Monday, November 30, 2015

No Money to Pay Tax Debt? Say Goodbye to Overseas Travel

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One of the surface transportation funding bills pending in the Congress contains a provision that would permit the State Department to with...
Friday, November 27, 2015

Tax Challenge: Keeping Up With Technology

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Many years ago, New Jersey enacted a business personal property tax. Among other things, it applies to telephone poles, telephone wires, and...
Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Thanks Again!

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It is not uncommon for someone who has been the beneficiary of a gift, a favor, or a helping hand not only to say “Thank you!” but to close ...
Monday, November 23, 2015

Old Tax Returns Have Value

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Recently on the ABA-TAX listserv, the “how long must I retain past years’ tax returns?” question resurfaced. And again, all sorts of advice ...
Friday, November 20, 2015

Flat Tax Flat Lines

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We are told by Katie Pavlich that “Carly Fiorina has proposed a three page tax code” and that ”This is what it looks like.” Curious, I took...
Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The Fallacy of “Job Creating” Tax Breaks, Yet Again

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Readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of tax break giveaways to wealthy corporations as rewards for moving jobs from one state to an...
Monday, November 16, 2015

Not a Surprise: Tax Ignorance Afflicts Presidential Candidates and CNN

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The CNN Reality Check Team fell down when it fact-checked the latest Republican Presidential Debate . Among the many assertions made by the ...
Friday, November 13, 2015

Federal Government Inflation Adjustments: They’re On the Congress

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Several days ago, a Philadelphia Inquirer reader expressed bewilderment at the different inflation adjustment rates used for different fed...
Wednesday, November 11, 2015

So What Would You Do With a Duplicate Tax Refund?

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A recent tax case, not unlike many other tax cases, provides a disappointing insight into human nature. Unlike cases involving improper exc...
Monday, November 09, 2015

So Why Are Workers Struggling?

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Tom Giovanetti, of the Institute for Policy Innovation has released a commentary criticizing the myRA, Treasury’s latest retirement saving...
Friday, November 06, 2015

Income and Wealth Inequality Becoming a Disaster

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Everyone who reads MauledAgain knows that I consider the increasing income and wealth inequality in this country to pose serious short-term ...
Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Are Sellers of Cheap Pizza Tax Scofflaws?

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According to a recent story from Finland , authorities in that country are cracking down on restaurants that sell pizza for less than six Eu...
Monday, November 02, 2015

Taking and Giving Back

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It’s a familiar story. A private sector business asks for special tax breaks and taxpayer funding for an enterprise that already is extremel...
Saturday, October 31, 2015

When Candy Isn’t Candy

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From the outset, I have made it a point to work Halloween into MauledAgain, usually looking for the silly or goofy but occasionally taking a...
Friday, October 30, 2015

Where Do the Poor and Middle Class Line Up for This Tax Break Parade?

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There is a tax parade, and apparently the poor and middle class haven’t been invited. For those struggling to get by, if they can get into t...
Wednesday, October 28, 2015

God’s Blessing Can’t Save Prohibited Deductions

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Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code prohibits the deduction of “any amount paid or incurred during the taxable year in carrying on any...
Monday, October 26, 2015

What Tax Cuts Have Done

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When the wealthy, or at least the tax-hating segment of the wealthy, and their advocates push for tax cuts that benefit the wealthy, their j...
Friday, October 23, 2015

A Hidden Tax Twist?

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Recently, a Philadelphia Daily News reader posed a question to the paper’s personal financial columnist. The reader’s mother owns a home on...
Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Beachfront House Rental Deduction Washed Out

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A recent case, WSK & Sons, Inc. v. Comr. , T. C. Memo 2015-204, offers lessons on what not to do on a tax return with beachfront house r...
Monday, October 19, 2015

Will Taxpayers Sleep Well When They Read This Report?

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At the end of last month, the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration issued a report on its audit of the IRS proje...
Friday, October 16, 2015

Taxes, Consumption, Soda, and Obesity

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Readers of this blog know that I am not a fan of a tax aimed solely at soda or soda and sugary drinks. I’ve written about this issue in a se...
Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Taxes, Benefits, Freedom, and Greed

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When I read this article by someone identified as “Dennis S” about a story published on the Brietbart web site, I was delighted to note tha...
Monday, October 12, 2015

A Federal Income Tax on Everybody? How Would That Work?

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According to this report , Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, one of more than a dozen individuals seeking the Republican presidential nominat...
Friday, October 09, 2015

A Crappy Tax Idea?

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A reader directed my attention to a story that was published about six months ago. I missed it, perhaps because I was not using “poop” in m...
Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Putting More Tax Information “Out There” for the Tax Database Thieves

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In User-Friendly Taxpaying , Kathleen Delaney Thomas suggests that tax compliance can be increased if the tax paying process is simplified. ...
Monday, October 05, 2015

Analyzing Income Inequality

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I came across an interesting article focusing on the relationship between tax evasion and income inequality. The article reviews Gabriel Z...
Friday, October 02, 2015

Taxation of Prizes, Question Three

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Several questions were posed at a sweepstakes site . Here is another one that caught my attention: Since the prize values are reported as ot...
Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Taxation of Prizes, Question Two

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Several questions were posed at a sweepstakes site . Here is another one that caught my attention: I won concert VIP tickets, there is no va...