payroll tax holiday

Casual Dining Chains Still Feel the Pinch

The overall economy may be picking up, but restaurants are hurting. And it's the casual, or family-style chains – such as Red Lobster, Applebee's, and Bob Evans – that are feeling the most pain.

What Walmart's Outlook Says About the Whole U.S. Economy

Walmart on Thursday reported higher profits, but offered a weak forecast for the months ahead. The problem? The poor and middle-class Americans Walmart caters to -- and who are big drivers of U.S. spending -- are struggling with rising gas prices, delayed tax refunds and higher payroll taxes.

Walmart Blames Taxes for February Sales 'Disaster'

Walmart released its fourth-quarter results Thursday morning, reporting a mixed bag on earnings and sales. But the big story of the day was the retail giant's February sales "disaster," which it blamed largely on tax issues.

Walmart Internal Emails: Sales Figures a "Total Disaster"

Bloomberg got its hands on some internal emails exchanged by Walmart executives discussing recent sales figures, and they paint a grim picture of the situation at the world's largest retailer. Asks one executive: "Where are all the customers? And where's their money?"

Tax Law Changes You Need to Know About for 2013

Just because the IRS is left scrambling to catch up with the fiscal cliff tax regulations shouldn't stop you from preparing your income tax return. Here are some important changes to the tax code to help you get started.

Consumer Confidence Plunges as Payroll Tax Holiday Ends

U.S. consumer confidence plunged in January to its lowest level in more than a year, reflecting the cut to take-home pay nearly all working Americans were hit with after Washington allowed a temporary Social Security payroll tax holiday to expire.

Despite Deal, Taxes to Rise for Most Americans

While the tax package that Congress passed New Year's Day will protect 99 percent of Americans from an income tax increase, most of them will still end up paying more federal taxes in 2013. That's because the legislation did nothing to prevent a temporary reduction in the Social Security payroll tax from expiring.

Fiscal Cliff Averted: Details of the Deal

An agreement was reached late Monday between the White House and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell aimed at averting the fiscal cliff. Early Tuesday morning, the Senate passed the bill, and late Tuesday night, so did the House. Let's break down the key points of the deal.

The 9 Most Important Financial Stories of 2012

Sometimes the most important news stories get overshadowed by short-term crises and teakettle tempests. With that in mind, we at DailyFinance decided to take a look back at the nine stories of 2012 that are likely to have the biggest impact on your wallet in the year ahead.

Fiscal Cliff 'Cliffs Notes': How We Got to the Edge in 5 Easy Steps

Back in July 2011, President Obama and Congress set the country on autopilot toward economic Armageddon to give themselves an incentive to reach a budget deal. It didn't work. As we stare over the fiscal cliff, let's take a quick look back at the path we took to get here.

Fiscal Cliff Calculators: How Much More Will You Owe If We Fall Off?

As the fiscal cliff fight between President Obama and congressional Republicans grows more heated, it's starting to look as if we might fall over the cliff. But what would this mean for your 2013 budget? We've rounded up the best fiscal cliff calculators we could find to help you figure that out.

Fiscal Cliff Pop Quiz: Fun Facts from the Economic Apocalypse

On Jan. 1, 2013, the United States will fall over off the fiscal cliff -- unless Congress and the president ink a deal to avert the crisis. If you think you know all about the forthcoming economic apocalypse -- or if you're just wondering what all the fuss is about -- check out our quiz and see.