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Don't Mess With Taxes

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By the Numbers 2017

We finally are in 2017. Thank goodness. I am so jazzed for the start of the 2020 presidential campaign in a few weeks!

Numbers via 123BFOK, that's a joke. No more White House wannabes for a while, please, especially since we have an incoming president and Congress from the same political party. That means that for the first time in ages, we have the possibility of tax reform.

While we're waiting for a new and improved tax code -- and even after (or if) it really, truly happens -- I'll keep count of tax related stuff in By the Numbers.

2017 is the seventh year of this numerical tradition here at the ol' blog.

And in keeping with the numeric posts of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016, I'll select a new figure -- ranging from tax rate percentages to dollar amounts to titles of tax legislation to raw numbers and much, much more -- that has even a remote tax connection to be featured.

Again as in past years, I'll try to get the relevant figures up each weekend. But, one final (I swear!) again, sometimes stuff happens, meaning the number goes up early or, more usually, late.

Regardless of the timing, you can always find the new number on the ol' blog's home page under the multicolored numbers box (pictured on this page, too!), as well as on this special page. The newest post each week will go at the top of the list.

So welcome 2017. Here are your numbers!

  • $1.07
    Beer, wine and liquor get savings under new tax law (Dec. 31, 2017)
  • $34,558.65
    Cost of 12 days of Christmas cheer comes to $34,558.65 (Dec. 24, 2017)
  • 1,097
    Highlights of the GOP tax bill that's about to become law (Dec. 16, 2017)
  • $2.5 million
    Feds bust $2.5 million football survivor betting pool (Dec. 10, 2017)
  • 11
    The tax writing's on the bill, some of it possibly from more than 6,200 lobbyists (Dec. 3, 2017)
  • £3.3 million
    F1 champ Hamilton avoided millions in private jet taxes (Nov. 26, 2017)
  • $1 
    Mnuchin money meme arises from currency photo shoot (Nov. 18, 2017)
  • 13
    GOP tax plans would rub SALT in some Red State tax wounds (Nov. 12, 2017)
  • $13 billion
    Tax reform could cost charities $13 billion a year (Nov. 5, 2017)
  • $214.6 billion
    Tax evasion is a side hustle side effect (Oct. 28, 2017)
  • 2018
    Retirement plan inflation adjustments for 2018 (Oct. 21, 2017)
  • Jan. 31, 2018 (yes, again)
    California, U.S. territory taxpayers get disaster tax relief (Oct. 14, 2017)
  • 8
    Family businesses get estate tax break thanks to Treasury decision to revoke tax regulation (Oct. 8, 2017)
  • Nov. 13, 2017
    Tax reform details to be submitted by Nov. 13 (Oct. 1, 2017)
  • 41 percent
    Tax reform is top concern for small businesses (Sept. 23, 2017)
  • 802
    Countries' takes on Bitcoin and taxes vary widely (Sept. 15, 2017)
  • 143 million
    Protecting your financial & tax data from Equifax hackers (Sept. 9, 2017)
  • 30,000
    U.S. economy could take a big hit if DACA is revoked (Sept. 2, 2017)
  • Jan. 31, 2018
    IRS grants tax relief to Texans hard hit by Hurricane Harvey
     (Aug. 29, 2017)
  • 1,140
    U.S. & U.K. share similar tax law complexity problems (Aug. 20, 2017)
  • 2.25 percent
    Seattle bucks Washington State's no-income-tax rule, choosing to tax earnings of the city's wealthier residents (Aug. 13, 2017)
  • 3,500
    New IRS Criminal Investigation chief announces goals (Aug. 6, 2017)
  • $3 billion
    Foxconn promised $3B in tax breaks to build Wisconsin plant (July 29, 2017)
  • 8
    Treasury cites 8 burdensome tax regs that might be axed
     (July 23, 2017)
  • $1.7 million
    Rapper DMX accused of cheating IRS out of $1.7 million (July 15, 2017)
  • $300 million
    Mayweather files suit against IRS to avoid tax bill KO (July 9, 2017)
  • 2 cents
    Soda taxes will up holiday cookout costs in a few cities (July 2, 2017)
  • 0
    Tax professionals are target of yet another ID theft scam (June 25, 2017)
  • $19.4 billion
    Thanking dad on Father's Day for all of his support (June 18, 2017)
  • $68.3 million
    IRS joining lottery players in hoping for Powerball win (June 10, 2017)
  • 66 percent
    American expatriates don't like paying U.S. taxes (June 4, 2017)
  • ฿3 billion, £69 million and $88 million
    Joint Thai-British investigation breaks alleged auto export scheme that evaded billions in customs duties and taxes (May 28, 2017)
  • 10
    Armed Forces Day thanks to our military via celebrations, military-related tax breaks and tax-rewarded jobs (May 20, 2017)
  • 23.3 percent
    State sales taxes will add to your Mother's Day gift price (May 13, 2017)
  • 65 percent
    Many Americans oppose Trump's tax plan and want to see the president's tax returns first (May 6, 2017)
  • $303,717
    Sparsely populated Texas county is fracking richest in U.S. (April 30, 2017)
  • 113
    Tax Freedom Day 2017 has arrived! (April 23, 2017)
  • 4
    The scoop on paying estimated taxes (April 15, 2017)
  • 12,000
    Free tax prep, e-filing help at VITA & TCE sites nationwide (April 9, 2017)
  • $2
    California's cigarette tax jumped $2 on April 1 (April 2, 2017)
  • $1.5 billion
    Amazon wins $1.5 billion tax fight with the IRS (March 25, 2017)
  • 666
    When it came to tax filing, the Devil made him not do it (March 18, 2017)
  • 8.5 percent
    Thoughts on why the 2017 tax filing season is off to a curiously slow start (March 11, 2017)
  • $3,071
    Tax refund recipients say they'll save, pay off debt (March 5, 2017)
  • 60 percent
    Coloradans hate the state's new 'tattletale' sales tax law, but it will take effect this summer (Feb. 26, 2017)
  • 12
    Watch out for the Dirty Dozen tax scams of 2017 (Feb. 19, 2017)
  • 0.1 percent
    Mnuchin tax rule looks like it was made to be broken (Feb. 12, 2017)
  • $4.5 billion
    Americans expected to bet $4.7 billion on Super Bowl LI (Feb. 5, 2017)
  • $2,917
    Californians file most EITC claims; Mississippi taxpayers get biggest average check (Jan. 28, 2017)
  • 173,241
    1st White House petition of Trump era seeks peek at 45th president's tax returns (Jan. 21, 2017)
  • 418
    More tax whistleblowers were rewarded last year, but they got less money (Jan. 15, 2017)
  • 8
    8 tax bills already introduced in the 115th Congress (Jan. 08, 2017)

