payroll tax

When it comes to Social Security's woes, the potential cures discussed the most are unpleasant: Raise the retirement age, reduce payments, or raise the tax rate. Fortunately, those aren't the only options.

Between debt ceiling debates, the crisis in the eurozone, and battles over tax rates, money issues filled the front pages in 2011. Here are our picks for the seven stories that most directly affected your wallet.

The House has passed a two-month renewal of payroll tax cuts for 160 million workers and unemployment benefits for millions of jobless, giving President Barack Obama a resounding victory over Republicans who control the House. The Senate approved the bill earlier Friday.

House and Senate leaders traded demands Wednesday but remained mired in a bitter holiday-season stalemate that is threatening 160 million workers with Jan. 1 tax increases and millions of the long-term unemployed with an end to their benefits.

On Thursday, GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann may have inadvertently made one of the boldest moves of the 2012 primary campaign. Speaking on Fox News, the Minnesota congresswoman stated that she wants to adopt Ronald Reagan's tax plan, a rate structure that's much higher than current tax rates.

Washington has been borrowing Social Security's surpluses for decades and issuing IOUs in return. However, the ability to pay those IOUs depends on the Treasury borrowing more money on global bond markets at affordable rates. That's hardly a sure thing.

The first few paychecks of 2011 will be issued soon. If you think you see a few extra dollars in yours, you aren't mistaken: You're benefiting from the new payroll tax holiday. The payroll tax holiday is a special, one-year break for taxpayers created under The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance...

The $858 billion compromise tax bill passed the House Thursday at midnight, and is on its way to President Obama's desk. With its passage, and the GDP growth it will propel, his reelection is more in the bag than ever. What effect it will have on jobs for the rest of America, though, is far less clear.

President Obama insists that his agreement with Republicans will help working people avoid a pay cut. But as tax experts look at the full package more closely, it has become clear that low-end wage earners will indeed take a painful hit.

The Obama administration is trying to encourage people to buy annuities for retirement. But a little-noticed provision of the new health care reform law slaps a 3.8% tax on payouts from certain annuities. And, not surprisingly, the life insurance industry isn't happy about that.