Posted on 12/06/2009 12:48:00 PM PST by Publius
Are you kidding? And get hit with some kind of Carbon Tax? No Thanks!
Actually, it's looking more and more like if you really want to give something like that away, you should simply do so and not try to get a tax credit for it. It would be more painful, but it would be charity straight-up with no benefits to you on the side.
Memo to all: don't claim a charitable contribution without having the backup for it, i.e. check, receipts, plus a letter from the donee.
Obama's going to put the screws to the IRS to bring in every last dollar...count on it.
I laughed. Crickets on the other end.
I've had "clients" that griped about my fees, and took their business to H&R or one of the other services. Most of the time, they came back the following year.
When I get a call from a referral, I tell them my average cost ranges up to $150, based on time, not # of forms. If they have SE income, I tell them it can run beyond that, because you're dealing with home office, vehicle, and other business expenses.
If I see they've had a tough year financially, I add a pretty hefty "parish discount" to the return. I do these returns as an aside, so I merely look to be compensated for my time and supplies.
My costs have decreased thanks to switching from Turbo Tax. Their annual license fees ($300-$400) are pernicious, and I know use TaxAct. It may not have all the forms, and bells & whistles, but it handles 99.5% of what I need.
She’s working under the table. Why would anyone making $18k pay for H&R to fill out their 1040 EZ form?
IMHO, this is not the kind of publicity a CPA firm would desire. The idea is to not be audited, let alone an audit for a lower income person.
I'll bet her return was prepared as an accommodation to her father. It was given to a newer accountant, or admin assistant, and no questions were raised about unreported income.
My only audit lasted almost no time. Prove this, prove that, done. Too many people think that you can claim stuff without documentation. Home offices are the worst. People think a computer in a corner is an office.
An orgy of delight over technology does nothing for you when you go before the IRS and they say, oh, these records from your medical providers, spelling out every expense and the reason, are not enough.
Perhaps you have become known to them as a scrupulous and/or tough and/or persistent enough accountant that they do not bother your clients (especially established ones) any more.
Well, after you pay income tax on your earnings, turn around and pay sales tax on the things you purchase, and then end up having to pay death tax on what you have left, screw the government. It’s nice to be able to give to charity and take the deduction - which is what the charitable deduction is designed for. If you think it’s a bad or immoral thing to receive a benefit (not being taxed) on items you’re giving away, then so be it.
Rather a stretch at the end there. All I said was that if the government is willing to strong-arm the citizenry for doing good (and not being able to prove that's what was done to the government's satisfaction), then the simply solution is simply to give without requiring any satisfaction in return. This is perfect Christian charity.
That said, for the government to basically assume, despite clear proof, that the giver is lying, and then to exert the strong-arm is, for me, evidence of tyranny and begins to raise other issues, such as what I might consider doing to remove such persons from any position of power. At the moment, I am basically resolved to vote against any Democrat on principle and seriously scan the bona fides of any Republican before I opt for them. The presumption in my mind will be that anyone seeking power in the USA is doing so in order to support fascist control of a rich and plunderable population. I will vote against that.
There are further options, of course.
People may have issues with EITC, but there is one aspect that some do not know. If you have a child that you claim as an exemption and you do not claim the EITC, the IRS will refund it to you anyway. This happened to me years ago when I had my first child. I had never heard of EITC and didn’t request it on my tax forms. The IRS adjusted my figures and sent me the EITC.
An old image, but a timely reminder.
BTW, they have an "expected tip amount" for a list of professions in different areas. If you report less than that, expect an audit. The expected amount never gets adjusted downward either (like it should be when the economy is in the sewer).
Thanks!
Thanks!
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