Apparently leaving your house costs $100 now.
Go to the grocery store? $100. Fill up the car and grab a few things on the way home? There goes another $100. Try to buy an actual house? Maybe don&#8217;t look at Zillow unless you&#8217;re emotionally prepared.
Americans don&#8217;t need another politician to tell them things are expensive. They have receipts.
But a new report from the Plymouth Institute for Free Enterprise at Advancing American Freedom (AAF) says there are ways to make life cheaper and, shockingly, none of them involve another trillion-dollar government spending package.
The report, “<a href="https://advancingamericanfreedom.com/memos/10-ways-to-improve-affordability-now">10 Ways to Improve Affordability Now</a>,” calls affordability the “#1 issue facing the American people” and has a pretty simple solution: Get government out of the way.
“The Left’s solution is redistribution — taking money from some to subsidize others,” the report says. “AAF’s solution is unleashing Americans by removing legal barriers to prosperity at every level of the economy.”
Translation: Stop trying to spend your way out of problems government helped create.
First up? Energy.
AAF wants America drilling by expanding oil and gas access, guaranteeing recurring federal lease sales offshore and in Alaska, and fighting state-level fracking bans.
Then there&#8217;s housing.
If you&#8217;ve looked at home prices lately and wondered whether your starter home is supposed to come with a starter trust fund, AAF has an idea: Build more of them.
The group wants to cut zoning red tape, make it easier to get certain projects approved, and tie federal housing aid to states actually doing something about restrictive zoning.
More houses. More supply. Hopefully, lower prices.
The report also wants Washington to stop making life harder for franchise owners and small businesses and make it easier for companies to invest in new factories and development.
And then there&#8217;s AI.
States are already fighting over massive new data centers and the energy needed to power them. AAF&#8217;s answer isn&#8217;t another government program. It&#8217;s fewer roadblocks. The group wants states to reject data-center moratoriums and loosen up energy markets so America can actually power the AI boom.
Not every recommendation is going to get automatic applause from conservatives though.
You know, tariffs.
AAF wants Congress to take that power back from the president, arguing that requiring lawmakers to approve tariffs would give businesses and consumers more predictable prices.
And then there&#8217;s Social Security.
The report warns that if Washington keeps kicking the can down the road, Americans could eventually be looking at an extra 5% payroll tax or a 22% benefit cut for every retiree.
AAF says start fixing it now instead of waiting until there are no good options left.
The group also wants to close a welfare loophole it says could save more than $100 billion through 2035, keep the government from capping credit card interest rates, and get rid of regulations that push Americans toward electric vehicles they may not even want.
Taken together, the 10 recommendations amount to a very different approach to the affordability problem than simply spending more money to offset higher costs.
AAF&#8217;s argument is that Washington can make life more affordable by removing government barriers that it says are helping drive up costs in the first place.

