Government Regulations

AUTOGEN: Automated Generation of Federal Tax Deposit Coupon
The AUTOGEN (Automated Generation of Federal Tax Deposit Coupon) form is a document mailed by the IRS to a taxpayer to accompany the employment tax deposit at any Federal Reserve Bank.
Automatic Extension: Granting More Time for a Taxpayer to File a Tax Return
An automatic extension allows a taxpayer more time to file a tax return by filing the appropriate form with the IRS by the original due date, although tax payments based on the taxpayer's best estimate remain due on the original date.
Ballot: Definition and Significance
A comprehensive exploration into the concept, types, and processes of ballots, particularly focusing on their use in voting and union representation in work groups.
Benefit Principle: Proposition on Taxation
The Benefit Principle is a proposition in public finance asserting that those who benefit from government expenditures should be the ones to pay the taxes that finance them.
Board of Equalization: Ensuring Fair and Uniform Property Tax Assessments
The Board of Equalization is a government entity responsible for ensuring fair and uniform property tax assessments at both local and state levels. It reviews tax assessments to confirm they are equitable and adhere to legal guidelines.
Buffer Stock: Agricultural Price Stabilization
Buffer stock refers to an inventory of a commodity held by the government or an agency to stabilize prices by purchasing excess production and selling it during low production periods.
Building Code: Minimum Structural Requirements for Buildings
Regulations established by a local government that describe the minimum structural requirements for buildings, including specifications for foundation, roofing, plumbing, electrical systems, and other safety and sanitation matters.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Principal U.S. Federal Agency for Labor Market Insights
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal U.S. federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. It collects, analyzes, and disseminates essential economic information to support public and private decision making.
Cadastre: List of Appraised Property Values in a Jurisdiction
Comprehensive explanation on 'Cadastre' which is a record maintained by authorities that lists the appraised property values in a jurisdiction used to determine the amount of tax assessed on each parcel.
CARD Act of 2009: Protections for Credit Card Users
The Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure (CARD) Act of 2009 is legislation aimed at protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices by credit card companies, including unjust fees and interest rate increases.
Censure: Act of Official Condemnation
Censure denotes an act by a governmental agency or professional organization indicating condemnation or significant disapproval of an action by an individual or firm, often resulting from material wrongdoing in professional duties.
Central Planning: Organizational Strategy Development
Central Planning as an organizational strategy where an agency centrally controls and coordinates activities and responsibilities, limiting spontaneity but enhancing coordination.
Certificate of Occupancy: Building Code Compliance
A Certificate of Occupancy is a document issued by a local government agency signifying that a building or dwelling conforms to local building code regulations. It is required for initial occupancy or transfer of title.
Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV): A Key Document in VA Mortgage Loans
Learn about the Certificate of Reasonable Value (CRV), a document issued by the Veterans Administration based on an approved appraisal, establishing the maximum VA mortgage loan principal.
Circuit: Jurisdiction and Mobility in Legal Context
A detailed examination of the concept of a 'Circuit', where a court possesses jurisdiction or travels from place to place to hear and decide cases, including historical context, applicability, and related legal terminology.
Civil Penalty: Fine or Money Damages
An in-depth look at civil penalties, their purpose, differences from civil remedies, and historical context.
Closing Agreement: Definitive Resolution of Tax Liabilities
A comprehensive overview of Closing Agreements, written agreements between taxpayers and the IRS that conclusively settle tax liabilities or specific issues affecting tax liabilities.
COBRA: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
An in-depth look at the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), its provisions, applications, and implications for health coverage continuation.
Command Economy: Centralized Economic System
A Command Economy is an economic system where supply and price are regulated by a central authority, exemplified by communist economies. Learn about its characteristics, historical context, and comparisons with other economic systems.
Commissary: Store Selling Food and Supplies
A commissary is a store that sells food and supplies, often at military outposts, typically subsidized to offer reduced prices for qualified clientele.
Commodities Futures Trading Commission: Regulatory Body Overview
Comprehensive overview of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, its regulatory function, historical context, applicability, related terms, and FAQs.
Competitive Bid: Sealed Proposal for Contract Award
A comprehensive guide on Competitive Bids, a method where prospective contractors submit sealed bids with price and terms to a purchaser who awards the contract to the best offer.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA): An Overview of Superfund
An in-depth look at the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund. This federal law mandates the cleanup of environmentally contaminated sites and enforces strict liability on potentially responsible parties.
Concession Agreement: Definition and Overview
A comprehensive examination of Concession Agreements, including their structure, types, key components, examples, and practical implications in international investments.
Condemnation: Taking Private Property for Public Use with Compensation
Condemnation involves the process where the government takes private property for public use, providing compensation to the owner under eminent domain. It is often utilized for public infrastructure projects and involves legal and tax considerations.
