If the U.S. Tax Code were food, it would be toast. Dry. Dull. Not particularly appetizing. Yet despite being “boring” toast is a vital food. In cases of extreme nausea, a toast may even save your life. Taxes show us what’s important In her book “The Public Opinion” tax and […]
In his 2003 book “Perfectly Legal” writer and investigative reporter David Cay Johnston delves into the U.S tax laws. His mission was to show how the very rich escape– in a perfectly legal fashion–the paying of taxes. The book raised both eyebrows and concerns. Is the U.S. tax system rigged […]
To cut to the chase: no. In order for you to be charged with and found guilty of fraud, the mistake has to be “willful.” You have to have what we in the legal world calls mens rea- or a guilty mind. You need a guilty mind to prove intent. What […]
Think about it: 155 million individual tax returns each year are processed by the Internal Revenue Service. That’s a lot of potential for error. When you take into account all of the people who contribute information to a tax return, that’s an incredible amount of opportunity for mistakes. Where mistakes […]
There are many potential red flags on your tax return. Most of us know that the Earned Income Tax Credit is something that can provoke an audit. We’ve also talked about lifestyle triggers; buying or writing off luxury items such as sports cars and first-class international airfare when your income […]
Anyone who’s ever flown first class to Europe knows that it makes a difference. When you are gastronomically pampered with a five-course French meal, including a cheese selection and a buttery croissant, that is also expertly paired with a 68-degree Bordeaux or bubbly Comtes Grand Cru AND you get to […]
Playing the lottery is a little like fishing. You put in you line and sit and wait, hoping for a bite. You tell yourself “somebody has to win.” And somebody always does. Sadly, the people who win do not always have a plan in place. It’s like fishing without a […]
Tax preparers know that the EITC stands for Earned Income Tax Credit, which for 2021 can range from $1,502 to $6,728. Tax prepares also know that the less you earn and the more children you have, typically, the greater credit you qualify for. Additionally, most tax preparers are well aware […]
Many people are watching Julian Fellowes’ new series “The Gilded Age” on HBO. The show follows three prominent (think the social circles that included Rockefeller, Astor, and Vanderbilt) families through events of the 1880s in New York. The show is categorized as an “American historical drama” that takes place during […]
Property theft can fall under two different types of charges. One is embezzlement and the other is false pretenses. There is a difference and it can be helpful to understand what each term actually means. What embezzlement entails Most people think of embezzlement when they think of white-collar theft. Embezzlement […]