Property taxes levied on single-family homes in the United States increased 3.6 percent to $339.8 billion in 2022, according to a new report from a real estate data firm. That’s up from $328 billion in 2021. The 2022 increase was more than double the 1.6 percent growth in 2021, but smaller than the 5.4 percent […]

A government agency wants to find out just how much taxpayer money is lost to fraud at the federal level. The U.S. Government Accountability Office is attempting, for the first time, to estimate the total amount of fraud in the entire federal government. Comptroller General of the United States Gene Dodaro said his agency could […]

Twenty-two attorneys general, led by South Carolina AG Alan Wilson and Alabama AG Steve Marshall, are urging Congress to pass legislation to allow states to jam contraband cell phones being used in prison, “and quickly.” Prisoners are using contraband cell phones to conduct illegal activity “with no way to block them, and are posing an […]

Public transit agencies that can’t find new funding or make cuts could face a fiscal cliff, according to the latest report on the sector from S&P Global Ratings. The credit rating agency gave the public transit sector a negative outlook as challenges pile up for operators while they spend down more than $70 billion in […]

Federal debt soared by $1.4 trillion in 2022 as President Joe Biden and Congress approved multiple new spending packages. The Congressional Budget Office released the final details of federal spending in 2022 showing the federal government had a $1.4 trillion deficit last year, borrowing roughly $82 billion in December alone. “This is not a pretty […]

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that construction on a barrier at the Yuma sector of the southern border would start next week. A press release on Jan. 6 explained that the federal government would “close gaps” near the Morelos Dam, a primary location for illegal crossings in Arizona. “The safety and security or our […]

Food prices soared in 2022, and so far there are few solutions on the horizon for 2023. The latest Consumer Price Index Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that grocery prices increased 12 percent in the previous 12 months, far higher than the already elevated inflation rate. The BLS index for wholesale prices […]

The optional standard rate for deductible costs for operating an automobile for business will increase to 65.5 cents per mile in 2023, a 3-cent increase from the current rate, according to the IRS. The new rates begin Jan. 1 and apply to electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, gasoline, and diesel-powered vehicles, according to an IRS news […]

It turns out that California is one of the least charitable states in the union. When it comes to charitability, California ranks near the bottom among the 50 states, according to the World Giving Index created by WalletHub. California ranks 42nd among the 50 states in this year‘s rankings. It follows the trend of some […]

Texas and Florida lead the U.S. in population growth, according to new Census Bureau estimates. Texas saw the largest population gain in the United States. Florida had the largest percentage increase and the fastest population growth, according to the data. Texas for the first time became the only state other than California to now have […]

College football bowl games are known to create publicity for universities, increase donations from alumni, and promote tourism for host cities. Players appear on national television, travel to a new or warm-weather destination, and receive recognition items. But does playing an extra game affect a student-athlete’s academics? After discovering from their students how much student-athlete […]

A bipartisan coalition of 37 attorneys general are requesting the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) improve protections for airline customers. The coalition, led by Democratic Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, sent a letter on Monday urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to adopt proposed rules for airline ticket refunds and other protections. It stated appreciation for […]

Recently released survey data reports that the majority of Americans are feeling the pain of inflation and living paycheck to paycheck. PYMNTS released its latest survey, which showed that as of November, 63 percent of U.S. consumers say they are living paycheck to paycheck, a 3 percent increase from the previous month but roughly the […]

Inflation remains one of their top concerns for Americans heading into 2023, according to a new WalletHub survey. Prices on a range of goods and services have increased by more than 7 percent since November 2021, according to the Consumer Price Index. Nearly one in three respondents from the Wallethub survey said they planned on […]

Ahead of the holiday season, a California-based online dating investigation service is warning a specific consumer group to be on high alert for online scams: teenagers. Money lost by teenagers grew by 1125 percent over the last five years compared to 390 percent for seniors, according to Social Catfish’s new State of Internet Scams 2022. […]

Florida’s new Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson wants to restrict the sale of The Sunshine State’s farmland to foreign countries after increasing concerns about what foreign buyers—namely Chinese companies closely affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—are doing with the agricultural land once they purchase it. Food costs and supply are becoming a point of […]

The federal government is looking to dole out nearly $2.3 billion to “expand and modernize” intercity passenger rail across the country. But a leading transportation analyst says that Amtrak, the nation’s passenger railroad, doesn’t have any plans to break even. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced the money in a Notice of Funding Opportunity published […]

Ohio has a court date for the first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Google. Delaware County Common Pleas Court set May 14, 2024, as the date Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost begins his case against the internet search giant in an effort to have it declared a common carrier and subject to government regulation. “By manipulating search results […]

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued a consumer alert warning on Tuesday about a Google Voice identity theft scam that appears to be on the rise. “Scammers are preying on users who post in online marketplaces – posing as buyers in an effort to access a victim’s authentication code,” Moody said. “If the scammer accesses […]

Fitch Ratings said Friday that the outlook for state and local governments was “deteriorating” and an expected recession could put pressure on state and local governments to raise property taxes. “Local governments may face slowed growth or possibly contraction in tax revenues associated with real property valuations, which may trigger expenditure controls or revenue-raising measures […]