In the blogs: Sure seems that way

Earmarking and the deficit; next season's outlook; court shows and the IRS; and other highlights from our favorite tax bloggers.

Sure seems that way

• Tax Vox (https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxvox): With many programs out of bounds amid a tax cut extravaganza, could earmarking taxes help reduce the federal deficit?
• Eide Bailly (https://www.eidebailly.com/taxblog): President Trump singled out Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, for failing to speed up confirmation of judiciary nominations. The two also have a lower-profile dispute over the sunsetting of energy credits, which could end up determining whether millions of dollars in new energy projects go ahead.
• Global Taxes (https://www.globaltaxes.com/blog.php): Denaturalization has spread far and wide under the new administration. How those caught in the net may incur the dreaded U.S. "exit tax."
• CLA (https://www.claconnect.com/en/resources?pageNum=0): A Texas lawsuit and a surprising IRS shift could change the rules for religious speech.
• Taxable Talk (http://www.taxabletalk.com/): An Everest of tax law changes and a late start in mid-February: The blogger isn't ready yet to call next year's season another one from hell, "but it sure looks that way to me."

Things pleasant and un-

• Don't Mess with Taxes (http://dontmesswithtaxes.typepad.com/): Withholdings, retirement accounts, predictable healthcare costs: six tax moves to remind them about this month.
• Massey and Company (https://masseyandcompanycpa.com/blog/): What to tell clients who wonder if maybe, just maybe, they can miss an IRS installment payment — including what happens if they do.
• The National Association of Tax Professionals (https://blog.natptax.com/): This "You Make the Call" looks at Jan and Mark Hall, a married couple with no dependents and who filed jointly in 2025. One spouse received advance premium tax credits through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and neither was enrolled in employer-provided coverage. Their 2025 MAGI was $150,000, and they paid $14,500 in health insurance premiums by year-end. If all circumstances remain the same in 2026, will they continue to qualify for premium tax credit subsidies?
• Tax Pro Center (https://accountants.intuit.com/taxprocenter/): How to help clients verify that it's really the IRS making contact.
• Yeo and Yeo (https://www.yeoandyeo.com/resources): What to remind them about how and why income taxes can hurt estate plans.
• Meyers Brothers Kalicka (https://www.mbkcpa.com/insights): As George C. Scott said in Dr. Strangelove, "Truth is not always a pleasant thing." When and why should your nonprofit clients turn down a donation to avoid tax wrangles over the donor's behavior?
• Sikich (https://www.sikich.com/insights/): How to remind them that embracing audit readiness as a discipline and not a deadline drives operational clarity and reduces year-end stress.
• U of I Tax School (https://taxschool.illinois.edu/blog/): Tax talks with clients who have lost spouses can be challenging but are necessary. What to remind them if they owned a home with the decedent, including the implications of selling and the step-up in basis for inherited assets.
• Boyum & Barenscheer (https://www.myboyum.com/blog/): A recent webinar covers major changes for distribution and manufacturing under Big Beautiful.
• Trout CPA (https://www.troutcpa.com/blog): And what's up for the real estate industry?

Quiet disruption

• Taxing Subjects (https://www.drakesoftware.com/blog): Changed Earned Income Tax Credit requirements that tax pros should know for next season.
• Virginia – U.S. Tax Talk: (https://us-tax.org/about-this-us-tax-blog/): Tempting but sure flawed: How reliable is artificial intelligence for taxpayers seeking tax advice, particularly on U.S. international issues?
• Vertex (https://www.vertexinc.com/resources/resource-library/filter/field_asset_type/blog?page=0): IT leaders often have to drive digital transformation, juggling platforms, applications and infrastructure while keeping performance, scalability and security in check. Amid this intricate landscape, there's a quiet disruptor: fragmented tax technology. 
• Avalara (https://www.avalara.com/blog/en/north-america.html): What is a sales tax permit and why do your clients need to know?
• TaxConnex (https://www.taxconnex.com/blog-: A roundup of what's happened in states' sales tax this year.
• Canopy (https://www.canopytax.com/blog): Private equity firms are now focusing their investments on accounting firms and doing more than dipping their toes in. What's driving this PE surge, and how can accounting firms prepare?
• Mauled Again (http://mauledagain.blogspot.com/): Favorite headline of the week: "Do IRS Agents Watch Television Court Shows?"
• AICPA & CIMA Insights (https://www.aicpa-cima.com/blog): With almost eight years in a CPA firm and more than 25 in federal government agencies, the blogger recently retired from the best job: a CPA working for the citizens of the United States. Among the lessons learned: "Barriers to Accountability Are No Match for CPAs."