It’s rare that an individual wins a victory against the IRS.
Rarer still is a landmark victory that could mean thousands in deductions for others.
But that’s exactly the double-feat nurse Lori Singleton-Clarke accomplished, winning a ruling that her nearly $15,000 in business school deductions were legitimate. This judgment makes it easier for other professionals to claim from an MBA tax deduction. (more…)
If you’re confused about the First Time Homebuyers’ Tax Credit, you’re not alone. Months after it was enacted, this tax credit is still causing taxpayers trouble. It’s not just the long delays—not just the constantly changing rules—not just the extra work on top of the already complex process of buying a new home. No, the big problem with the first time home buyer’s credit is all the new forms you have to deal with.
Here’s a quick list of the more common ones: where you get them, what you do with them, and what to watch out for.
Planning on buying a new car? Now might be the best time. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, commonly known as the Federal Stimulus Bill, provides some enticing incentives for purchasers of new cars and several other types of motor vehicles. The incentive is in the form of a tax deduction on your 2009 tax return. The initial form of the legislation provided for a tax credit, but the final legislation that was passed made it into a tax deduction. Depending on your income level and the vehicle you are planning to buy, this benefit could yield a fair chunk of change in your pocket.
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The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was designed to get the economy moving again by getting people to spend money. It’s off to a slow start, because most of what the plan calls for is new spending: new infrastructure projects, new subsidies for alternative fuels, new educational stimulus money, and more local handouts. But there’s already a “stimulus” plan in place that can handle all that, and more! (more…)
Bloggers and forums are abuzz over the news that TurboTax may be calculating the Recovery Rebate incorrectly. Apparently TurboTax users are getting letters from the IRS complaining that they claimed too large a credit for the rebate, and that they’ll need to pay it back. The TurboTax team has responded to explain some of the confusion, but that’s not the whole story.
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One of the fastest responses to the real estate slump was a new homebuyer credit. The plan, of course, was to stimulate new home purchases. It may have already had an effect — housing starts have jumped lately, and the property market has stabilized — but that may not be enough. If the National Association of Realtors gets their new plan enacted, the credit will be nearly doubled, and the “First-Time” part of “First-Time Home Buyer Credit” will be dropped.
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