IRS Awards Funds: Guess Who Gets Nothing?

12 November 2009

The IRS announced that it has awarded nearly $8 million in matching grants to support its Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. The funds will be divided between 147 organizations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Richard Byrd, Jr., the Commissioner for the IRS Wage and Investment Operating Division, said of the distributions, [...]

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Tax Havens Suddenly Not All the Rage

11 November 2009

Suddenly, it’s not so fashionable to have your money in Swiss banks. That’s sooo February 2009. This season, all of the trendy tax evaders are heading somewhere else.
In the wake of increased activity by IRS to track down previously undisclosed assets (joined by the taxing authorities in countries like the UK and Germany), [...]

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Health Care Reform and Taxes

10 November 2009

I just received a notice last week from my health insurance provider that rates at my office would be increasing an average of more than 25%. It’s not unexpected. Apparently, health insurance is one of the few industries which can regularly raise their prices by double digits each year without retribution.
But what is [...]

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Businesses Get Tax Break

9 November 2009

Don’t get too excited. It’s not a huge tax break – but it’s not a bad one either. A bill that was rushed through recently passed in Congress, known as The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009, will allow businesses to apply losses retroactively.
The bill, which was tacked onto the homebuyer’s [...]

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Bankruptcy and Tax Deductions

9 November 2009

I get a number of bankruptcy-related questions submitted via ask the taxgirl. That’s why I was intrigued when I was asked to write a piece on Wallet Pop about how Chapter 13 payments affect your taxes. You can check out what I had to say here: Wage earner’s bankruptcy doesn’t kill all [...]

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US Clashes With UK Over New Tax Proposal

8 November 2009

When it comes to economics, the US and UK tend to find themselves on the same page. A recent example is their consolidated front over the need for banking transparency – both countries took a tough approach with respect to the banking secrecy laws of in Switzerland and Luxembourg.
But this weekend, the US and the [...]

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Girls Gone Wild Founder Gets Plea Deal

7 November 2009

“Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis feels he finally got a break when a federal judge okayed a deal that Francis struck with prosecutors. Under the agreement, Francis was credited with 301 days already served and sentenced to one year of probation.
The plea deal was struck after Francis learned that a key witness, Francis’ [...]

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I’m on the Radio!

6 November 2009

I’m going all Clairee from Steel Magnolias on you. I’m on the radio!
You can check out my interview with Jeff Horwich on Minnesota Public Radio about “sneaky rich people” here (I’m right after the vaccine report):

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Housing Credit Extended – What Else Is New?

5 November 2009

If you’re opposed to extending the first time homebuyer’s credit (I am), you’re probably in the minority. And you’re definitely not in the Senate. The Senate voted unanimously to approve the bill and the House is expected to follow suit (at least the approval bit).
Under the new law, the first time homebuyer’s credit [...]

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Maine Says No To Tax Cuts

5 November 2009

If you ask a Mainer about taxes, you’re liable to get an earful: Mainers have one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. Nonetheless, on election day, Maine voters turned down proposals to cut taxes.
In a slow economy, Maine voters were leery of a proposal that would result in cuts in services. [...]

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