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[ad_1] California lawmakers on Monday approved the nation's first penalty for gas price gouging, voting to give regulators the power to punish oil companies for profiting from the type of price spikes that hit Californians last summer. The Democrats in charge of the state Legislature worked quickly to pass the bill on Monday, just one week after it was introduced. It was an unusually fast process for a controversial issue, especially one opposed by the powerful oil industry, which has spent millions of dollars to stop it. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom used his political muscle to pass the bill, calling for a special legislative session last December to pass a new tax on oil company profits after the average price of gas in California hit a record high of $6.44 per gallon, according to AAA. Taking on the oil industry has been a major policy priority for Newsom, who is viewed as a potential future presidential candidate. He is expecte

[ad_1] Despite the cooling market , many homeowners made money selling their property in 2022 — and part of that windfall may be taxable. Home sellers made a $112,000 profit on the typical sale in 2022, a 21% increase from 2021, and a 78% jump from two years ago, according to ATTOM , a nationwide property database.  While most sellers fall under the thresholds for capital gains taxes , high-dollar home sales or long-term ownership can trigger an unexpected bill, experts say. More from Smart Tax Planning: Here's a look at more tax-planning news. Here's how it works: Home sales profits are considered capital gains, with federal tax rates of 0%, 15% or 20%, depending on your 2022 taxable income. (You calculate "taxable income" by subtracting the greater of the standard or itemized deductions from your adjusted gross income.) As a single home seller, you can exclude up to $250,000 of your profit from capital gains taxes and you can shield up to $500,000 as a married