Little piggy banks on ascending stacks of coins

10 Ways To Fix America’s Out-Of-Control Cost Of Living

affordability

Economy

Federal Government

grocery prices

Housing

Social Security

Taxes

Honest debate within the political Right requires the populist critics of traditional conservatism and free markets to stop hiding behind vague “common good” terminology and state in plain English what they want the government to do.
If “common good” economic policy means lower taxes and less regulation, I’m for it. If it means higher taxes and heavy regulation, I’m against it.
Unfortunately, leading populist think tankers and politicians have made it clear they want to raise taxes on American households.
Oren Cass, the founder and “Chief Economist” of American Compass, recently laid out a <a href="https://atr.org/oren-cass-calls-for-trillions-in-new-tax-increases/">$5 trillion laundry list</a> of tax increases on individuals and businesses, including a payroll tax hike on all Americans earning over $185,000.
Cass, whose organization runs the <a href="https://americancompass.org/announcing-the-common-good-economics-grant-program/">Common Good Economics</a> grant program, is an influential voice in populist circles. American Compass was <a href="https://www.commonplace.org/about">dubbed</a> “the cutting edge of populist economic and cultural thinking” by Steve Bannon. Vice President JD Vance referred to Cass as “a friend,” and a “very fascinating guy” during his recent <a href="https://podcasts.happyscribe.com/the-joe-rogan-experience/2526-jd-vance">interview</a> on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
During an appearance on the “<a href="https://ricochet.com/podcast/conservative-crossroads-with-henry-olsen/should-conservatives-raise-taxes/">Conservative Crossroads</a>” podcast released last week, Cass backed new tax increases and the reversal of key provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), President Trump’s signature legislative achievement.
Specifically, Cass called to “take the top couple of [individual] rates back up to where they were before TCJA,” and to hike “the corporate rate back up to 25 percent.”
Raising the top income tax rate to the pre-Trump level of 39.6% was Kamala Harris’s and Joe Biden’s campaign position. Cass thought they didn’t go far enough and would raise the “top couple of rates.” This is a tax hike on people who make things – the small and mid-sized businesses that file their taxes on the individual side of the tax code and employ over 60% of the nation’s workforce. This includes the manufacturers, welders, builders, metalworkers, contractors, etc., who, in 2025, wrote a <a href="https://atr.org/90-manufacturing-machinist-builders-and-contractors-groups-oppose-any-effort-to-increase-tax-rates/">letter</a> to Republican lawmakers urging them to oppose “any effort to increase income tax rates.” The Republicans listened and made the Trump individual rates permanent law.
Cass’s proposed corporate rate hike is a tax increase on American workers. The corporate income tax is how Democrats hide the ball on who pays taxes. According to the <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/labor-bears-corporate-tax/">Tax Foundation</a>, workers bear an estimated 70% of the corporate income tax in the form of lower wages. The Cass plan would also hamstring American competition with China, imposing a combined federal-state tax rate of 29%, higher than China’s conventional 25% rate and its preferred 15% corporate tax rate on companies deemed “high and new technology enterprises.”
After calling to reverse the Trump tax cuts, Cass went on to endorse Elizabeth Warren’s $800 billion financial transaction tax, a key pillar of her anti-Wall Street <a href="https://medium.com/@teamwarren/ending-the-stranglehold-of-health-care-costs-on-american-families-bf8286b13086">tax plan</a> during her failed presidential campaign.
Cass topped off his tax hike wish list by calling to uncap the Social Security payroll tax, currently capped at roughly $185,000, raising taxes on millions of taxpayers.
Alarmingly, at least one Republican Senator has already followed Cass’s advice to hike payroll taxes.
In June, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), a self-styled <a href="https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2024/02/24/ohio-senate-bernie-moreno">populist Republican</a>, joined Elizabeth Warren in a New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/opinion/moreno-warren-social-security.html">op-ed</a> announcing they would soon be introducing legislation to fully eliminate the payroll tax cap, which they themselves label a $3 trillion tax increase.
Eliminating the payroll tax cap would <a href="https://atr.org/bernie-moreno-not-sanders-joins-elizabeth-warren-to-impose-56-percent-tax-rate-on-ohio-small-businesses/">impose</a> a 56% combined top rate on small and midsize businesses in Ohio. It would shrink the U.S. economy by 1.2% and kill 1.3 million jobs.
The Moreno-Warren plan faced widespread <a href="https://atr.org/no-conservative-support-for-bernie-morenos-giant-tax-increase/">backlash</a> from conservatives, including opposition from the Heritage Foundation, Club for Growth, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and even Moreno’s fellow Republican Senator from Ohio, John Husted, who is currently running to keep his seat.
Even Hillary Clinton previously <a href="https://x.com/johnkartch/status/2069470615866896527?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2069470615866896527%7Ctwgr%5E32e32a9355a495af121e09088fabc174aa75d144%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fatr.org%2Fbernie-moreno-not-sanders-joins-elizabeth-warren-to-impose-56-percent-tax-rate-on-ohio-small-businesses%2F">opposed</a> lifting the payroll tax cap, pointing out that it would raise taxes on “police officers, firefighters and the like.” Cass, however, <a href="https://www.commonplace.org/p/cutting-bait-on-a-bad-war">endorsed</a> the Moreno payroll tax hike specifically for pushing Republicans “toward an approach that puts revenue on the table.”
Facing stiff conservative opposition, six weeks have now gone by without Moreno introducing an actual bill. Moreno might have let Cass walk him into traffic by raising taxes, but other Republicans and conservatives should learn from this mistake and stay far away.
Raising taxes is a betrayal of core conservative principles. No one on the Right should endorse the idea that the government is entitled to 50% of any dollar any American earns. You can&#8217;t slap a &#8220;common good&#8221; label on the same policies Elizabeth Warren has pushed since arriving in the Senate and call it conservative.
Across the country, Republicans are campaigning this cycle on the Trump tax cuts. At the <a href="https://atr.org/taxmap/">state level</a>, 12 Republican-run states cut income taxes last year, and 26 states have passed legislation enacting either a zero or flat income tax rate. <a href="https://thehill.com/business/5826304-americans-poll-taxes-high/">Six in 10 Americans</a> say they pay too much in taxes and only 3% say they pay too little.
It seems the “populist” Right still has some work to do selling their tax hikes to the public. They can count me out.
***
Mike Palicz is the Vice President of Federal Affairs at Americans for Tax Reform.

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The ‘Common Good’ Right Wants To Raise Taxes On The Common Man

Bernie Moreno

Common Good

DW Opinion

Elizabeth Warren

JD Vance

Oren Cass

Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA)

Communities across the country are fighting to keep data centers out. Columbia County, Georgia, is hoping one moves in so it can eliminate residential property taxes.
“The data center will produce more revenue when built and fleshed out,” Columbia County Board of Commissioners Chairman Doug Duncan said. “It’s going to take a couple of years, [but] it’ll produce more tax revenue than the homestead that comes from taxes in Columbia County. Our long-term objective with this is to eliminate the homestead tax.” 
For the owner of the county&#8217;s median-priced home, valued at roughly $305,000, that could mean saving about $2,900 a year. Renters could also benefit if landlords pass those savings on through lower rents.
 Columbia County recently purchased almost 2,000 acres near an Amazon facility for the proposed data center. Officials estimate the project could generate $400 million in tax revenue. Duncan said the figure &#8220;boggles my mind because we have $100 million in a general fund. It&#8217;s hard for me to believe it&#8217;s that much.&#8221; 
If the project is successful, Duncan said Columbia County would, to his knowledge, become the first county in the nation to eliminate residential property taxes. 
On Thursday, President Donald Trump praised communities that welcome data centers.
“You have communities that really want the data centers and, frankly, those are the smart communities,” Trump said.
Trump explained data center construction creates “tremendous numbers of jobs” with “very little actual disruption,” and added that some communities are “begging for” the facilities because of the tax revenue they generate. 
Other communities have not eliminated residential property taxes, but officials say data centers have significantly boosted local education budgets and teacher pay. 
A Redfin analysis found that Virginia’s two largest data center hubs, located in Loudoun County and Prince William County, have drastically outspent their neighboring counties on education over the past 15 years. 
Teacher salaries in Loudoun County rose about 40% from 2010 to 2023. In neighboring Fairfax County, salaries rose about 29% to roughly $82,000. 
Richland Parish, Louisiana, has reported similar benefits following Meta&#8217;s data center expansion.
“Last year, our teachers received a $10,000 bonus, this year that check was over $50,000,” said Sheldon Jones, Superintendent of the Richland Parish School District. “It’s life-altering for our teachers and their families, and it&#8217;s transforming our schools.” 
“With bonuses like that, the best educators come to you. And if we can attract the best teachers, we could become one of the best school districts in our region.”
Opposition to data centers isn’t partisan, with both sides of the aisle advocating for their demise. There are more than 300 local groups organizing against new facilities. Last week alone, organizers staged <a href="https://time.com/article/2026/07/22/community-backlash-ai-data-centers/">142</a> protests across 42 states, <a href="https://www.americanrivers.org/rivers-and-data-centers/?gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=12077091751&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD-YJLR6T16vxDtzFzWk_pRf_Xuzy&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw94bTBhDQARIsAN3vv0zDpU9WgIdSWG4b00Vjisrg7VmReeH5GoG9fXh70xgzu2bIoLlrYyAaAlcDEALw_wcB">citing</a> concerns about water use, environmental impacts, and potential increased utility costs.

