Tag: Charles Koch

Congress, Constitutional Law, Courts, Free Speech, International, Justice, Lawyering, Politics, Uncategorized

Corporate Greed

department of treasury

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor

Now that we have celebrated Thanksgiving, I was struck by the news that Congress is considering legislation that would grant large tax breaks to corporate citizens and actually remove tax breaks for the poor and the middle class.

‘ “This Congress seems willing to give huge tax cuts to big businesses—who are already doing better than ever—but somehow can’t prevent tax increases on 50 million working Americans that will occur when expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit expire,” Harry Stein, the Associate Director for Fiscal Policy at American Progress Action Fund, told ThinkProgress. “This is a great deal for CEOs and a terrible deal for struggling families.”’ Nation of Change  Continue reading “Corporate Greed” →

Constitutional Law, Courts, Justice, Politics, Society

The Arizona Solar Tax and Who Benefits From It

300px-Solar_Plant_kl

Respectfully submitted by Lawrence E. Rafferty (rafflaw) Weekend Contributor

When I think of places that would be ideally suited for taking advantage of solar power, Arizona is high on the list.  There are approximately 20,000 Arizona buildings utilizing solar collection technology to replace or supplement normal power sources. However, that number may soon decrease if a new “solar tax” is implemented.

“A new interpretation of state law in Arizona could force customers to pay property taxes on leased solar panels. In a state with an estimated 20,000 solar customers and 85 percent of new solar installations being leased systems, the implications of an extra charge are tremendous. The new tax could result in an additional $152 per year for a residential solar array and even more for larger installations, the Arizona Republic reported. What’s more, the tax would apply to both new and existing customers.” Think Progress

At first glance, I guess it should not surprise anyone that a new tax may be initiated.  However, when that tax is a tax on solar panels on commercial and residential buildings and includes solar panel arrays that are leased, it raised some eyes in Arizona.  Why would the State of Arizona decide on a tax on the collection of power of the sun?  The answer may surprise you. Continue reading “The Arizona Solar Tax and Who Benefits From It” →