tax posts

A lawyer representing the hip-hop group, the Black Eyed Peas, has filed legal papers lashing out at the group's manager, Sean Larkin. The lawsuit, filed by Helen Yu personally, claims that Larkin bungled the Peas' finances, including the failure to file taxes and make proper tax elections. The Black Eyed Peas are not participants in the suit.

Yu filed the papers in Superior Court in response to a lawsuit originally brought against her and ten other defendants by Larkin in November. That suit alleges defamation-libel; intentional interference with contract; and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. Among the specific accusations is that when Yu learned that Larkin failed to file federal and state tax returns, she "hatched a deliberate and illegal plan to ruin Larkin's reputation and poach his clients."

Money may not grow on trees -- but cutting back on paper sure saves money. At least that's what a number of states are saying this year.

This year, states are encouraging the use of electronic filing for individual income tax returns by cutting back on the distribution of printed income tax forms in an effort to save money. While some taxpayers may complain, it's a decision that makes sense.

Consider these national statistics: last year, the IRS processed more than 140 million individual income tax returns. Two out of three of those returns were filed electronically.

This December, members of Congress find themselves grappling with what to do about expiring tax provisions (federal estate tax) as well as what to do about new taxes ("war" tax and health care surtax). In the midst of it all, Rep. John Carter (R-TX) has his own idea for consideration: the Geithner Penalty Waiver Act.

Rep. Carter's bill is officially known as H.R.4172 with the Title: To provide the same penalty rate for taxpayers who voluntarily disclose unreported income from offshore accounts as was afforded Timothy Geithner with respect to his failure to pay self-employment taxes with respect to his compensation from the International Monetary Fund. The unofficial title is the Geithner Penalty Waiver Act.

According to Rep. Carter, taxpayers who applied for the U.S. Treasury Department's amnesty plan for foreign income should pay the same penalty rate as that paid by the Treasury Secretary on his International Monetary Fund (IMF) back taxes. That penalty rate, in case you missed it, was zero.

Prior to his confirmation as Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner worked for the International Monetary Fund from 2001-2004, where he was classified as an independent contractor. Geithner failed to pay SE taxes (self-employment taxes, which are basically the FICA equivalent for an independent contractor or self-employed person) during that time.

Rachel Porcaro is the manager of a hair salon, and to look at her, you wouldn't think "tax fraud." If you were to walk into her home, you probably wouldn't think "these kids are obviously fictions of her imagination!"

According to the The Seattle Times, to see her with her two boys, 10 and 8, where they live with her parents, the three look more like a normal family headed by a single mom than any you could imagine. She works, pays her parents $400 rent a month, and pays to feed, clothe and provide for their preteen needs: toilet paper, toothpaste, soap.

That's not how the IRS sees it. Porcaro, the agency says, is making far too little, half the average necessary for a mom to survive with two children in the Seattle area.

It was the tirade heard 'round the tennis world.

U.S. Open Champion Serena Williams, in the midst of defending her titled against the unseeded, unranked Kim Clijsters, faulted on her serve in the second set. On the second serve, Williams was called for a foot fault (which replays indicated might not have been the proper call), making it a double-fault. The double-fault changed the entire game.

Williams went back to serve again -- and didn't. Instead, she stopped and walked over to the line judge, shouting at her, cursing and waving her racket and ball. Williams allegedly threatened the line judge, screaming, "I swear to God I'm f****** going to take this f****** ball and shove it down your f****** throat, you hear that? I swear to God."

The line judge, whose name has been withheld by the USTA, then went over to the chair umpire. After a conversation, the chair umpire awarded a penalty point to Clijsters, which ended the game.

The outburst initially resulted in a $10,000 onsite fine from the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) for Williams' bad behavior. It was the maximum onsite penalty that could have been imposed.

The authorities that run America's airports don't think you've been nickeled and dimed enough. They're lobbying Congress to hike the "passenger facility charge" from the current $4.50 to $7.50, levied each time you take off from an airport, not per trip. That's a jump of two-thirds.

An increase to $7, tucked into a measure set to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, is making its way through the House. The Senate has voted in the past to freeze the amount where it is, but we all know politicians. The caprices of either side can shift as quickly as the windsocks on the runways.

A rep for the American Association of Airport Executives (side note: never take money advice from a group with the word "Executives" in its name) told USA Today that the airports just want your money to "keep up with inflation," claiming purchasing power for the fee has decreased by 50% in nine years.

Headlines across the country are blasting that millions of taxpayers may owe come tax time because "the government was too generous with their new Making Work Pay tax credit," as the New York Daily News put it.

It sure makes for dramatic news coverage... only it's not quite right.

The government didn't make a mistake when calculating the Making Work Pay tax credit and this most definitely isn't something just hitting the radar of taxpayers. It just makes good headlines now.