Conditional-Use Permit: Special-Use Permit Overview
An in-depth exploration of Conditional-Use Permits, also known as Special-Use Permits, including their purpose, types, and application in land-use planning.
Consent Order/Decree: Agreement by a Defendant to Cease Alleged Illegal Activities
An agreement where a defendant consents to discontinue activities deemed illegal by the government. It is court-approved and binding but lacks a definitive judicial determination.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA): Continuation of Health Coverage
An overview of COBRA, a federal legislation that requires group health plans sponsored by employers with 20 or more employees to offer continuation of health coverage to former employees and their dependents.
Consolidated Tax Return: Merging Tax Reports for Affiliated Groups
Comprehensive guide on consolidated tax returns, detailing how affiliated groups of companies combine their tax reports. Includes eligibility criteria, benefits, examples, and legal considerations.
Constitutional Rights: Guaranteed Rights by Federal or State Constitutions
A detailed analysis of Constitutional Rights, focusing on the guaranteed rights by either the federal or a state constitution, including the payment of just compensation in eminent domain proceedings.
Controlled Economy: Government-Directed Economic System
A controlled economy, also known as a planned economy, is an economic system in which government policy dictates much of the economic activity, rather than the free market mechanism. Examples include socialist and communist economies.
CONUS: The Contiguous United States
CONUS refers to the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia, often used in the context of federal per diem rates and travel regulations.
Council of Economic Advisers: Key Economic Policy Advisors
The Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is a group of economists appointed by the President of the United States to provide counsel on economic policy.
Countercyclical Policy: An Overview of Government Economic Responses to Business Cycles
Countercyclical policy refers to government economic policies designed to dampen the effects of business cycles, like the actions taken by the Federal Reserve Board in the early 1980s to combat inflation by raising interest rates.
Court of Record: Legal Definition and Importance
A court that is legally required to maintain detailed records of its proceedings, including orders and judgments. It has the authority to imprison and levy fines.
Criminal Liability: Legal Accountability for Violations Against the State
Comprehensive examination of criminal liability, its definition, types, considerations, applicable cases, historical context, and distinctions from other forms of liability.
Cumulative Bulletin: Comprehensive Compilation of IRS Material
The Cumulative Bulletin (CB) is a semiannual hardbound compilation of all content from the Internal Revenue Bulletin (IRB), providing authoritative guidance on tax issues.
Customs: Agency and Taxes on Imported Goods
An overview of the customs agency's responsibilities and the duties, taxes, or tariffs levied on imported goods.
Davis-Bacon Act: Federal Law on Prevailing Wages
The Davis-Bacon Act is a United States federal law requiring the payment of prevailing wages on public works projects. It mandates that federal government construction contracts, and most contracts for federally assisted construction over $2,000, include provisions for paying on-site workers no less than the locally prevailing wages and benefits paid on similar projects.
Debt Ceiling: Maximum Amount of Borrowing by the Federal Government
The debt ceiling is the maximum amount of money that the federal government is allowed to borrow. When the federal government approaches the ceiling, Congress must raise it in order to authorize additional borrowing and issuance of new debt by the Treasury.
Debt Limit: Maximum Debt Amount for Municipalities
A detailed exploration of the debt limit, its implications for municipalities, the process of approving exceeded limits, historical context, related terms, and more.
Declaratory Judgment: Court's Right and Opinion Decree
A detailed exploration of declaratory judgments, issued by district courts to establish the rights of parties or court's opinion on legal questions without mandating any action.
Dedication (Conveyance): Public Land Grants by Private Owners
In real estate, Dedication (Conveyance) refers to the transfer of land by a private owner to the public, subsequently accepted by a public authority. This can foster goodwill and serve public interest.
Deficit Spending: Understanding Government Borrowing
Deficit spending refers to the excess of government expenditures over its revenue, resulting in a shortfall needing to be financed through borrowing.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): Government Agency Serving Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a federal agency responsible for providing various services and benefits to discharged servicemen and servicewomen. Initially known as the Veterans Administration.
Deregulation: Reducing Government Regulation for a Freer Market
Deregulation involves reducing government regulation to allow freer markets, aiming to create a more efficient marketplace. It has affected industries like communications, banking, securities, and transportation, prompting increased competition, innovation, and mergers.
Diplomacy: The Art and Practice of Conducting Relationships Tactfully
Diplomacy involves tactful interactions to foster positive relations, whether between individuals or states. This comprehensive entry explores types, examples, historical context, and applicability of diplomacy.
Disability Program: Social Security Benefits for Disabled Workers
A detailed coverage of the Disability Program, part of the Social Security System, providing monthly benefits to disabled workers and their families who meet specific criteria.
