Can you pay all debts, public and private with whatever legal tender you’d like, one man alleged caused such a nuisance while trying to pay a $600 property tax bill with intricately folded singles, his efforts landed him in jail. [More]
taxes
CT Tax Commissioner: Walmart Tax Refund Service Just A Lure To Get You To Shop At Walmart
By 1.29.15
Walmart recently announced a service that allows consumers who use certain participating tax preparers to pick up their refunds at a Walmart store. The program already has one high-profile detractor in the form of Connecticut Commissioner of Revenue Services Kevin Sullivan who says he believes the program is intended to get consumers to spend their refunds at Walmart. [More]
IRS Says Thousands Have Been Scammed Into Paying Bogus Back Taxes
By 1.23.15
Let’s be honest for a moment and acknowledge that not everyone is 100% honest or accurate when filing their tax returns. There are lots of people out there who wouldn’t be shocked to hear from the IRS that they owe more or didn’t pay enough, which is why thousands of Americans have been scammed out of millions of dollars by con artists pretending to represent the IRS. [More]
Walmart Lets People Pick Up Tax Refunds In Cash In Stores
By 1.20.15
Happy first day of tax season! Today is the first day that you can file your federal income tax return. Most Americans have to file a tax return, but a substantial number of people still don’t have bank accounts and conduct life in cash. Walmart wants to keep people in that situation away from check-cashing stores…and keep them in Walmart with a great big wad of cash in their wallets. [More]
Beware Of Unprepared, Unscrupulous Tax Preparers
By 1.20.15
While one might assume that it requires a modicum of tax expertise and perhaps some sort of certification to be a paid tax preparer, the sad fact is that most states have little to no standards for selling tax preparation services, meaning that once again millions of Americans are being put at risk when seeking help with their tax returns. [More]
IRS Free File Program Open To Qualifying Taxpayers Starting Today
By 1.16.15
While the Internal Revenue Service won’t be accepting electronically filed tax returns until Jan. 20, the agency’s Free File program is open starting today for those taxpayers who make an adjusted gross income of $60,000 or less. The Free File site features free access to federal tax preparation and e-filing software from 14 different tax-prep companies, and offers helpful links to help guide taxpayers through the process. [IRS.gov Free File] [More]
L.A. Warning Airbnb Hosts About Their Tax-Collecting Obligations
By 9.10.14
Subletting one’s home or renting out space on your own property has long been a way for some Los Angeles residents to earn some extra income without telling the taxman. And the rise of home-sharing services like Airbnb and VRBO has only encouraged more people to make money off their unused rooms. But the city of Los Angeles is now sending stern reminders to people who list properties on these sites that they have to pay taxes similar to those paid by hotel operators. [More]
New Jersey Mistakenly Tells 2,000 People They Underpaid On Taxes, Doesn’t Tell Them About Error
By 5.17.14
It’s one thing for a state with nearly 4 million people filing tax returns to screw up on a couple of thousand of those filings. It’s another when the state realizes it screwed up but doesn’t make any effort to let people know of the error. [More]
Take-And-Bake Pizza Sales Tax Quandary Shows How Confusing Tax Codes Can Be
By 5.12.14
Did you know that in some states, 24 to be exact, a Hershey bar is candy but a Twix bar is not, when it comes to taxes? I didn’t either, and it’s just that kind of baffling distinction — the Twix contains flour, and candy is classified as flourless — that’s making it hard for states to decide which foods are taxable under the sales tax code and which aren’t. [More]
Advocates: Bill Requiring IRS To Use Private Debt Collectors Would Harm Consumers
By 5.7.14
It makes sense that the federal government would want to collect owed taxes and a proposed law would require the IRS to push that duty off to private debt collectors. However, a history of abusive practices by debt collectors and the failure of similar programs in the past has consumer advocates warning that the provision will only hurt consumers and the government in the long run. [More]
Hackers Stole Doctors’ Tax Refunds By Breaking In To Payroll Software
By 4.30.14
Last week, we shared the scary news that a ring of tax refund fraudsters appeared to have filed tax returns on behalf of hundreds of doctors and other health care professionals, harvesting their refunds. Early theories were that hackers had used the recent release of federal data about Medicare providers, or obtained a list of doctors. The truth was even scarier. [More]
10 Ways To Not Suck At Spending Your Tax Refund
By 4.21.14
Tax season is finally over, and hopefully you’re one of the lucky ones who is expecting a tax refund rather than one of those who has to send even more money to the IRS. But before you spend that money on a third 72″ LED for your yacht, there are several more sensible ways to use your refund. [More]
My Taxes Are Done. What Can I Throw Out Now?
By 4.17.14
Unless you filed for an extension, your tax return is now done and posted through the mail or beamed through the Interweb to the IRS and your state government, if required. That’s a relief. Now, what items in your files should you keep, and which can you throw out? [More]
Tax Fraudsters Stealing Companies’ Databases of W-2s To File Your Taxes Before You Do
By 4.15.14
You’re great at security: you manage your long, secure passwords effectively, you shred all of your sensitive documents thoroughly, and you check your credit report and your online statements frequently. Good job! But all the micromanaging in the world can’t prevent you from being a victim of tax fraud if a hacker intercepts your W-2 and all of the information in it before it ever even gets to you. [More]
Ask Tax Dad: Doula Deductions, Pension Distributions, And The Sandwich Generation
By 4.14.14
Historically, our staff Certified Tax Cat has handled readers’ questions about taxes, but he took feline early retirement and hung up his oversized eyeglasses. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions. [More]
Fewer IRS Agents Mean Less Chance You’ll Get Audited This Year
By 4.14.14
Consumers with a perpetual worry of being audited each year can breathe a sigh of relief. Okay, maybe not totally, some people are still going to be audited after tomorrow’s tax deadline comes and goes, but the chances of such an audit are unusually slim this year. [More]
Intuit/TurboTax Using Non-Profits, Religious Leaders In Push Against Pre-Filled Tax Forms
By 4.14.14
We can understand why some people might have concerns about receiving tax forms that are already filled in by the IRS. We could understand why some would voice those concerns in a public forum. But is a line crossed when the people telling you to voice your concerns are the very ones who stand to benefit financially from your opposition? [More]
Ask Tax Dad: I Just Can’t Quit Itemizing My Deductions
By 4.11.14
Historically, our staff Certified Tax Cat has handled readers’ questions about taxes, but he took feline early retirement and hung up his oversized eyeglasses. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions. [More]
