Tax history, trivia, and the lighter side of the tax world — because even tax law can be entertaining sometimes.
Tax day is almost upon us. And if you’re like me (and yes, I’ll admit it), your taxes aren’t done yet. And quite possibly, not even started. Have no fear. Taxgirl is here to help you out – with a little help from friends at www.digits.hrblock.com. I’ve got 40 copies of TaxCut software to give…
Okay, so I didn’t really say that when I was a kid. But I did come close. I did know that I wanted to be a lawyer and I wanted to work in international matters. And it was clearly fated. My great-grandmother, who lived in Greenville, SC told everyone that I talked like a Philadelphia…
In a surprising move, the IRS has announced that it is considering exempting bloggers from paying income tax on money earned from blogging. In its proposed regulations on the matter, the IRS pointed out that bloggers provide a valuable public service by making information available to the public for free. In some instances, this includes…
In consideration of the news that it’s costing us as much to promote and process the rebate checks as the combined Super Bowl advertising budget for the Patriots-Giants game, I’m launching a contest! Your challenge is to promote the economic stimulus plan via print, podcast or video. You can be as serious or as cheeky…
Jennifer, over at My Organized Biz, tagged me for a meme about rebates. She asks: 1, If you could do whatever you wanted, how would YOU spend your $600? 2, Is that the same or different from how you actually plan spend it? We’re *lucky* in that the government has decided, in its ridiculously inefficient…
One of my favorite tax stories to come out of the BBC (yes, even more than the new UK budget) is the saga of Hatsue Shimizu and Yoshiko Ishii. The two Japanese sisters have been arrested for alleged tax evasion – the National Tax Agency in Japan is calling it the biggest ever case of…
Police in Des Moines weren’t dusting for thumbprints after a robbery: they were checking tax forms. A man robbed a Git-N-Go store in Des Moines last Friday after threatening a clerk, claiming that he had a gun in his jacket. He pocketed $115 for his troubles. Apparently, he felt the need to pare down after…
I think one of the most frustrating parts of tax time is getting everything together. Back in the day, when I actually prepared tax returns for clients (I don’t have time anymore), I was amazed at the various styles of “organization” utilized by my clients. There were the über-organized with print outs and annotations; the…
Remember this movie? It was made by students Jon Chow, Dan Reich and Brittany Davies. They’re not tax professionals (they’re students) but their movie made me laugh. So, I caught up with them and asked them a few questions. Enjoy! 1. Where are you now? Brittany: 49o 16’01.16″ N, 123o 14’50.65″ W Jonathan: What she…
Wrapping up my series of presidential tax quotes (which was great fun to do), here’s my final quote for you to guess the speaker: #5: I am a tariff man, standing on a tariff platform.