Disaster Loss: Financial Implications of a Federally Aided Catastrophe
Understanding Disaster Loss involves the financial repercussions of events in areas declared by the President as warranting federal assistance. This entry breaks down the concept, implications, examples, and related terms.
Discretionary Spending: Spending Capability Not Mandated by Law
An in-depth look at Discretionary Spending, the spending capability that is not mandated by law or required automatically within societal systems. Discover its types, examples, historical context, applicability, and FAQs.
Discriminant Function System: IRS Technique for Selecting Tax Returns for Examination
The Discriminant Function System (DIF) is a sophisticated IRS technique utilizing mathematical formulas to identify and prioritize tax returns for examination based on their potential for tax error.
Document Locator Number: Unique Identifier for Tax Documents
A Document Locator Number (DLN) is a unique identification number stamped on tax returns, checks, and various documents that enables the IRS to efficiently locate and process specific documents.
Domicile: Permanent Home or Principal Establishment
Domicile refers to the permanent home or principal establishment of an individual or business, serving as the legal address for various purposes, including taxation.
Double (Treble) Damages: Enhanced Compensation in Legal Judgments
A detailed examination of double and treble damages, involving compensation amounts doubled or tripled in legal judgments as punitive measures for certain injuries.
Double-dipping: Ethical and Financial Implications
Double-dipping refers to the practice of individuals receiving benefits from two sources simultaneously, often leading to ethical and financial concerns.
Downzoning: Changing Land Use Intensity
The process of rezoning a tract of land for a less intensive use than that currently existing or permitted, known as downzoning.
Due Process: Procedures to Protect Property Rights
A comprehensive overview of the procedures the government must follow to legally restrict or condemn an individual's property rights, ensuring fair treatment and proper notification.
Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA): U.S. Economic Analysis and Data Dissemination
The Economics and Statistics Administration (ESA), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provides timely economic analysis, disseminates national economic indicators, and oversees the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).
Elderly or Disabled Tax Credit: Tax Credit for Eligible Individuals
A comprehensive guide to the Elderly or Disabled Tax Credit, its eligibility criteria, calculations involved, and its significance for taxpayers.
Electronic Return Originator (ERO): Comprehensive Overview
An in-depth look at Electronic Return Originators (EROs), their roles, responsibilities, and significance in the electronic tax filing process.
Electronic Return Originator (ERO): A Preparer or Collector Who Files Tax Returns Electronically
An Electronic Return Originator (ERO) is a tax professional authorized to prepare and file tax returns electronically. This role is critical in the tax filing process, ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and compliance with IRS regulations.
Employer's Liability Acts: Comprehensive Overview of Employer Liabilities
Understanding Employer's Liability Acts, their historical context, and their distinction from Workers' Compensation laws. Learn about employer duties, negligence, and the legal implications of these statutes.
Employment Cost Index (ECI): Tracking Employer Payroll Costs
The Employment Cost Index (ECI), issued quarterly by the U.S. Department of Labor, monitors changes in employer payroll costs, including salaries, wages, benefits, and bonuses. It serves as a key indicator for inflation trends.
Environmental Impact Statement: Comprehensive Analysis
An in-depth exploration of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), its significance, components, and applications in assessing the effects of development projects on the environment.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Guardians of Environmental Quality
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a federal agency tasked with various responsibilities to ensure the protection and improvement of the natural environment, including research, monitoring, standard-setting, and regulation of hazardous materials.
Equal and Uniform Taxation: Principle of Fairness in Taxation
Equal and Uniform Taxation is the principle that all persons of the same class must be treated equally, applying the same rate and value to property being taxed. It ensures fairness and equity in taxation.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): A Federal Agency Ensuring Nondiscrimination in Employment
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency in the United States tasked with enforcing laws against workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. This comprehensive entry covers its roles, responsibilities, history, and impact on employment practices.
Equal Protection of the Laws: Constitutional Guarantee
The essential purpose of the constitutional doctrine of Equal Protection of the Laws, embodied in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, is to ensure that the laws and the government treat all persons alike, unless there is some substantial reason why certain persons or classes of persons should be treated differently.
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA): Gender Equality in U.S. Law
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) aims to eliminate sex-based discrimination in laws. Though not ratified, its principles shape many statutes and court decisions.
Escheat: Reversion of Property to the State
Escheat refers to the reversion of property to the state in the event that the owner dies without leaving a will and has no legal heirs.
Estate Tax: Understanding the Financial Obligation at Death
Comprehensive Explanation of Estate Tax, Calculation Methods, Exemptions, Deductions, and Applicability. Understanding the Fair Market Value Assessment.
ETIN: Electronic Transmitter Identification Number
The Electronic Transmitter Identification Number (ETIN) is a unique identification number assigned to entities transmitting electronic data for the purpose of ensuring data security and traceability.

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