The issue of too much withholding has been making news since the inception of the credit in early 2009. Yahoo even appeared to revamp an earlier version of the CNNMoney.com story released on this past Tuesday, titled "Stimulus surprise: 15 million people may owe taxes" from a piece released six months ago. Clicking on the link from the prior story, formerly here, now gives you a 404 error. Hmm.

If the trend in e-filing continues, the IRS expects more than 100 million individual taxpayers to file their tax returns electronically for the 2009 tax year.

More than one-third of those taxpayers will file by personal computer; the remainder will use a professional tax preparer or free file at an IRS site. No matter how you choose to e-file this year, following are some tips to make it as easy as possible.

Chances are, you filed your federal taxes electronically this year.

According to the IRS, about two out of every three individual taxpayers elected to e-file in 2009, up almost 6% from returns filed electronically in 2008. That works out to just a few million returns shy of 100 million individual returns, or 67% of tax returns.

It's a pretty incredible increase for the IRS e-file program which began just more than 20 years ago. In 1986, the first year of the program, just 25,000 refund-only returns were accepted in three locations, less than 1% of the returns filed in 2009.

The first time home buyer tax credit has officially been extended. If you're an existing home owner you may also qualify for the tax credit if you're planning on buying a new house! Check out this week's episode of Show & Tell with The 2 Mortgage Guys and we'll fill you in with the "nuts & bolts" of this new program. You can also get the complete details by visiting federalhousingtaxcredit.com.

Ryan Minick and Steve DeLon are The 2 Mortgage Guys. Subscribe to their newsletter or visit them at www.The2MortgageGuys.com.

The recession may be over, but many families are still feeling the effects. Unemployment is at a record 10.2% and wages are flat. The cost of gas is taking a bigger bite out of paychecks, and home foreclosures were one fifth of home sales in September.

To help, WalletPop is launching an occasional series in which your personal financial questions will get answered by our experts. Leave your questions in the comments section below.

Question: As a single, self-employed mother of two, I need to buy life insurance. How much should I buy?
--Laurie W., 51, psychologist

The Internal Revenue Service might be looking for you -- but not for the reasons that you think. The IRS is actually looking to dole out refunds worth more than $123.5 million to taxpayers whose refund checks were returned to the IRS by the U.S. Postal Service due to mailing address errors.

IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman wants taxpayers to come forward, saying, "We are eager to get this money into the hands of taxpayers, so don't delay if you think you are missing a refund. The sooner you update your address information, the quicker you can get your refund."

Updating your address with the IRS is easy. You can update your address online by visiting the "Where's My Refund?" tool on the IRS web site or use the telephone version of "Where's My Refund?" by calling 1-800-829-1954. You can also complete a Form 8822, Change of Address, downloadable as a pdf via the IRS web site or call 800–TAX–FORM (800–829–3676) to have a Form 8822 mailed to you.

The average number of undeliverable refunds rose by 16% this year, but the 107,831 refunds which remain outstanding still total less than 1% of the more than 142 million returns processed by the IRS. If you haven't received your refund, check with the IRS to see if your check was one of those returned by the post office. If it wasn't, and your check remains undelivered, you can receive a replacement check within six to eight weeks of making a claim by calling 1-800-829-1954.

Remember, a tax refund is your money. Don't leave it on the table.

Recently, a reader asked about how to properly file income taxes while in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. It's an important question because a key requirement to remain under the protections of Chapter 13 is continued compliance with required tax filings (see 11 U.S.C. § 521).

Chapter 13 bankruptcy is often referred to as the "wage earner's bankruptcy" because it's targeted to individuals who are still earning income. Under Chapter 13, an individual may repay all or part of existing debts over time (generally, three years) as part of a payment plan in exchange for a stoppage in collection activities.

As if you don't already have enough money worries. This is the year to double, no, triple-check, your taxes before filing. The IRS is looking for the money it's owed with renewed vigor, and that means a lot more people can expect to be audited. Why now? It's not hard to guess.

We've been hearing for months that the economy is finally on its way up, but the numbers don't actually bear that out.

As of last month, the federal deficit weighed in at a record $1.42 trillion and, depending on what Congress does, could double within the year. Estimates are that within the next ten years, the deficit will hit $9.1 trillion. Increases in the budget have been tapped for bailouts, CASH for clunkers, the first time homebuyer's credit and the controversial new health care plan. The problem? There's no money to pay for all of these programs.

If you live in Indiana and you're planning on buying or refinancing a home then you'll definitely want to file for you eligible property tax exemptions. And if you don't, then follow along and we'll explain some of the common exemptions as well as the impact it could make on your tax savings.
Ryan Minick and Steve DeLon are The 2 Mortgage Guys. Subscribe to their newsletter or visit them at www.The2MortgageGuys.com.