Kelly Phillips Erb, known as Taxgirl, is a tax attorney, writer, and speaker who explains tax news, IRS updates, scams, financial crime, and money in plain English.
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Eight Common Tax Filing Errors And How To Prevent Them
We all make mistakes. It’s especially easy to make mistakes at tax time because you’re feeling rushed and sometimes, a bit overwhelmed. It happens. The Internal Revenue Service has identified eight of the most common mistakes taxpayers make when filing returns. Here’s the rundown: Wrong or missing Social Security numbers. Transposing numbers can be as…
Ask The Taxgirl: Are IRAs Taxable?
Taxpayer asks: Last year, I cashed in my IRA to pay off some doctor bills. I lost my job and couldn’t pay but I did have my IRA so I used that to pay. I used the whole thing. Last month, I got a 1099 that says that it is all taxable. Please help because…
California Cigarette Tax Battle Attracts Money & Attention
If New York City Mayor Bloomberg gets his way, it will soon be a lot more expensive to light up in California. Yes, that Mayor Bloomberg, the same one that proposed a ban on sugary sodas this week. And yes, that California, three thousand miles away from New York City. On Tuesday, California voters will…
Governor Pat Quinn Proposes More Taxes In IL: Residents Worry Air Is Next
Illinois residents have been willing to deal with some pretty steep tax increases. But Gov. Pat Quinn may have gone too far this time: Quinn wants to tax coffee and sweetened tea products in grocery stores in the same manner as soft drinks. Gov Quinn has also suggested raising taxes and fees on driver’s licenses…
IRS Churning Out Math Error Notices, Frustrating Taxpayers
Over the past year, the IRS has been slow to process tax returns but has appeared to continue to issue notices – especially math error notices. While the IRS made 628,997 math error corrections last year through July 15, 2020, the IRS made about 9 million math error corrections on returns filed by taxpayers in…
Ask The Taxgirl: Autism & Special Needs Children
Taxpayer asks: My husband and I have a 4 yr old daughter diagnosed with autism (higher functioning). We are considering enrolling her in a private preschool that has a program specifically designed to help children with autism, something the public school system cannot offer. The yearly tuition is $22,000. Can any of this be tax…
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7% – PA. But I live in Phila county so our sales tax is 1% above the state rate.
7.25% – I live in Shasta Lake, CA just outside of Redding, CA. One good thing about this sales tax is double it and you have a tip.
Now that is positive thinking!
7.25% in Lincoln, IL.
Tennessee: 9.25% – 9.75% (depending on county) (-1% on food). Also, no state income tax.
Oregon, and boy am I lucky. No sales tax. 🙂
8.9%, near Seattle WA, and no state income tax
Chicago: 9%…It makes me miss living in St Louis, where it was somewhere around 6% if I recall correctly.
Metro Boston in good old “Taxachusetts”. State sales tax 5%, food (except restaurants meals) and the first $175 on any article of clothing are exempt. Local sales taxes are not allowed.
Income tax is 5.3% on all types of income (the higher rate for dividends was abolished at least 10 years ago). Local income taxes are not allowed. County government is very weak, where it exists at all. In most of the state, it was abolished.
Raising the sales tax would be bad for the environment, because most Bay Staters would drive to NH to shop, as they sometimes do already.
I think I’ll avoid Chicago. And I’m not sure if the IOC will give the Chicago the Olympics if the tax rates are so much higher than competing cities.