Tax Relief Act are highlighting the provisions that made it possible.

That’s good news because tax cuts don’t sell themselves. As our friend David Winston pointed out in a recent op-ed, convincing Americans they benefited from tax legislation is often harder than passing it in the first place. Absent a concerted effort, the big refunds that are set to hit bank accounts in the months ahead won’t be connected back to the tax bill passed last summer.

Just to be clear – there’s lots to sell.  Tax filing season is officially

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2026-01-28T17:17:16+00:00January 28, 2026|

Wage Taxes are Destructive – Let’s Ditch Them

Last week’s circuit court decision on the meaning of “limited partner” has broad implications for S corporations in the coming tax battles. As noted in the court’s ruling:

This case turns on the meaning of “limited partner” in 26 U.S.C. § 1402(a)(13). The Tax Court interpreted “limited partner” to refer only to passive investors in a limited partnership. It therefore upheld the IRS’s upward adjustment of Sirius Solutions’s net earnings from self-employment. We disagree. A “limited partner” is a partner in a limited partnership that has limited liability. So we vacate and remand.

The court further noted:

So, to review, the pass-through

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2026-01-22T14:46:15+00:00January 22, 2026|