Government Matters Articles

Still Fewer Heirs Will See Fortunes Taxed in 2006

On Jan. 1, the value of assets that can pass tax-free from one generation to the next rose from $1.5 million to $2 million (or $4 million per couple), an increase that was scheduled under the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act (EGTRRA), passed by Congress in 2001. This expansion of tax-free inheritance means an even smaller fraction of a percent of Americans will be subject to the tax in 2006.

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Risk Bulletin Advances Graham Anti-Reg Agenda

From cost-benefit guidelines to the new draft policy on risk assessments, White House regulatory czar John Graham has steadily proceeded with a long-range plan laying the groundwork for dramatic limits on public safeguards.

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High Court Opens Door to Campaign Finance Rule Challenge

Less than a week after oral arguments were held the Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 23 that the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002's (BCRA) ban on "electioneering communications" can be challenged on a case-by-case basis. The ruling opens the door for the Wisconsin Right to Life Committee (WRTL) to pursue its claim that BCRA is unconstitutional as applied to its grassroots lobbying communications. The unanimous opinion in Wisconsin Right to Life Committee v.

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IRS to Step Up Nonprofit Enforcement in 2006

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner Mark Everson, speaking to the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, recently announced that in 2006 the IRS will increase its enforcement efforts for exempt organizations, building on a trend of the past few years. Among the agency's top priorities, according to Everson, will be enforcement of the ban on political intervention by charities and religious organizations.

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Without Addressing Budget Process, Lobbying Reform Doomed to Fail

Since lobbyist Jack Abramoff pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and income tax evasion, Democrats and Republicans have eagerly jumped on the lobbying and ethics reform bandwagon. Amid the flurry of proposals to overhaul Washington's lobbying system, however, one of the primary mechanisms through which lobbyists see their influence pay off--the system of budget earmarks--has been largely ignored.

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Government Secrecy's Latest Victims: Whales

According to documents released to the Natural Resources Defense Council, all references to the possibility that naval sonar may have caused 37 whales to swim ashore and die in North Carolina last year were deleted from a government report on the incident. The revelation came as the Department of the Navy nears the close of its public comment period on its plans to build an underwater sonar training range in the same North Carolina location.

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EPA Gets an Earful on Plan to Reduce Toxic Reporting

More than 70,000 citizens voiced opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposals to cut chemical reporting under the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), during the agency's public comment period that ended Jan. 13. Those speaking out against EPA's proposals included state agencies, health professionals, scientists, environmentalists, labor, Attorneys General, and even Congress, all of whom raised substantive concerns with the plan.

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Letter from Gary Bass: Washington's Corruption Woes

Guilty pleas by super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his partner Michael Scanlon, former key staffer of former-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, have put a spotlight on graft and corruption in Washington--and the obscene influence money exerts over politics today. Both Republican and Democratic leaders are now poised to offer "solutions" to this unseemly situation. These solutions, however, must do more than simply scratch the surface of this enormous problem. And dramatic changes to this dysfunctional dynamic of Washington politics are unlikely unless the public gets engaged.

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Executive Order to 'Improve' Freedom of Information Act

President Bush issued Executive Order 13392 on Dec. 14 to help improve the processing of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Open government advocates, however, argue the order is no substitute for legislation in the Senate that would solve many of the underlying problems with FOIA. Executive Order 13392 requires that each federal agency:
  • create a high level chief FOIA officer in each agency;
  • conduct an internal assessment of FOIA service problems and develop a work plan for making improvements;

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After Brinksmanship, PATRIOT Act Is Extended One Month

Among the fireworks at the close of the 2005 congressional session, the extension of the 16 sunset provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act underwent a series of last-minute brinksmanship maneuvers.

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