Tax Cat here, taking over from my cousin Holiday Cat, to remind you of an important deadline: You have until midnight on Friday to make a donation to Consumerist and use it as a deduction on your 2010 taxes. Consumerist? Tax deduction? That’s right. Consumer Media LLC, a not-for-profit Delaware limited liability corporation, publishes The Consumerist. We’re looking to raise $10,000 in the next few weeks. Help us now, and 2011 will be an even more awesome year for this site. That is why you should give us some money. Also: there are other reasons. [More]
taxes
5 Downright Silly Sales Taxes
By 12.24.10
Several months ago, we wrote about New York State’s decision to crack down on bagel vendors who weren’t charging an 8.875% sales tax on sliced bagels. Believe it or not, that’s not the silliest sales tax story of the year. [More]
Borders.com Charged Me 40 Percent Sales Tax
By 12.10.10
Reader M bought four books online from Borders for $17.82 and was charged $7.07 in sales tax. Unless the books were cigarettes, there was probably an error on Borders’ end. But M says the bookseller refuses to acknowledge a mistake. [More]
What The New Tax Deal Means For You
By 12.8.10
Besides the Bush tax cuts getting stretched another two years, the proposed new Obama-GOP tax deal has other goodies in the bag for you. [More]
Warren Buffett Thinks Rich Should Pay More Taxes
By 11.22.10
Most people who want tax increases seem to think the rate hikes should apply only to people wealthier than themselves. And many who want across-the-board tax cuts believe that lightening the tax load on the richest folks will create a trickle-down effect that helps everyone. [More]
Alabama Schools Paddle Kids With No Way For Parents To Opt-Out
By 11.11.10
Here’s an type of opt-out list we don’t often write about: Corporal punishment in schools is legal in lots of states, but if you assumed parents could always opt-out, you’d be mistaken. According to a report from WHNT in Alabama, one student was beaten until he was bruised because he failed a science test. [More]
Sorting Out Tax Consequences Of Asset Sales
By 10.16.10
If you sell something for a profit, you can expect the government to take its cut. [More]
Judges: Hookers & Porn Are Not Tax Deductions
By 10.7.10
No matter what you may think of the health benefits of a paid companion or of an XXX-rated DVD, the New York State’s Tax Appeals Tribunal has made it clear — hookers, pills and porn do not count as tax-deductible medical expenses. [More]
Deduct Costs Of Stinky Chinese Drywall From Your Taxes
By 10.1.10
You can get some money if your home was ruined by defective Chinese drywall that emitted nasty-ass sulfuric fumes. The IRS yesterday said that homeowners could treat the damages to both their homes and appliances as a casualty loss and deduct it from their taxes. [More]
Does A Sliced Bagel Count As "Prepared Food"?
By 8.25.10
It’s generally understood among bagel buyers in New York that you won’t be charged tax on a sliced, untoasted bagel with no butter, cream cheese or any other sort of spread. But with the state desperately trying to deal with budget shortfalls, it is now expecting bagel sellers to charge taxes on these often-untaxed items. [More]
Tax Lady Roni Deutch Sued For $34 Million By California AG
By 8.24.10
Last week, when we asked for nominations for really horrible TV ads, self-described “Tax Lady” Roni Deutch’s name was mentioned more than a couple times. Adding insult to injury, Roni is now being sued for over $34 million by the California Attorney General over allegations that her heavily advertised tax relief service doesn’t actually live up to its promises. [More]
It'll Cost You $300 To Blog In Philadelphia
By 8.23.10
I grew up in the Philadelphia area and I can’t remember a time when the city wasn’t described as “cash-strapped” by the local media. But I’d never imagine Philly’s financial follies would be so dire that it would begin requiring business licenses for businesses that don’t really exist. [More]
Town Catches Pool Permit Dodgers With Google Earth
By 8.2.10
New technology often has unintended consequences. In the case of Google Earth, a popular program that combines various satellite and aerial images to create a navigable 3D globe, it’s being used by one town to catch unpermitted pool owners. [More]
10 State Taxes That May Be Coming Your Way
By 7.30.10
As states scramble to fill coffers, lawmakers are getting creative in dreaming up new ways to tax you. [More]
If You're Rich, It's Cheaper To Die Before Jan. 1, 2011
By 7.15.10
If you’re a rich person, go ahead and die before Jan. 1, 2011: you’ll save a bunch of money for your family, says the WSJ. [More]
Government Study Says Airline Fees Should Be Disclosed To Consumers
By 7.14.10
A new study from the Government Accountability Office says that the “optional” fees that airlines have invented for checked and carry-on bags; meals; blankets; early boarding; and seat selection are not adequately disclosed and consumers are not able to easily compare the total cost of flights offered by different carriers. [More]
You're Paying Oil Pipeline Owners' Income Taxes
By 7.7.10
Investigative reporter David Cay Johnston has discovered a dirty little tax secret pipeline owners would like to keep more hidden than a giant plume of oil under the ocean. Turns out that when you pump gas into your car, you’re actually paying oil pipeline owners’ income taxes. [More]
Internet Sales Tax Bill Introduced Again
By 7.6.10
Last week, Massachusetts Rep. Bill Delahunt introduced a bill called the “Main Street Fairness Act,” which is a stupid name for a bill. The text of the bill hasn’t been released yet, but if passed, it would presumably set up a process where sales tax could be collected on purchases made over the Internet. As anyone who has shopped online over the past decade is probably aware, this has been an ongoing and thorny issue, since billions in online sales tax would provide a welcome revenue stream for struggling states. [More]
