State senators voted unanimously Thursday to give a tax break to women who choose to install what one lawmaker calls “non-original equipment.’’

Sam Coppersmith thinks he got us. (See his column on the following page.) Good try, Sam, but you should have done your homework, like reading the fine print of the Clean Elections Act.

People complaining about people not paying federal income tax should know the truth ... not the propaganda spewed by some radio personalities. Here are facts courtesy of Forbes Magazine, a Republican Bible. The vast majority of non-income taxpayers fall into three categories:

Arizona residents who opted to pay taxes for online purchases have given the state a slight windfall.

The Internal Revenue Service is warning senior citizens and other taxpayers to beware of an emerging scheme tempting them to file tax returns that claim fraudulent refunds. Refunds are promised to people who have little or no income and normally don’t have a tax filing requirement. The con artists tell their victims they can obtain a tax refund or nonexistent stimulus payment based on the American Opportunity Tax Credit, even if the victim was not enrolled in or paying for college.

IRS Free File opened Tuesday for this tax season. Individuals or families with 2011 adjusted gross incomes of $57,000 or less can use Free File software. Free File Fillable Forms, the electronic version of IRS paper forms, has no income restrictions.

Arizona is providing consumers a way to pay tax on items purchased over the Internet on all state 2011 tax forms.

Perhaps Rod Livdahl (letter of 3/20) should review his Econ 101 textbook before he presents his next lesson on the subject. “Trickle Down” and “Trickle Up” are not economic terms. They are political terms, coined by Liberals to mock and distort serious economic discussion. There is no authentic “Trickle Down” school of thought that proposed the enrichment of the wealthy by government action in order to allow some of that wealth to somehow dribble down to the masses. “Trickle Up” appears to be an advanced term invented by Mr. Livdahl.

Raise taxes on the wealthy. Cut spending on the poor and middle class. The battle rages on.

When did America start punishing financial success or inherited wealth? We don’t punish educational or sporting successes or achievements. We don’t punish people who are born good-looking or well-built do we? If a student studies hard and earns a good grade do we reduce that test grade to a lower grade and bring up a failing student?

Hey folks, “It’s tax time once again.”

Remember a few of these famous statements from our conservative friends? Come on, you've heard them repeated for decades now!

Nearly 160 million workers will benefit from the extension of the reduced payroll tax rate that has been in effect for 2011, according to a news release from the Internal Revenue Service.

Chandler is seeking volunteers to help prepare taxes for the elderly, disabled and families with limited incomes who cannot prepare their tax returns. The city is asking volunteers to donate one session per week during five events scheduled for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. The events will take place from Jan. 30 through April 12. Volunteers can take a free instructor-led Internal Revenue Service course in tax law on Jan. 7. Or, they can take a course in tax law through on online, self-paced instruction, followed by a test to determine their certification level.

The U.S. Senate's support Thursday for a tax relief package that temporarily repeals the burdensome double taxation on dividends is a start, but more is expected in the future.

Robert L. Hale: Thirty-eight state budgets are in the red. The Government Accountability Office estimates that federal debt, on a per-household basis, is between $299,880 and $754,095. The difference is based on whether all households are counted or just those that pay income taxes. The GAO points out that the debt is the result of entitlements and unrestrained government spending.

Despite the recent chatter about a flat income tax -- a tax that every income earner pays regardless of their level of income -- the idea is dead unless its supporters figure out a way to get together and support the idea that a flat tax is a fair tax. I believe we can unite.

Homeowners in the J.O. Combs Unified School District are outraged by what they think is a significant tax increase associated with the district's budget for the 2008-09 school year.

Legislative budget analysts say the federal budgetary “fiscal cliff” may have a bright side for the state treasury, at least in the short term.

PHOENIX (AP) — Maricopa County supervisors have voted to keep the current property tax rate, but less money will be coming into county coffers due to declining property values.

The Arizona Retailers Association is gearing up to mount a public-relations campaign to garner support for requiring online retailers to collect state sales tax.