Poor Sam didn’t take our advice. He let H&R Block do his taxes and then took out a refund anticipation loan. The money, which was deposited on an H&R Block Emerald Card, is now tied up by several inexplicable holds for transactions he didn’t make. The companies supposedly holding the funds have no clue who Sam is, or why they’d be holding his money. H&R Block’s only response is to charge Sam $2 whenever he calls their customer service line for help.
taxes
Nine West Overcharges You Because Calculating Taxes Is Hard
By 3.27.09
Nine West wasn’t sure how much tax to charge Jane for her online order so they have gave her a price that was $5.48 less than what they actually charged. When Jane wrote in to complain and to ask for her money back, Nine West explained that it was impossible to instantly calculate how much tax to charge because they use two highly-sophisticated tax gizmos that simply can’t interface with their online store. Jane wants to know if Nine West’s charges are ethical and whether it’s worth complaining over six bucks.
Spirit Airlines Charges $10 For Buying Tickets Anywhere But Ticket Counter (Again)
By 3.24.09
Habitually awful carrier Spirit Airlines is bringing back its “passenger usage fee,” which charges passengers $4.90 each way for booking tickets online or over the phone. The only way to avoid the fee is by purchasing directly from a ticket counter at the airport. Convenient!
New York Times: Walking Away From Your Mortgage, Not So Bad After All
By 3.22.09
Great news, distressed homeowners! If you aren’t eligible for the President’s homeowner assistance package and can’t negotiate a better deal on your mortgage, the New York Times says that turning in the keys and leaving your home may not be the end of your financial world. The Times mapped out a guide for dealing with the various players controlling your mortgage…
Why Is A.I.G. Using Our Money To Sue The Government For $306 Million?
By 3.22.09
A.I.G. is suing the government to recover over $300 million in tax breaks that the insurance company says were improperly denied. What sort of tax breaks? The sort otherwise known as illegal Cayman Island tax shelters.
Congress Considering Sending The IRS After AIG
By 3.19.09
The Washington Post says that the House will vote this afternoon on a bill that would seek to impose a 90% tax on the AIG bonuses. The Senate Finance Committee is also working on similar legislation, but have not yet scheduled a vote.
Next Saturday, Let IRS Agents Fill Out Your Taxes
By 3.15.09
Next Saturday, 250 IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers staffed with IRS agents will open their doors to anyone making $42,000 or less. With money tight for everyone this year, if you qualify, take the government up on its generous offer and let the IRS agents fill out your tax forms.
H&R Block Screwup Costs You $10,000
By 3.15.09
Last year H&R Block told the IRS that reader Tuyen made $33,000 in charitable donations. Tuyen, who earns $60,000 per year, collected a huge rebate, but when he returned to H&R Block this year, he learned that thanks to the screwup he now owes the IRS $10,000 in back taxes.
Videos: Getting Your Property Value Reassessed
By 3.12.09
Filing an appeal to get your property value reassessed so you can pay less property taxes appears daunting, but this video series from the California State Board Of Equalization is here to helps walk you through the process. It’s designed for California, but there’s things in here that you can learn from regardless of where you live.
Scrizzle: New Homeowners Can Get Up To $8000
By 3.11.09
First-time home buyers can get a tax credit of up to $8,000 thanks to the stimulus bill Obama signed back in February. You qualify if you bought between April 9, 2008, and November 30, 2009. To get the credit, use IRS Form 5405, “First-Time Homebuyer Credit.” Since house prices are going down, the credit isn’t anything to go and sign for a new crib this afternoon. But if you already got a home or were planning to, it’s extra jingle in your coin-purse.
Reduce Your Property Tax
By 3.11.09
Instead of having a Boston Tea party in your kitchen, check out the Homeowner’s Property Tax Reduction Kit (PDF, 1.4 MB). It’s got ways for you to check your assessment, identify errors, and how to appeal it. A state-by-state guide gives you the breakdown and specific laws for where you live.
IRS Fires Private Debt Collectors, Plans To Pursue Deadbeats On Its Own
By 3.7.09
The IRS has ended a controversial program that allowed private debt collectors to pursue individual debts owed to the government. The private debt collectors, described as “bounty hunters who collect taxes from vulnerable people for profit,” were allowed to keep 25% of any collected debts for themselves. Before we celebrate, let’s all take a moment to join Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa in thinking about those poor private debt collectors who no longer have jobs harassing and abusing people…
Beat An IRS Audit
By 3.6.09
Like a worst-case-scenario guide for taxes, tax attorney Fred Daly‘s Stand Up To The IRS helps you prepare for an IRS audit. Best of all, he’s released all the chapters online for free.
Thanks For Giving My Tax Refund To Someone Else, H & R Block
By 3.6.09
Q:What happens when HR Block copies your bank information incorrectly and deposits your tax refund into someone else’s account? A:The other person spends it and H & R Block shrugs and tells you to call the police.
This Grocery Store Truly Understands Tax Season
By 3.5.09
Reader Kevin took this photo at a Fred Meyer store in Seattle. It seems like they understand tax season pretty well.
Verizon Wireless Accused Of Wrongly Billing NY Customers State Tax
By 2.25.09
A class action lawsuit has been filed against Verizon Wireless accusing it of passing directly to customers a “metropolitan commuter transportation district” tax that the company was actually supposed to pay. Albert Levy, who filed the lawsuit, points out that Sprint has never charged the tax to customers. Verizon Wireless calls the accusation “silly,” and says they’re billing it correctly. Perhaps not surprisingly, the actual wording of the tax law leaves the matter up in the air.
Turbo Tax Tells You To Print An "Extra Form" But Won't Say Which One
By 2.22.09
Turbo Tax told reader I’m A Super that he needed to fill out an extra form to complete his state tax return, but wouldn’t tell him which form. Just to be safe, I’m A Super re-downloaded Turbo Tax only to get the same error message. When he called Intuit to ask about the mysterious form, he was that it was solely his responsibility to call the State Tax commission and to review his tax forms to make sure nothing was missing.
UBS Will Release Names Of Americans Hiding Money From IRS
By 2.20.09
Swiss bank UBS, which has “admitted conspiring to defraud the Internal Revenue Service and agreed to pay $780 million to settle a sweeping federal investigation into its activities,” has agreed to release the names of Americans who have been secreting away cash in UBS’ fabled Swiss bank accounts. The U.S. Justice Department has been investigating about 19,000 accounts, but the New York Times says the bank may only release a couple hundred names. Update: Now the IRS has asked a judge to demand that UBS turn over the names of around 52,000 clients. UBS says it will “vigorously challenge” the new request.