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Why This County Is Fighting For A Data Center

Data Centers

Donald Trump

Fairfax County

Georgia

Loudoun County

Louisiana

Tax Cuts

Tax reform

Teachers

Virginia

This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars.
***
The Washington, D.C., city council is preparing to drop yet another tax on the modern checkout line.
Under its upcoming <a href="https://cfo.dc.gov/page/annual-operating-budget-and-capital-plan">budget</a>, many deliveries made through third-party platforms would face a surcharge of at least 20 cents every time an order ends in the District. This measure would affect not just restaurant takeout but also deliveries of groceries, beverages, parcels, and other everyday goods.
That pattern fits into the story of progressive “affordability” measures writ large. Politicians want to reduce the cost of living, but they keep trying to do so by making the basic conveniences of urban life <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/zohran-mamdani-new-york-food-prices">more expensive</a>.
The council is <a href="https://brianneknadeau.com/protecting-core-services-for-residents-keeping-our-city-clean-more">pitching the tax</a> as a way to fund food access and other local programs. In reality, it’s designed to fill the District’s roughly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2026/04/10/dc-bowser-2027-budget-cuts-proposal">$1.1 billion</a> budget gap — and to subsidize a handful of special interests along the way.
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The surcharge is expected to raise roughly <a href="https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/washington-dc/doordash-drivers-deliver-petitions-opposing-20-cent-tax-on-food-deliveries/#:~:text=According%20to%20councilmember%20Brianne%20Nadeau%2C%20who%20is%20behind%20the%20fee%2C%20the%20added%20tax%20will%20generate%20%249%20million.">$9 million</a> a year, according to Brianne Nadeau, the councilmember behind the tax. Of the first $7 million collected, the vast majority <a href="https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0661">will go</a> into the General Fund. Any revenue above $7 million would be split, with 10% going to the District’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles and 90% to the General Fund.
Surcharges like these are attractive to city governments because they are small enough to avoid immediate public outrage and easy to raise later. But for residents, they quickly add up. D.C. residents already pay high housing costs, service costs, sales taxes, restaurant taxes, parking costs, utility charges, and a long list of local fees. This accumulation of government-imposed fees is how high-cost cities become still more expensive.
The tax is aimed at a politically convenient target — it’s part of the progressive <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/new-york-food-delivery-gig-workers-prices">war on the gig economy</a>. The law’s definitions mean that the tax will target third-party delivery platforms while excluding some <a href="https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0661">direct-delivery</a> arrangements, such as businesses that deliver their own goods through employees or direct contractors.
Nevertheless, the law will hit small businesses especially hard. Off-premise dining now accounts for up to <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-trend-to-transformation-off-premises-dining-now-essential-for-restaurant-consumers-operators-302429894.html">75%</a> of restaurant orders. For many restaurants and local merchants, delivery is a key part of their operating model.
A per-order surcharge may sound harmless, but small costs change consumer behavior. One study, for example, showed that <a href="https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.30081">making taxes</a> visible reduces demand by 8%. Fewer orders mean less revenue for restaurants and fewer earning opportunities for delivery workers — both operating on slim margins as it is.
The new tax is also regressive. The flat 20-cent fee applies whether the customer is a lawyer in Logan Circle or a working mother east of the Anacostia River. It does not adjust for income, family size, disability, age, or order value. Yet for seniors, disabled residents, parents, workers without cars, and families juggling multiple jobs, delivery isn’t a luxury; it can be a convenient and practical way to obtain daily necessities like groceries and medicine.
Colorado shows where surcharges like D.C.’s end up. Its statewide <a href="https://tax.colorado.gov/retail-delivery-fee">delivery fee</a> began as a small charge but now stands at 31 cents and <a href="https://tax.colorado.gov/retail-delivery-fee-rates">adjusts</a> with inflation each July. Once the tax is in place, it ratchets up automatically, making the state less and less affordable.
Leaders in D.C. and other progressive localities cannot tax their way to affordability. Washington residents should expect the city to become unaffordable in yet another way — and perhaps begin looking to the suburbs instead.
***
This is republished with permission from the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal. The original can be found <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/progressive-dc-delivery-tax-hurts-affordability">here</a>.
<a href="https://www.city-journal.org/person/santiago-vidal-calvo">Santiago Vidal Calvo</a> is a Cities policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute.

