Most Recent Posts
Romney Returns – Could Son Of Boss Deals Be Worrying Him?
First off, I would like to start out by thanking Mr. Romney for not releasing a big batch of prior year returns and hope he will stand his ground and continue not to...
Should Scientology Entities Be Recognized As Exempt Organizations? – Part 1
Originally published on Forbes.com on July 17th, 2012 The Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise story inspired me to look into the tax history of Scientology. All I knew to start...
Don’t Use 501(c) Status As A Hallmark Of Credibility
Originally published on Forbes.com on July 15th, 2012 The Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise divorce got me interested in looking at the tax issues surrounding Scientology. I...
IRS Scientology “Thirty Years War” – Village Voice Legal Expert Argues “Treaty” Is Unconstitutional
Originally published on Forbes.com on July 14th, 2012 The Katie Holmes - Tom Cruise divorce has brought Scientology into the news. I read a lot more tax decisions...
The Discerning Person’s Guide To The Tax Blogosphere
Image by Jenna Grenbaum. Originally published on Forbes.com on July 13th, 2012 Before I started my own tax blog, I never paid too much attention to tax blogs. This is...
Julian Block Explains How To Save Taxes While Being Kind To Animals
My friend Julian Block seems to have a knack for coming up with practical down to earth tax advice. Frankly, several of his pieces have done a lot better than some of...
If Katie Holmes Has A Problem With Scientology – So Did IRS Until 1993
The Tom Cruise - Katie Holmes divorce has brought Scientology back into the news. It created a little puzzle for me. I constantly run into references to Scientology...
Taxing Marriage To Fund Domestic Violence Grants – Sense Or Nonsense ?
I'm of two minds about Jillian Jacobsen's unsuccessful class action suit against the County Clerk of Du Page County, and the Treasurer and the Attorney General of...
Worker Classification Issue Can Be Worse Than Disallowed Deductions
Whether someone is an employee or an independent contractor is a question of facts and circumstances. Basically this case has almost nothing that leans in favor of independent contractor status. I am citing it more as a cautionary tale for people who think they are all set for an income tax audit and get blindsided from another direction. Many of the IRS audit manuals for different industries emphasize the employer independent contractor issue which can sometimes create a larger deficiency than simply disallowing deductions.
Easy To Trip Up On Alimony Deduction
Here comes another annoying alimony decision. This one has a real gotcha to it. James Chiavacci was paying $500 per month in alimony. After about 13 years of that he...