It’s ba-a-ack!
Back by popular demand, this summer, Taxgirl is going back to the movies! That’s right, with Memorial Day blockbusters waiting in the wings, I’m reviving my “Taxgirl Goes To The Movies” feature.
Here’s how it works:
From time to time, beginning after Memorial Day, I’ll choose a movie to review. It may be a popular flick or it might be one that’s already been packaged for DVD or available on Netflix.
I’ll post my review – but it won’t be your run of the mill film review. Instead, I’ll focus on the tax considerations – and consequences – of the plot of the film as well as how the decisions made by the characters would play out in real life.
For example, do you depreciate or expense the cost of building an army of robot drones (a la “Avengers: Age of Ultron”)? Would the costs of an international competition be deductible for a college student (think “Pitch Perfect 2”). And admit it, you really want to know whether any of those 230 cars destroyed in “Furious 7” could be written off as a loss…
Previously reviewed movies have included such gems as “Trading Places,” “Blow”, “Ratatouille” and “Casablanca.” In my reviews, I’ve tackled presumption of death, international tax treaties, illegally gained income, commodities markets and estates issues. Fun, right?
I encourage my readers to nominate movies for review – especially those movies that have an interesting tax twist – just leave a note in the comments below or on Facebook. If I choose a movie that you’ve suggested, there may be (at my discretion) a fun thank you prize in it for you.
A quick caveat: I won’t do porn because I want to keep the blog safe for work (also, my mom could be reading) and I won’t do extremely violent films because I’m super squeamish. Also a scaredy cat. No Jennifer Lopez movies because I do have some standards (sorry, Jenny from the Block). But otherwise, I’m open to most genres.
So, nominate away. I hope you find the feature fun and informative. Welcome to summer!