NYC Sues Delivery App Over Lost Pay In New Mamdani Crackdown

New Day, New Tax: Blue Cities Punish Residents To Fund Progressive Policies

Gig economy

MI x DW

Washington DC

If you&#8217;re a waitress or a waiter, you’ve likely heard about no tax on tips and are already seeing benefits like Atlanta waitress Brenna Warrick, who told The Daily Wire she’s noticed a significant financial improvement. But other tax benefits included in the &#8220;Big Beautiful Bill&#8221; aren&#8217;t so obvious.
If you bought a car, had a child, adopted a child, are a senior citizen, started a business, passed down an estate to your child, or happen to be a manufacturer, you could be missing out on tax benefits included in the legislation. xfmi
If you bought a car that was manufactured in America between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, you can write off up to $10,000 a year in interest paid on your auto loan, assuming you make under $150,000 a year or $250,000 together with your spouse. 
And if you bought a new American-made minivan for your newborn, the benefits keep rolling in. If you had a child or adopted a child who was born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028, the baby qualifies for a $1,000 seed investment from the federal government. 
Cordt Holub, a fourth-generation farmer from Iowa, told The Daily Wire, “I’ve got a 10-month-old girl. It’s truly a unique opportunity not only for myself and my daughter but for kids all over the country.&#8221; 
&#8220;Every kid born during that time will have the same opportunity to start investing at an early age and see the impact of compound investing,” Holub added. He said he plans to match the investment for his 3-year-old son who was born outside the window for the $1,000 seed investment from the Treasury Department. 
Holub also told The Daily Wire about the legislation’s impact on passing down his family farm and making it to the fifth generation. 
“In the last five to ten years, inflation has caused land prices to skyrocket and the average age of a farmer is over 60 years old now,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We are going to hit a turning point in the next couple years of massive amounts of land changing hands. Lowering the death tax keeps that land in the hands of families rather than outside corporations and investors.” 
The higher federal estate tax exemption affects more than just family farms and also applies to estates across the country, making it easier for families to pass assets to the next generation. Farms and other businesses also received benefits through 100% bonus depreciation. That means businesses can deduct 100% of equipment and manufacturing costs the second they are placed in service instead of over several years, helping businesses and manufacturers stay liquid. 
The legislation&#8217;s tax relief extends beyond businesses and farms and offers tax relief for many older Americans through a temporary federal tax deduction of up to $6,000 for qualifying seniors, in addition to the standard deduction. 
Barb Kuiper, a grandmother of two from Michigan, told The Daily Wire, “Now that my Social Security isn’t taxed, I can take my grandkids to the zoo without stressing over savings and planning for emergencies.” She added, “Retiring is hard enough and I’m grateful for Republicans like Mike Rogers and President Trump for making sure America’s seniors are well taken care of.” 
Waitress Brenna Warrick echoed Kuiper&#8217;s comment, telling The Daily Wire, “Before Republicans passed no tax on tips, I worried constantly about making ends meet, falling into credit card debt, and being unprepared for emergencies like an unexpected hospital visit. Now, thanks to Republicans delivering tax relief for tipped workers without Jon Ossoff’s support, I can pay my bills on time, buy presents for my son’s birthday, and even take my first family vacation in years.”

Cash

A Year Later, Americans Are Benefitting From The ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’ Are You?

This piece is part of MI x DW, a collaboration that brings Daily Wire readers exclusive commentary and research from the Manhattan Institute’s world-class team of scholars. Today, Manhattan Institute Director of Research Judge Glock explains why a tidal wave of tax hikes are coming to blue cities, and warns lawmakers to prepare for the fight.
***
Chicago homeowners have long faced high property taxes, but even by the city’s standards recent tax increases are shocking.
According to a <a href="https://www.cookcountytreasurer.com/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=2158" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Cook County Treasurer, the median residential tax bill increased 17% last year, the largest increase in 30 years. In some poor areas of the city, homeowners’ taxes doubled, increasing by around $2,000. The Treasurer said the main reason for these hikes is a “dramatic” decline in commercial property values and taxes in Chicago’s downtown, the Loop.
Chicago is not alone. For decades, America’s central cities have relied on a cornucopia of tax dollars from downtown office buildings to subsidize generous services. But the work-from-home revolution devastated the downtown office market. While some have worried the office decline will cause an urban “doom loop” of ever-more stretched budgets, it appears cities are just shifting the tax burden onto homeowners. Cities should consider how much more their residents can take.
In the largest American cities, commercial property taxes <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/sites/default/files/publication/165853/the-future-of-commercial-real-estate_2024-05-01.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">constitute</a> about a third of all property taxes, which overall remain the largest source of city revenue. In some places, like Boston, commercial property can bring in about half of all property taxes.
Unfortunately, commercial property tax assessments have been dropping fast, most especially for downtown office buildings. In Minneapolis, assessed commercial values are down <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2026/03/24/minneapolis-assessor-2026-commercial-properties.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nearly</a> $1 billion since last year. The drop was driven by downtown offices, whose assessments are now 45% <a href="https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/downtown-minneapolis-building-values-dropping-homeowners-could-pay-the-price/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lower</a> than before the pandemic. Washington, D.C.’s total commercial assessments, in which downtown offices are particularly prominent, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/commercial/the-office-markets-budding-recovery-is-leaving-most-cities-behind-ef648ff6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> by $8 billion, or about 8%, last year.
City tax assessments are probably lagging the real decline in office values. Tax assessors tend to smooth values year-to-year to prevent sudden jumps or drops, but they are especially slow to <a href="https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w33238/w33238.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adjust</a> to drops in value. Sometimes assessors <a href="https://www.aptcnet.com/property-tax-resources/dc-in-denial-on-office-property-valuations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclude</a> “distressed” or foreclosure sales when trying to measure comparable properties. After the pandemic, these distressed sales have become far more common. In some places tax reassessments only occur every 3 years. As late as 2022, most <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/sites/default/files/publication/165853/the-future-of-commercial-real-estate_2024-05-01.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cities</a>’ assessors claimed that commercial property values were increasing.
Some argue that office vacancy rates don’t show such a bad situation for downtown offices, but vacancy is a lagging indicator too. Office vacancy, meaning available office space that is not leased, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2026/04/02/office-vacancies-moodys-real-estate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was</a> 17% before the coronavirus pandemic and since then has only ticked up to 21%. But many technically leased offices are ghostly silent. The keycard company Kastle finds the proportion of workers actually in the office is <a href="https://www.kastle.com/the-data-science-behind-theback-to-work-barometer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">about</a> 55% the rate before the pandemic. When more leases come due, companies will shrink their footprint and vacancies will rise.
Market sales of downtown offices show clear evidence of distress. Some downtown buildings are <a href="https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2025/08/portlands-downtown-real-estate-fire-sales-will-hasten-millions-in-property-tax-losses.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">selling</a> for a tenth of their pre-pandemic level, while others sell for as little as a <a href="https://www.startribune.com/lumber-exchange-building-sold-downtown-minneapolis-varde-partners-space-unlimited-kickernick/601588537" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dollar</a>. A recent American Economic Review paper estimated that the pandemic and the work-from-home trend destroyed <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.20231619" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more</a> than $550 billion in office value just up to 2023. For perspective, the whole U.S. office market is only worth about $1.8 trillion.
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Once assessed values, vacancies, and tax rates fully reflect changes in the office market, the effects on urban homeowners could be disastrous. Boston’s rates for a typical single-family home <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/12/10/metro/boston-city-council-property-tax-rates-2026/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">went</a> up 13% this year, or $780, after a 10% <a href="https://www.boston.gov/news/mayor-michelle-wu-refiles-residential-tax-relief-legislation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase</a> the previous year. The Boston Policy Institute <a href="https://bostonpolicyinstitute.org/projects/fiscal-fallout/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expects</a> a $1.7 billion property tax shortfall that would likely shift to residents over five years. In Minneapolis, commercial property taxes have already <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-owu0x7Rqc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> from 30% of taxes in 2023 to 25% this year, with homeowners bearing almost all the difference.
While property tax revolts are generally associated with red states and conservative voters, the coming tax hit to left-leaning cities could inspire its own revolt.
America saw a comparable urban tax revolt after a shift in the tax burden from commercial properties to homeowners in the 1960s and ‘70s. In those years, many states and cities began tax “modernization” campaigns, which tried to make tax assessments match the market value of different types of property. It turned out that homeowners had been getting breaks from their assessors. After modernization, their rates exploded, leading to a wave of tax resistance.
Most <a href="https://go.lincolninst.edu/Chernick_WP25HC2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> indicates that cities’ budgets can survive a big drop in downtown property values. If cities engaged in a reasonable amount of spending restraint, they could come out of the work-from-home revolution in a stronger fiscal position than before. But it appears cities just want to shift ever more of the tax burden onto their residents. They should instead consider whether homeowners can survive that shift, and for how long they will put up with it.
Judge Glock is the director of research at the Manhattan Institute and the author of &#8220;The Dead Pledge: The Origins of the Mortgage Market and Federal Bailouts, 1913-1939.&#8221;

