[MarkL]

When we pay taxes, we are granting the government a portion of our working lives. When I pay about 40% of my salary of a 10 hour work day, that means that the government gets 4 of those hours of my life. Those are hours I'll never get back, and for which I'll never be compensated. I probably spend 15 to 20 hours a year dealing with taxes, getting all my ducks in a row for the nearly two hours I spend at H&R Block, which costs an additional $450. When I contract out to do work on the side, I'm paid between $130 and $150 an hour. So as I see it, my "compliance cost" for taxes is at least $3000 a year.

Saying that one shouldn't count the time working on taxes as a cost, simply because one will be doing that "after hours" when you wouldn't be paid anyway, is simply advocating slavery.

Mark

[NaturalBornConservative]

"I probably spend 15 to 20 hours a year dealing with taxes, getting all my ducks in a row for the nearly two hours I spend at H&R Block, which costs an additional $450. When I contract out to do work on the side, I'm paid between $130 and $150 an hour. So as I see it, my "compliance cost" for taxes is at least $3000 a year."

So other than the $450 you actually pay to H&R Block, how much do you actually spend in real dollars, because that's the amount you will be able to deduct for tax preparation? Unless you actually had to take unpaid time off from work for tax compliance, there's no way in my mind you can justify a fictitious expense. That would be fraudulent. If you disagree, try deducting the $3,000, and good luck justifying it in Tax Court after you're audited.

[Doe Eyes]

So if your time is worth $150 an hour, its not worth to make your own sandwich (you save so much going out to eat) much less wash the car or mow the lawn.