The federal government's plan to revive the ailing economy is stimulating business already - for con artists at least.
President Obama told Republican House leaders Tuesday he plans to stand firm on the part of his $825 billion economic recovery plan that calls for tax rebates for nearly all working Americans -- including those who make too little to owe income taxes.
It's official. The economy shrunk in the third quarter. In terms of earth-shattering surprises, that should rank up there with the news that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were getting a divorce.
The economy shifted to a higher gear in the spring, growing at its fastest pace in nearly a year as foreign buyers snapped up U.S. exports
The Treasury Department said Friday it sent out 5.7 million economic stimulus payments this week, totaling more than $4 billion, as part of the government's plan to reinvigorate the nation's sluggish economy.
Eight in 10 Americans believe that the government's $110 billion effort to help consumers will not boost the economy, according to a poll released Friday.
Nearly two-thirds of the nation's small- and mid-sized business owners don't anticipate much of a boost to their bottom line from the government's financial stimulus package, according to a survey released Thursday.
Tax rebates are the centerpiece of the government's plan to stimulate the economy, but many Americans are planning to put the money in the bank or use it to pay off debt, according to a survey released Monday.
The IRS on Monday said it would begin sending out 130 million tax rebate payments aimed at boosting the economy on May 2.
The government's tax rebate stimulus is weeks away from your mailbox. But retailers worried about a consumer slowdown are already planning several ways for you to spend that windfall in their stores.
The federal government's plan to revive the ailing economy is stimulating business already - for con artists at least.
President Obama told Republican House leaders Tuesday he plans to stand firm on the part of his $825 billion economic recovery plan that calls for tax rebates for nearly all working Americans -- including those who make too little to owe income taxes.
It's official. The economy shrunk in the third quarter. In terms of earth-shattering surprises, that should rank up there with the news that Madonna and Guy Ritchie were getting a divorce.
The economy shifted to a higher gear in the spring, growing at its fastest pace in nearly a year as foreign buyers snapped up U.S. exports
The Treasury Department said Friday it sent out 5.7 million economic stimulus payments this week, totaling more than $4 billion, as part of the government's plan to reinvigorate the nation's sluggish economy.
Eight in 10 Americans believe that the government's $110 billion effort to help consumers will not boost the economy, according to a poll released Friday.
Nearly two-thirds of the nation's small- and mid-sized business owners don't anticipate much of a boost to their bottom line from the government's financial stimulus package, according to a survey released Thursday.
Tax rebates are the centerpiece of the government's plan to stimulate the economy, but many Americans are planning to put the money in the bank or use it to pay off debt, according to a survey released Monday.
The IRS on Monday said it would begin sending out 130 million tax rebate payments aimed at boosting the economy on May 2.
The government's tax rebate stimulus is weeks away from your mailbox. But retailers worried about a consumer slowdown are already planning several ways for you to spend that windfall in their stores.
It's an old crime with a new twist. Never missing an opportunity, fraudsters are hitting the phones and the Internet looking for victims.
On the heels of the government's plan to stimulate the economy by sending out special tax rebates, authorities say crooks are posing as officials from the Internal Revenue Service or Social Security Administration.
President Bush on Wednesday signed the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, calling it a "booster shot" for the American economy.
Tax rebate checks will begin going out in May, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said after the House's passage of a Senate-approved $167 billion economic stimulus package Thursday.
Americans who would receive a tax rebate under Washington's proposed economic stimulus legislation are most likely to use their rebate money to pay down debt, according to a consumer survey.
As Congress and the White House consider a $150 billion stimulus package that includes tax rebates and tax incentives for business, a report released Tuesday suggests that other methods would do a better job of infusing money into the flagging economy and doing it fast.
Politicians in Washington deserve praise for quickly cobbling together a stimulus package to try and rejuvenate the foundering economy.
Consumers fuel the economy and if they're strapped, the thinking goes, better get them some cash to spend.
Longtime viewers of my television program know that I've been banging the recession drum for a while now, but the truth is that an economy as large and complex as ours doesn't just collapse overnight. It happens slowly and methodically, with plenty of warning signs along the way.
China posted a record trade surplus of $26.9 billion in June as exporters rushed shipments ahead of tax rebate cuts, handing more ammunition to critics who say Beijing's weak currency gives it an unfair trade advantage.
As a teenager, Lori Smith decided she would someday adopt children. "I promised myself that I would help kids who needed homes," says Lori, now 41 and a mom to three little Smiths - two of whom she and husband Steve, 40, adopted from China. "What I didn't know was that I should have started saving back then."
It's that annual ritual that Americans love to grouse about, but this year's tax filing season is finally coming to a close.
Tax time can be confusing and tedious. But with only two weeks to go until Tax Day, you should be extra cautious to avoid these tax blunders that can cost you.
It's virtually guaranteed to happen every year - the IRS gets a slew of tax returns loaded with errors.
So far this tax season, the average federal tax refund that taxpayers are getting is $2,548.
Time for Gerri's Mail Bag. Viewers and readers write in.
Here's some tax trivia for you: What is this year's deadline for filing your taxes?
Almost 70 percent of filers expect to receive a tax refund this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Of that group, one-third plan to use their tax refunds to pay off debts. More than one-third will put their tax refunds into savings.