New York Knicks Championship Parade & Ceremony

Tax Hikes Are Coming To Left-Leaning Cities

American Cities

Chicago

New York City

Remote Work

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) &#8211; The Internal Revenue Service is debating whether to require taxpayers to disclose their citizenship status on next year&#8217;s tax forms, according to three people familiar with the situation, as the Trump administration intensifies its attempts to link federal agencies to its sprawling immigration enforcement and anti-fraud drive.
IRS officials are considering two versions of Form 1040, the primary paperwork individuals use to report earnings and claim tax benefits, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.
The first version contains minor updates to reflect changes in tax laws. The second includes those updates and a check-box labeled: &#8220;Check this box if you are a non-U.S. citizen or have dual citizenship.&#8221;
Representatives from the Treasury Department &#8211; the IRS&#8217;s parent agency &#8211; declined to comment on Friday.
Immigrants, including those in the United States illegally, are required to file taxes and use the same IRS forms as tax filers with citizenship. Paying taxes has long been seen as a key factor for illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.
&#8220;It’s just an effort to once again terrorize people with certain immigration statuses, and it’s another step of turning the IRS into an agency that collaborates with immigration authorities rather than being an agency that enforces and administers the tax laws,&#8221; said Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, an advocacy and low-income tax assistance organization.
The Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security spent much of 2025 attempting to collaborate, sharing confidential taxpayer data with immigration officials to assist in the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation campaign.
Olson&#8217;s organization filed a lawsuit, and a federal judge blocked the IRS from disclosing that data in November. The federal government has appealed the ruling.
In February, the IRS admitted to the court that it had erroneously shared the data of more than 42,000 taxpayers with DHS.
Disclosing a taxpayer&#8217;s personal information &#8212; including a name or address &#8212; outside of narrow legal exceptions carries stiff penalties, including jail time. President Donald Trump recently dropped a lawsuit against the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages after a tax agency contractor leaked his tax returns to media outlets. The contractor, Charles Littlejohn, is serving a five-year prison sentence.
In exchange for dropping the suit, the Justice Department created a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay supposed victims of &#8220;government weaponization.&#8221; As part of the settlement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an agreement permanently barring the IRS from pursuing tax claims against Trump, his family or his businesses.
The Trump administration has sought to aggressively police government benefits awarded to non-citizens. Federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from many entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits covering education and housing. Non-citizens, though, pay into those programs through income, payroll and sales taxes.
Tax preparers nationwide reported encountering clients who said they were frightened to file their taxes in 2025 due to the IRS&#8217;s collaboration with immigration enforcement. That fear has fiscal consequences for the United States government. The Yale Budget Lab estimated that lower tax compliance rates among immigrant communities could lead to a $313 billion loss in federal revenue over the next decade.
The IRS is considering other methods of determining a taxpayer&#8217;s citizenship status. Non-citizens can file taxes using a nine-digit &#8220;individual tax identification number&#8221; in place of a Social Security number. Tax officials have discussed differentiating codes to denote a filer&#8217;s immigration status, the people said. The New York Times first reported those deliberations.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rosalba O&#8217;Brien and Nick Zieminski)

