The dreaded tax audit – one of the few events in life that annoy or scare Americans more than actually having to pay their taxes. Even though the chances of getting audited are less than 1% for most Americans, the following advice can assist in tax planning and help protect taxpayers from being a tax audit victim. Continue reading “Don’t Be a Tax Audit Victim!”
Government spending constantly goes up, no matter what politicians promise.
With so many government programs, pork barrel spending and earmarks, it’s no wonder this country’s debt continues to rise. And exactly how does the government pay for all this? With taxes, whether creating new ones or increasing the rate of existing ones. The following blog discusses some of the strategies available that can help keep the government out of your wallet! Continue reading “Watch Your Wallets!”
Nobody likes paying taxes, but everyone likes being able to reduce the taxes they have to pay. There are several ways you can get a few tax breaks, whether it’s a tax deduction, tax credit or tax exemption. Even if you already utilize a few, you may still be asking yourself if you’re taking full advantage of what’s available. When you prepare your tax return, are there any tax breaks or secrets that you might be missing? The following article will discuss a few tax breaks available to almost anyone that you could be missing out on. Continue reading “ALERT: Tax Breaks for the Average Person”
Unlike the past few tax seasons, you have a few extra days to file your taxes in 2016. This is because 2016 is a leap year and Emancipation Day, a recognized Washington, D.C. holiday, is on Friday, April 15th. In addition to having until April 18th to file your taxes, the following tips can provide additional help in wrapping up your 2016 tax season.
The Premium Tax Credit is a refundable tax credit designed to assist eligible people with moderate incomes afford health insurance purchased through the Health Insurance Marketplace. In California the agency is known as “Covered California.”
Continue reading “Monitor Your Premium Tax Credit; The Afforable Care Act”
The Internal Revenue Service has again issued an urgent warning about telephone scams that continue to claim victims. The pattern seems to be that the thieves make unsolicited phone calls, claiming to be from the IRS and demanding immediate payment of taxes by credit card or wire transfer. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration has received 90,000 complaints about these scams. He estimates that thieves have stolen an estimated $5 million in these scams.
Continue reading “Tax Scams”
“Forbes” magazine recently published an informative (and somewhat humorous) article about tax myths widely held by many. We hear these false beliefs every day from tax clients. They deserve repeating. (Thanks, “Forbes”.)
The IRS has announced a new appeals process to begin September 2nd, which hopefully will benefit taxpayers trying to settle their cases. At the 2014 IRS Nationwide Tax Forum in August, it was announced that “the focus is going to be on settling cases” and that “the Appeals staff will not raise new issues.” The stated goal is to enhance customer perceptions of a fair, impartial, and independent Office of Appeals.