With W-2s arriving, many Americans begin thinking about how to spend their tax refund. Nearly half of those polled during last year's tax season -- 47 percent -- said they would spend their refund checks on paying down debt, according to a 2006 survey by the National Retail Federation.
The Internal Revenue Service confirmed Wednesday it is waiting for taxpayers to claim undeliverable refund checks as soon as they update their addresses.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a personal assistant to pay your bills, file your records and remember to fund your IRA every now and then? Well, if you make more of your financial life electronic, you...
It's down in an obscure part of your phone bill, and it's been on the books forever, but the telephone excise tax has made a lot of enemies over the years.
Papa John's is offering pizzas for $10.40. Staples has copy machines located on street corners. Activists are picketing at the post office.
It's just the news that hardworking taxpayers want to see in their inbox: an update on their refund from the Internal Revenue Service.
The first test for newlyweds is often not where to store the china, but rather facing Uncle Sam as husband and wife.
If you're like most Americans, your tax refund will amount to about $2,400 this year. Need some ideas on how to spend it? Some retailers are hoping to give you some hints.
More than two-thirds of consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year and they are eager to put those dollars to work, according to the National Retail Federation.
Just about anyone can set up a shingle and call themselves an accountant. And when tax time approaches, having the right person handling your financial accounts is more important than ever.
Bob Reilly is just a middle-class schoolteacher trying to get by.
It sounds too good to be true but the folks at Intuit, maker of the TurboTax tax preparation software, are promising customers "extra" free money this spring on top of their refund checks.
Everyone deserves an occasional indulgence. What's more, says April Benson, a psychologist who specializes in compulsive shoppers, "if you deprive yourself too much, you're set up for future binges."
A British Internet-security firm is warning people to not get hooked by an e-mail scam promising tax refunds from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
Does the IRS owe you money? The IRS said it has refund checks for 84,290 taxpayers who did not receive them for the 2004 tax year.
Prepare to meet your unconscious mind. It could be the best acquaintance you make this summer.
When you get your tax refund, the instinctive reaction is, "Hey, free money!" But you know better: A refund means the federal government got to hang on to your dough for a whole year and is now pay...
If you're reading this, you may be a tax-day procrastinator. If so, you're not alone. More and more Americans' tax filings are coming down to the wire.
If you haven't filed your taxes yet -- you may be down, but you are not out.
You've double-checked your 1040 and have your accountant on speed dial but you forgot one thing -- to make copies of your tax returns.
More than two-thirds of consumers expect to receive a tax refund this year and they are ready to spend it, according to the National Retail Federation.
Did you get a tax refund last year? Do you seem to get one every year?
CNN.com asked its users to reflect on the death of Ronald Reagan and share their memories of the former president. Thousands of e-mails were received from around the world.
U.S. stocks slipped early Wednesday as new geopolitical concerns and continued uncertainty about interest rates trumped some solid earnings.
Got a tax refund coming? Last year, taxpayers netted $2,033 on average -- and this year could be even better. Tax experts say refunds could rise to $2,500 this year...which begs the question what should you do with your refund?
If you're one of the millions of Americans who wait until the last minute to file your taxes, you may encounter some obstacles at the post office today.
Procrastinators, get your butt off the couch! Time is running out to file those 1040s.
Surprisingly strong retail sales numbers in March proved that U.S. shoppers may be in a buying mood right now, but some analysts caution that consumers could tighten their purse strings again once a tax refund stimulus wears thin.
Retailers once again posted robust monthly sales in March -- carrying forward the momentum after a strong start to the year -- as merchants benefited nicely from easy comparisons, tax refund checks and Easter shopping.
The U.S. economy is in the early stages of another sugar high, fueled by tax cuts, low interest rates and mortgage refinancing.
The monthly chain store numbers today are confirming what we've been seeing -- and writing about -- in the recent weekly numbers from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC): a nice jump in spending at department stores, specialty retailers and discounters in the month of February.
U.S retail chains on Thursday posted surprisingly strong sales numbers for February, boosted by warmer weather, tax refunds and growing confidence in the state of the economy.
On this Super Tuesday, as the two remaining Democratic contenders and the two remaining Democratic wishful thinkers get ready for what may be a defining moment, it's interesting to look at one of the party's biggest potential opponents or supporters: the U.S. economy.
Job worries sank consumer confidence in the United States in February, the University of Michigan said Friday, but not as far as first estimated.
Peanut Butter and Jelly are savoring their independence.
February may have been a cold wintry month in parts of the United States but apparently that hasn't stopped us consumers from shopping, and even from feeling a bit better about the economy perhaps.
When economists talk about inflation being under control, they're often ignoring energy prices, which can be wildly volatile.
U.S. consumers are tired. Really tired. Really.
U.S. stocks bounced early Thursday, recovering from Wednesday's big selloff spurred by a change in the language of the Federal Reserve's policy statement, which created worries that interest rates could be rising sooner than thought.
The signs are clear: the economy's roaring. But there's that Achilles heel called the job market, and just one more worry that's keeping some economists up at night.
If the IRS has a hallmark, it's rigidity: A household head with an income of $80,000 and no deductions owes the government exactly $17,476 in taxes this year, and the dreaded filing day--like it or...
Remember that tax rebate you received from the IRS last summer? One million taxpayers have already misstated the tax refund on their returns. Here's a reminder of our advice in March's "Tax Guide":...
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