FILE PHOTO: The Internal Revenue Service building is seen in Washington

Trump IRS Considers New Requirement As Immigration Crackdown Expands

illegal immigrants

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Income tax

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos blasted New York City’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday, saying that if the corporate giant operated like the Big Apple’s broken public school system, customers wouldn&#8217;t see their packages for well over a month.
In a scathing <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/20/cnbc-exclusive-transcript-jeff-bezos-speaks-with-cnbcs-andrew-ross-sorkin-on-squawk-box-today-.html">televised sit-down</a> on CNBC, the high-flying billionaire unloaded on Mamdani over a record-breaking $44 billion education budget that has yielded nothing but abysmal returns. Bezos slammed the city for blowing an astronomical $44,000 annually per student — outspending rivals like Los Angeles and Chicago by roughly 30% — even as student numbers plunge and exam performance craters.
&#8220;If we ran Amazon the way New York City runs their school system &#8230; your packages would take six weeks to arrive,&#8221; the e-commerce kingpin told anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin from a Blue Origin factory floor. &#8220;We’d have to charge you a $100 delivery fee. And then when the package did finally arrive, it’d have the wrong item in it anyway.&#8221;
The tech titan, boasting a jaw-dropping $269 billion net worth, hit back hard at Mamdani&#8217;s obsession with soaking the rich. Bezos insisted that doubling his own hefty tax bill would do absolutely nothing to support frontline educators, because the massive mountain of cash is swallowed whole by a bloated, management-heavy bureaucracy.
&#8220;None of this money is getting to the teachers, I promise you,&#8221; Bezos said, targeting the army of middle managers choking the system.
Mamdani couldn&#8217;t wait to clap back, taking to X to snap: &#8220;I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I know a few teachers in Queens who would beg to differ. <a href="https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII">https://t.co/JEnRnM2xII</a>
&mdash; Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/2057137240904511564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The fiery clash erupted shortly after the Bezos Family Foundation <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/20/us-news/jeff-bezos-torches-mamdani-for-pouring-43b-into-mismanaged-nyc-schools/">pledged</a> up to $150 million toward early childhood programs across Gotham via a massive anti-poverty endowment. Meanwhile, the struggling mayor has managed to scrape together a pitiful $3.5 million toward his own heavily hyped $20 million childcare fund.
The 62-year-old mogul, who was raised by a teenage mother and a young Cuban immigrant, argued that clueless politicians constantly look to manufacture wealthy villains instead of fixing real operational messes. Rather than finger-pointing, Bezos urged leaders to look at systemic tax reform. His pitch? Wipe out the tax bills entirely for lower-income working-class families, including struggling local nurses.
&#8220;When people are starting out and they’re struggling, stop taxing them. We don’t need it,&#8221; Bezos concluded. &#8220;I don’t want to reduce it; I want to eliminate it.&#8221;

2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Mark Guiducci – Arrivals

Jeff Bezos Humiliates NYC’s Socialist Mayor

Amazon

Jeff Bezos

Schools

Zohran Mamdani

New York City businessmen are already looking for the exits as newly elected democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani keeps promising &#8220;free&#8221; stuff they&#8217;ll be forced to subsidize.
Mamdani ran his campaign on a litany of socialist fever dreams like frozen rents, free city buses, and city-run grocery stores — but almost every one of his major policies is dependent on on a robust local economy replete with multi-millionaire and billionaire business owners who are willing to turn the other cheek while he robs them blind. Thus far, business owners don&#8217;t appear inclined to bite.
Apollo Global Management&#8217;s CEO, according to a <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/business/wall-street-giant-apollo-aims-to-open-second-headquarters-outside-nyc-in-latest-fallout-from-mamdanis-war-on-the-wealthy/">report</a> from The New York Post, is eyeing Florida and Texas as possible new hubs for the massive private equity firm. Billionaire CEO Marc Rowan has already begun to build up a presence in Florida, and he&#8217;s been scouting office locations in Miami and Palm Beach as well as in Austin, Texas.
Apollo alone paid more than $1 billion in income taxes in the past two years ($1.062 billion in 2024 and $1.276 billion in 2025), and although it is not clear how much of that went directly into the city&#8217;s coffers, it is clear that New York City would take a sizable hit if that money went elsewhere.
Billionaire hedge fund manager <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/06/us-news/billionaire-ken-griffin-scales-back-nyc-jobs-in-response-to-mamdanis-tax-the-rich-antics-sparking-fears-wealthy-exodus-has-begun/">Ken Griffin</a>, majority owner of Citadel LLC., also announced a plan to expand in Florida — and directly tied it a video that Mayor Mamdani posted recently.
Mamdani stood in front of Griffin&#8217;s Midtown penthouse to tout his plan for a &#8220;pied à terre&#8221; tax — which would slap additional taxes on second homes valued at over five million dollars — and Griffin made it clear that he did not appreciate the gesture.
&#8220;We will add far more jobs in Miami over the next decade as an immediate and direct consequence of the mayor’s poor decision here with respect to his posting of that video,&#8221; Griffin said, calling Mamdani&#8217;s video &#8220;creepy.&#8221;
The Citadel CEO&#8217;s threats are not likely to be idle, either — he relocated part of his company from Chicago to Miami in 2022 because of increasing crime and poor city and state leadership under then Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D-Chicago) and Governor J.B. Pritzker (D-IL). Citadel still has a large part of its company based in New York City.
&#8220;I think looking at what Mamdani just did to me, and more broadly is doing to the city of New York, is triggering of the trauma I went through in Chicago. Chicago went through a renaissance during most of my 30 years there, and then under the leadership of J.B. Pritzker, Lori Lightfoot, and the current mayor, has just devolved into a state that has lost its way,&#8221; he said.
Griffin and Rowan aren&#8217;t likely to be the only two considering escape, Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow John Ketcham warned.
&#8220;New York City is losing its competitive edge and Mayor Mamdani makes it far less competitive,” he explained. &#8220;Investors and job creators have options and they will go where they’re treated well. Increasingly New York City has treated them inhospitably. New York City leaders have assumed they can’t do business elsewhere, even though we have seen in the last several years a dramatic expansion of the financial sector’s activities in states like Florida and Texas.&#8221;
The Partnership for New York City, a pro-business group, estimates that Mamdani&#8217;s policies could cost the city more than $168 million in annual city and state tax revenue – more than 2,500 jobs in the financial sector alone.

