Monday, June 29, 2020

How Not to Write Tax Break Statutes

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As readers of MauledAgain know, I am not a fan of tax breaks. Of course, the fact that I do not think they should be enacted doesn’t mean th...
Friday, June 26, 2020

A Reason Not to Run for Tax Collector (or Any Other Office)?

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There are many reasons that an otherwise qualified individual declines to run for public office. Political campaigns are filthy. Lies abound...
Wednesday, June 24, 2020

There Must Be More to this Tax Fraud Guilty Plea Story

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Last week, according to this news release from the Kansas Attorney General, a Topeka resident pleaded no contest to a charge of failing to ...
Monday, June 22, 2020

Wealthy Couple Loses Bid to Postpone Paying Tax Deficiency

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First, some background will help. When taxpayers are unable to pay their federal income taxes they can enter into installment agreements wit...
Friday, June 19, 2020

When Those Who Should be Protecting Tax Compliance Don’t Comply

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Tax return preparers are entrusted with helping people file tax returns that comply with the tax laws. Most tax return preparers fulfill thi...
Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Another Unwise Tax Proposal

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It appears that another unwise tax proposal has been put on the table. According to numerous reports, including this one , the idea is to pr...
Monday, June 15, 2020

How Not to Operate a Tax-Exempt Charity

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When people encounter charities, they usually think, “Here is an organization doing good work.” When people are asked to donate to a charity...
Friday, June 12, 2020

The Real Math Behind the Real Math Behind a Tax Increase

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A few days ago, in this editorial in the Villages-News titled “The real math behind the 25% Sumter County tax increase,” Craig Estep attemp...
Wednesday, June 10, 2020

The Bad Tax Idea That Won’t Go Away, and a Proposal to Make It Work

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Nine years ago, the previous administration and the Congress enacted a payroll tax cut in order to stimulate the economy. I wrote about this...
Monday, June 08, 2020

When Analyzing (Tax) Law, First the Facts, Then the Law

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One of the points I try to get across to my students is that analysis of the law cannot be undertaken properly until and unless the facts ar...
Friday, June 05, 2020

Tax Noncompliance: Greed on Steroids

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Readers of MauledAgain know that I have no sympathy for starving oligarchs who use some of their wealth to lobby for tax cuts that increase ...
Wednesday, June 03, 2020

Another Tax Trap for the Unwary

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Not all taxpayers realize that unemployment compensation payments are gross income for federal income tax purposes, and for purposes of stat...
Monday, June 01, 2020

No Charitable Contribution Deduction for Donating Services

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This time, reader Morris directed my attention to a web page directed at barbers who participate in the St. Baldrick Foundation’s head-shav...
Friday, May 29, 2020

Does the Donor of Brain Tissue Get a Tax Deduction?

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That’s the question reader Morris posed to me a few days ago. He directed my attention to a February 2020 article with the interesting titl...
Wednesday, May 27, 2020

So How Long Does It Take to Read the Internal Revenue Code?

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Reader Morris found a doozy. The folks at TaxAct offer a free Tax Code sleep track which they have named Tax Code Coma . Someone had the un...
Monday, May 25, 2020

Re-examining Damages When Tax Software Goes Awry

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For me, there are advantages to watching television court shows. Whenever I see one that involves a tax issue, or in which tax is a factor, ...
Friday, May 22, 2020

How NOT To Collect Unpaid Taxes

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The caption for this morning’s commentary comes from reader Morris. It’s the subject line from his email, though I put “not” in upper case l...
Wednesday, May 20, 2020

When Needing Tax Advice, Don’t Just “Google It”

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Those television court shows with a tax angle do come in bunches. There’s another one to add to the list of these shows on which I have comm...
Monday, May 18, 2020

The Meaning of an Interesting Phrase in a Tax Law

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Like most states. Michigan has a sales tax. Like most states with sales taxes, Michigan provides for exemptions from its sales tax. Here is ...