Taxpayer asks: my friends told me that the IRS is deducting the stimulus check money from your 08 return! I thought it was free money! And now we have to give it back? Taxgirl says: Deep breaths. You don’t have to give it back. Here’s the confusion… The last set of stimulus checks in 2001…
Taxpayer asks: I deliver newspapers. Wondering if the Christmas money I receive is taxable. Also, why are lotto winnings taxable? How are you working for that money? Taxgirl says: I believe that the money that you receive at Christmas is taxable. It is not really a *gift* (read more about gifts and bonuses here). It’s…
Taxpayer asks: there is a lot of talk that we the people will be getting another stimulus check. Is that true? Taxgirl says: I know that folks want the answer to this question to be different… I know this because I receive several variations on this question per day – including a recent email from…
There has been a lot of discussion lately about increasing the national gas tax. In fact, a proposal to increase the tax, which currently stands at 19 cents per gallon, has been touted as recently as last week. The National Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing Commission (NSTIFC) has reported that the current infrastructure is dated and…
Gosh, I can think of about a hundred smart comments for this one… A porn star goes to prison? But my mother could be reading. So just the facts. Janine Lindemulder (a/k/a Janine James), a porn star who goes by the clever stage name “Janine”, learned her fate last week stemming from a guilty plea…
Psst. You. Over there, near the computer. The one pretending to work today but really not in the mood because of the holidays? Yeah you. I need a favor. Today is the last day to cast your vote for taxgirl in the ABA Journal Blawg 100. No registration required. All you have to do visit…
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. – Philadelphia’s own Benjamin Franklin Happy New Year!
It’s time for our annual review! Here are my picks for the top stories on taxgirl.com for the year: 10, Dancing With The Stars champ and race car driver Helio Castroneves is indicted on federal tax evasion charges. In a related story, my mother is stricken with grief and may never samba again (okay, I’m…
Tis the season! The questions to “ask the taxgirl” are coming fast and furious. Beginning in January, I’ll be posting more questions and answers than usual to try and work through the overflow in my inbox, so keep checking back. I am happy to try and answer your questions, so don’t be shy. Read how…
I previously blogged how to cut your 2008 individual income tax bill. I could hear the comments as I was writing: what about my business? Well, never fear! Following are some last minute suggestions to help save on your 2008 tax bill. But first, a word of caution: Just as with individual tax considerations, there…