Illustration by The Daily Wire

Escape From New York: Mamdani’s Cash Cows Already Seeking Greener Pastures

Escape From New York: Mamdani's Cash Cows Already Seeking Greener Pastures

Business

Democratic Socialism

Wealth Tax

California Democrats running for governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/candidates-trade-brutal-blows-in-wild-california-governor-debate?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Drew+Berkemeyer&amp;category=News+and+Analysis&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Candidates+Trade+Brutal+Blows+In+Wild+California+Governor+Debate">battled</a> Tuesday night over who would impose the most taxes and spend the most money as the state faces an affordability crisis and unprecedented budget deficit. 
In a televised CNN debate, Democrats — including former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, former Rep. Katie Porter, businessman Tom Steyer, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa —pushed to break through a crowded field that still lacks a clear frontrunner.
Several Democratic candidates, led by billionaire Tom Steyer, endorsed taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegal immigrants.
&#8220;It&#8217;s going to be a big job to get us to single payer, but the truth is, we don&#8217;t have a choice,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/CNNTheStoryIs/status/2051858333162672255?s=20">Steyer said</a>. &#8220;The truth of the matter is, immigrants built this state. Immigrants make this state run. The fact of the matter is, we had a broken immigration system, and now you want to victimize the people who are working here and making this state run.&#8221; 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Elex_Michaelson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elex_Michaelson</a> asks candidates beginning w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/TomSteyer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomSteyer</a> &#8211;
In last year’s budget, Gov. Newsom &#8220;cut healthcare funding for undocumented immigrants to address a budget gap. As governor, would you restore that funding?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/ChadBianco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChadBianco</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/katieporterca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katieporterca</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/XavierBecerra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@XavierBecerra</a> weigh in. <a href="https://t.co/LPdfZMD1a5">pic.twitter.com/LPdfZMD1a5</a>
— The Story Is (@CNNTheStoryIs) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNTheStoryIs/status/2051858333162672255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
Former Orange County Congresswoman Katie Porter backed him up. 
&#8220;We can&#8217;t afford to have people who are sick who are making the rest of us sick,&#8221; <a href="https://x.com/RedWavePress/status/2052004314722296025?s=20">Porter said</a>. &#8220;When anyone doesn&#8217;t have care, the rest of us are at risk. When people don&#8217;t get vaccinations, when they don&#8217;t go to the doctor, they wind up in the emergency room, they cause longer lines for the rest of us, they make our healthcare system — they push it to the brink.&#8221; 
Amid a mass exodus out of California, Porter credited illegal immigrants for sustaining the state&#8217;s population. 
“They are one of the only ways our state has been growing in recent years,” <a href="https://x.com/theblaze/status/2052009806085468373?s=20">she said</a>. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/Elex_Michaelson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elex_Michaelson</a> asks candidates beginning w/ <a href="https://twitter.com/TomSteyer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomSteyer</a> &#8211;
In last year’s budget, Gov. Newsom &#8220;cut healthcare funding for undocumented immigrants to address a budget gap. As governor, would you restore that funding?&#8221;<a href="https://twitter.com/ChadBianco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChadBianco</a> , <a href="https://twitter.com/katieporterca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katieporterca</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/XavierBecerra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@XavierBecerra</a> weigh in. <a href="https://t.co/LPdfZMD1a5">pic.twitter.com/LPdfZMD1a5</a>
— The Story Is (@CNNTheStoryIs) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNTheStoryIs/status/2051858333162672255?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
Republican Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco fired back, saying illegal immigrants &#8220;shouldn&#8217;t be here.&#8221; 
&#8220;It&#8217;s ridiculous,&#8221; Bianco said. &#8220;When are we going to draw the line at any other crime? It&#8217;s illegal. They entered the country illegally. We&#8217;re not going to incentivize them to come here, to take more of the resources that regular Californians aren&#8217;t getting.&#8221;
&#8220;It makes absolutely no sense. And health care, no one is talking about, how about we try and make people healthy,&#8221; Bianco added. 
Under California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the Golden State faces a <a href="https://www.kcra.com/article/california-18-billion-budget-shortfall-next-year-state-legislative-analyst/69486901">$18 billion budget deficit</a> for the 2026-2027 year, which is $5 billion more than state officials expected. 
<a href="https://x.com/CNNTheStoryIs/status/2051860536761926060?s=20">In a telling moment,</a> debate moderator Elex Michaelson asked all candidates to provide one word to describe Newsom&#8217;s job performance. 
Porter called him &#8220;bold.&#8221; Steyer hailed him as &#8220;progressive.&#8221; For Becerra, Newsom has been &#8220;game-changing.&#8221; 
Only two Democrats offered mild critiques — with Villaraigosa calling the likely presidential hopeful &#8220;performative&#8221; and Mahan describing his governorship as &#8220;incomplete.&#8221;
Both Republican candidates called Newsom a failure. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
“One word you would use to describe Governor Newsom’s performance as governor?” &#8211;<a href="https://twitter.com/Elex_Michaelson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Elex_Michaelson</a>
“Performative” 
“Bold” 
“Progressive” 
“Failed” 
“Failure” 
“Game changing” 
“Incomplete”<a href="https://twitter.com/AVillaraigosa?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AVillaraigosa</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/katieporterca?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@katieporterca</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TomSteyer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TomSteyer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveHiltonx?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SteveHiltonx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadBianco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChadBianco</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/XavierBecerra?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@XavierBecerra</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/MattMahanSJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MattMahanSJ</a> <a href="https://t.co/98UBcQbMBW">pic.twitter.com/98UBcQbMBW</a>
— The Story Is (@CNNTheStoryIs) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNNTheStoryIs/status/2051860536761926060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
&#8220;It&#8217;s not Donald Trump who&#8217;s given us gas prices $2 higher than the rest of the country. It&#8217;s Democrat policies, which Antonio and all the Democrats here support,&#8221; Republican Steve Hilton said. &#8220;Donald Trump is the president in all the other states of America, where the cost of living is way lower than in California.&#8221;
When asked about a controversial billionaire tax proposal — requiring Californians worth more than $1 billion to pay a one-time 5% tax on their assets — two Democratic candidates said it <a href="https://x.com/CNN/status/2051851776647737426?s=20">doesn’t go far enough</a>.
&#8220;This tax isn&#8217;t going to fundamentally change California&#8217;s economy in the way that young people and the working people of California need,&#8221; Porter said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a one-time tax. But we don&#8217;t have one-time revenue needs.&#8221; 
Steyer said he would vote for the wealth tax, which has qualified for November&#8217;s ballot, but he wants to tax the rich even more. 
&#8220;Billionaires like me should pay more taxes, and the big corporations should pay more taxes,&#8221; Steyer said. &#8220;But going forward, we do need to go further. This is a one-time tax, and it also doesn&#8217;t spread the money across the government; everything else does.&#8221; 
For Bianco, the back-and-forth represents what&#8217;s wrong with California. 
&#8220;So these Democrat policies of tax everybody to death and make them leave is how we started this program off to begin with. Everyone is leaving California, and it is because of their horrific policies,&#8221; Bianco said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
See how the candidates hoping to be the next governor of California responded to a question over a proposed billionaire tax.
Watch the California Governor Primary Debate live now on CNN and the CNN app: <a href="https://t.co/U59v8fS1nd">https://t.co/U59v8fS1nd</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ryv7s31DAF">pic.twitter.com/Ryv7s31DAF</a>
— CNN (@CNN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CNN/status/2051851776647737426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 6, 2026</a></blockquote>
Under California’s “jungle primary” system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance to the general election in November regardless of party.
California’s primary election is set for June 2, 2026.

