IRS cuts ACORN connections

Tax plea for 'Girls Gone Wild' founder

Viva VITA!

IRS cuts ACORN connections

Thursday, September 24, 2009

In the wake of embarrassing (and in one case, allegedly illegal) videotapes of ACORN employees offering bad tax (and other) advice, the IRS has ended its relationship with the group.

The IRS announced it will no longer use Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) employees or services in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), one of the IRS' free nationwide tax-preparation services.

Recently both the House and Senate passed legislation to cut off federal funds to ACORN.

Several Representatives, led by Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), also wrote to IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman and President Obama urging an end to all federal relationships with and money for the group.

This is just the latest unwanted attention for ACORN from the IRS. The tax agency has filed liens against ACORN offices in New Orleans claiming that the group owes more than $548,000 for missed payroll tax payments from July 2007 to March 2009, according to the Louisiana Pelican Institute for Public Policy, a conservative-leaning nonprofit. Copies of the liens are posted on the Institute's Web page.

Meanwhile, ACORN has filed a lawsuit against filmmakers James O'Keefe (faux pimp), Hannah Giles (fake prostitute) and Breitbart.com LLC (which posted the videos online) for alleged "illegal videotaping" of ACORN employees in Baltimore. Under Maryland law, taping is legal only if both parties are aware of and agree to it.

Posted on Thursday, September 24, 2009 at 11:00 AM in Current Affairs, IRS, Politics, Taxes | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Weekly Tax Tip

Home basis key in making disaster loss claims — When making major disaster loss claims on your tax return, your damaged or destroyed home's value is key. To arrive at that amount, you must take into account the property's basis. (Sept. 20, 2019)
Check out all the latest post-Tax Day tax advice in the 2019 edition of Weekly Tax Tips. Many of these once-a-week tips will focus on planning moves to cut your 2020 tax bill. If, however, you're working on a filing extension for your 2018 return, you can get a refresher of the 2019 Filing Season Tax Tips at their respective monthly pages: January, February, March and April.

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Kay Bell — Native Texan (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.

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Tax Season 2019 continues!
Are you among the almost 15 million taxpayers the IRS estimates are now on extension to file their 2018 tax returns? That new Oct. 15 tax filing deadline will be here before you know it. The countdown clock below will help you track the days until that absolutely final filing due date arrives. Maybe in the next six months, we'll have a better handle on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changes!
Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.

Time for Tax Tasks

Sept. 1: Summer unofficially ends today. It's the Labor Day weekend, a three-day break before we all settle into the autumnal routines of back-to-school and full work days. If you took advantage of the long weekend to make one more out-of-town trip, then you might have noticed some states, 14 to be precise, hiked their gas taxes earlier this year.

Sept. 2: Happy Labor Day! This celebration of workers' contributions is a federal holiday and day off for many.

via GIPHY

In most employment situations, workers are employees. Some folks, however, are the boss. And in entrepreneurial instances that operate as passthrough companies, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act's §199A deduction could be valuable at tax filing time.

But the new tax reform bill also took away a prior tax break, the ability to claim some business related expenses, such as union dues, as an itemized deduction. That miscellaneous claim is no longer on Schedule A.

Sept. 6: School is back in session. But it's not just students facing lessons. Parents of elementary, secondary and college kids need to do their homework to learn how Uncle Sam can help cover some educational costs at all levels.

Sept. 8: Happy Grandparents' Day!
If you're an older grandma or grandpa, pay attention to your overall earnings. Your added retirement income could result in some of your Social Security benefits being taxed.

If you're helping out an older parent, Mom or Dad could be qualify as a dependent and help you claim the new $500 tax credit for qualifying dependents.

Sept. 10: If your job compensation includes tips and you received $20 or more in gratuities in August, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer by today.

Sept. 11: Today is Patriot Day, the annual observance to remember those who died or were injured during the terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11, 2001. On this annual National Day of Service and Remembrance, you can find charitable remembrance activities in your area through the National Corporation for Community Service, which grew out of the many commemorations of the 9/11 victims. You also can contribute to the nonprofit of your choice, either one that assists victims or in the name of someone you wish to honor.

Click image to visit the
Community Service Facebook page.
While the time you volunteer is not tax deductible, if you itemize you might be able to deduct your donation of cash or goods.

Sept. 13: This Friday the 13th was scary enough, but then you got that Internal Revenue Service notice notice. Don't panic. These 13 tax notice tips can help you deal with the IRS correspondence today or any day.

Sept. 16: It's estimated tax time again. Your third voucher for the 2019 tax year is due today, a day later than usual since the Sept. 15 deadline was on Sunday.

Sept. 23: Fall officially arrives today with the autumnal equinox at 3:50 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. It's a good time to think about home maintenance that will help you weather the coming colder weather. While making those necessary repairs, also consider home improvements that could increase your home's basis and guarantee you won't owe any capital gains tax on your eventual residential sale profit.

Sept. 30: September is ending, but not the 2019 hurricane season.

September started on an ominous storm note, with the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian heading for the United States' eastern seaboard.

This month typically is the busiest of the storm season, which runs through Nov. 30, so be ready. The countdown clock below can help you keep count of how many more days you have to track the tropics.

You also can find tips on getting ready, physically and financially, for hurricanes, as well as tax help for recovery efforts and tax deductions for donations to those who are hit by natural disasters at the ol' blog's Storm Warnings pages.

Small Business Tax Calendar: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to know. You can get more tax calendar information at the IRS' online calendar page and view the full year's important business and individual tax dates in IRS Pub. 509.

State Tax Help

Don't forget your state taxes!
Forty-three states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the seven states without an income levy, you still face other state (and local) taxes.

State Tax Departments provides links to your state's Web page. The companion page, Tax Tidbits, is the compilation of blurbs about each state's tax laws. And for more state tax news, check out all our state tax bloggings.

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I gotta tell ya ...

AKA Disclaimer:
I am a professional journalist who has been covering tax issues since 1999.
I am not a professional tax preparer.
The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It is provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It is not a recommendation of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of products or services are not endorsements. In other words, my ramblings on the ol' blog are free advice and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it comes to filing your taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent or other qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.

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