How Congress Snuck in a 3.8% Tax Increase that Will Kick in on Jan. 1

“Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, the tax, which was adopted as part of the 2010 health-care law, is a 3.8 percent levy on interest, dividends, capital gains and passive business income received by taxpayers with incomes exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 for couples). Because the new tax was added to the health-care law late in the process without congressional hearings, it received little attention at the time. With only a few weeks left before it takes effect, it remains largely unknown. One problem with the unearned income Medicare contribution tax is the name Congress chose for it, which is a triple misnomer.”

http://www.economicpolicyjournal.com/2012/12/how-congress-snuck-in-38-tax-increase.html