Tom Steyer Campaigns For President In South Carolina

California Democrats Fight Over Who Will Tax The Most

California

Debate

Democrats

Election

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger would not rule out supporting multiple new taxes, including on gym memberships, streaming services, and dry cleaning. 
The Democrat, who won comfortably last November on a message focused on affordability, said the tax bills proposed in the state legislature are worth considering to add to state revenue streams.
&#8220;I think there are worthy conversations to be had about what revenue generation looks like in the future as our economy changes in so many ways,&#8221; Spanberger <a href="https://x.com/TylerEnglander/status/2049477220591169727">told a local ABC affiliate</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
A lot has been made of taxes proposed by Democrats that never passed the General Assembly, including a bill to tax streaming services and more.
Republicans, including President Trump, have attacked Governor Abigail Spanberger over that bill and others.
Spanberger has pushed… <a href="https://t.co/KBWUnIy66W">pic.twitter.com/KBWUnIy66W</a>
— Tyler Englander (@TylerEnglander) <a href="https://twitter.com/TylerEnglander/status/2049477220591169727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2026</a></blockquote>
Earlier this year, Virginia Democrats <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB978">introduced bills</a> to expand state sales tax coverage to various services, including gym memberships, storage facility use, pet care, counseling, vehicle and home repair, <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB900">digital subscriptions</a>, and more.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Gym membership</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Storage facility use</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Dog walking</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Dog grooming</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Counseling</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Vehicle repair</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Home repair</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Dry cleaning</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Cosmetic services</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Software application services</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Computer-related services</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Website hosting and design</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Data storage, and</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">Digital subscription services</li>
</ul>
Democratic lawmakers have also introduced bills that would tax <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB919">gun</a> and <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/SB763">ammunition sales</a>, along with <a href="https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1179">levies on delivery drivers</a> for services like DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The bills never came up for a vote and have since stalled in the state&#8217;s General Assembly, according to the governor&#8217;s office. Spanberger, however, appeared to sympathize with the intention of the proposed taxes.
&#8220;But I also want to recognize that many of the patrons who brought forth different ideas about how to bring out revenue that&#8217;s necessary, I think every idea, as long as it’s reasonable and makes some amount of sense, should be entertained and should be discussed,&#8221; Spanberger said.
&#8220;The one on streaming services, you know, you used to buy a DVD, there&#8217;d be a sales tax. Streaming is different. And so I recognize that there&#8217;s value in having these conversations,&#8221; she added.
The liberal governor’s willingness to consider new revenue sources comes amid pressure from the White House.
“I can’t believe what this new Governor, Spanberger, has done to the Commonwealth — So sad!” <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116386141086849907">President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post</a> last month. “This went from a thriving and powerful place, one envied by all, to a Commonwealth run by a person who has no concept of Low Taxes and Economic Strength.”
Spanberger’s office forcefully pushed back, insisting that none of the proposed taxes have been enacted and criticizing what it described as “the volume of misinformation — spread across social media and repeated in press coverage.”
&#8220;The array of taxes that the President asserts move forward in Virginia is sort of ludicrous,&#8221; Spanberger said in the interview. &#8220;But whether I would ever sign a bill is wholly dependent on, I think, as evidence from my recent actions, is wholly predicated on what is actually in the bill, and how it is outlined.&#8221;

Young slim woman in sportswear doing plank exercise on mat in modern studio

Why Hitting The Gym Could Soon Cost You More Under Dem Governor

abigail spanberger

Citadel CEO Ken Griffin has signaled he might nix his company’s $6 billion Midtown construction project over tax policy.
Citadel’s Chief Operating Officer Gerald Beeson slammed New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent “Tax the Rich” video in which the mayor promoted a new tax policy, invoking Griffin as an example.
“It is shameful that he used Ken’s name as the example of those who supposedly aren’t carrying their fair share of the burdens associated with New York City’s often costly and wasteful spending,” said Gerald Beeson. “In doing so, the mayor has once again manifested the ignorance and disdain of the elite political class towards those who have been consistently committed to building one of the greatest cities in the world.”
If the company moves forward with the construction project, it is expected to create 6,000 high-paying jobs and support 15,000 permanent jobs in Midtown Manhattan, but a recent email to employees hinted it may be halted.
“The project—if we move forward—will entail more than $6 billion dollars of spending,” the email read.
Pershing Square Capital Management CEO Bill Ackman also weighed in, arguing that Griffin contributes significantly to the city without placing demands on its resources.
“Importantly, non-resident owners of NYC apartments who leave them vacant for much of the year are not a burden on NYC schools, services, or other resources, while they drive growth in retail sales, restaurants, theater, and other important sectors of our economy,” Ackman said. “They also often support NYC nonprofits with donations.”
Ackman concluded with a warning, saying the mayor’s policies “will harm the constituencies he is supposedly trying to help.”
Mamdani ran his campaign on taking wealth from the rich and redistributing it in the form of city services like free buses and free childcare.
Figuring out how to pay for these policies has led to challenges for Mamdani, as his authority to levy taxes ends at New York City’s property tax — though the mayor constantly lobbies New York Governor Kathy Hochul to raise taxes.
The pied-à-terre tax that Mamdani claimed would apply to properties like Griffin’s $238 million penthouse is an example of how the mayor is exploiting new revenue sources. The new tax will apply to homes in New York City valued over $5 million. It is expected to raise $500 million, which will allegedly help address the $5.4 billion deficit the city is currently facing.

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Interview

68 Seconds And Taxpayers Are Out $6 Billion?

Bill Ackman

Politics

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