Washington DC Broadens Sales Tax Base For Good Tax Policy

In May, Washington DC’s Tax Revision Commission released its final report after hearing from experts and studying Washington DC’s tax issues. In July, changes from the report were enacted!

That is amazing. Typically, reports of tax commissions sit on shelves.

Included in sales tax reform was base broadening to include some services mostly used by consumers and ones people won’t obtain via e-commerce or by traveling out of state (although hair salons were not included in the final legislation, but in the commission recommendations). Instead of lowering the sales tax rate, they kept it where it is (1/4 point lower than Virginia and Maryland) and lowered individual income taxes.

Original Post By:  Annette Nellen

Annette Nellen, CPA, Esq., is a professor in and director of San Jose State University’s graduate tax program (MST), teaching courses in tax research, accounting methods, property transactions, state taxation, employment tax, ethics, tax policy, tax reform, and high technology tax issues.

Annette is the immediate past chair of the AICPA Individual Taxation Technical Resource Panel and a current member of the Executive Committee of the Tax Section of the California Bar. Annette is a regular contributor to the AICPA Tax Insider and Corporate Taxation Insider e-newsletters. She is the author of BNA Portfolio #533, Amortization of Intangibles.

Annette has testified before the House Ways & Means Committee, Senate Finance Committee, California Assembly Revenue & Taxation Committee, and tax reform commissions and committees on various aspects of federal and state tax reform.

Prior to joining SJSU, Annette was with Ernst & Young and the IRS.

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