Happy tax counting!

Today's Tax Tip

  • What the one big tax bill could mean for you — It’s official. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is law, signed at a White House July 4th ceremony. Taxes are a major part of the nearly 1,000-page measure. Here’s a collection of articles on what the new tax (and more) law could mean for your tax planning and ultimate Internal Revenue Service bill. (July 5, 2025)


  • Tax Tip; click pencil for all tax tip links

  • The 2025 Tax Tips offer ways to file your annual return, along with post-filing advice, important tax news and, of course, ways to cut your current tax year bill. You'll find the monthly assemblages on their own respective pages: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Remember, tax tasks and tips don't stop after you file your annual return!

All About Kay

  • OK, some about Kay
    Open sign
    Kay Bell — Native Texan
    (the blog title totally makes sense now, right?). Professional journalist. Tax geek.
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  • Tax Year 2025 Continues!

    We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 27, the IRS said it expected more than 140 million individual tax returns for tax year 2024 to be filed by April 15. When the month started, the agency was around 39 million short of that number. While many taxpayers no doubt got their 1040s in by Tax Day, million every year get an extension to file. That's fine.

    In fact, the Internal Revenue Service appreciates some of us spreading out our tax submissions. It gives the agency time to process the surge of returns that arrive en masse on April 15.

    But enough about Uncle Sam's tax collection issues. The focus now is on all y'all who filed for extensions, giving you another six months to complete your return. Let's get started on meeting that new Oct. 15 deadline. It will be here before you know it.

    The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help you finish up your extended Form 1040. There also will be tax tidbits each month that make sure you meet other tax deadlines. And, of course, you'll find advice on ways to cut your 2025 tax bill.

    The monthly tips and reminders a little further down this column can help you finish up your extended Form 1040. There also will be tax tidbits each month that make sure you meet other tax deadlines. And, of course, you'll find advice on ways to cut your 2025 tax bill.
    Note: I'm in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.


Time for Tax Tasks


  • monthly tax moves


  • Welcome July!
    🗽 USA 🎆 Birthday 🎉 Time! 🦅


    This first full month of summer really knows how to get the season started: Fireworks across the country on July 4!
    Or, if your neighborhood is annoyingly like mine, fireworks from July 1 through July whenever the pyrotechnics are all boomed!

    Even more exciting, tax-related sparklers continue through the month. In fact, as the calendar of tax tasks below notes, they started before the wicks on any official Independence Day firecrackers were lit.

    toddler with flag background
    Click on the image for some fireworks safety tips and warnings from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

    I know, you're feeling like the youngster above, not quite ready yet to hear about taxes. But when you do take your hands off your ears to hear — or rather, scroll down to read — you’ll find some tax information to note and tax moves to make in July.

  • July 1: The majority of state individual and corporate income tax policy changes follow the calendar year and take effect each Jan. 1. But, notes the Tax Foundation, many sales and excise tax changes take effect today, July 1, which is the beginning of the fiscal year for all states except Alabama, Michigan, New York, and Texas. That’s why that notable tax changes will take effect in several states today.

    July 4: Happy 249th Birthday, America!

    Most of us will never be totally independent of taxes, but we can celebrate fewer tax hassles by paying attention to what we might owe and how we can reduce that amount throughout the year. As for that owed amount, if you meet most of your annual tax federal obligation via paycheck withholding, now is a good time to review that amount. If you need to adjust your withholding, the amounts will be less noticeable by being spread across 2025’s remaining six months.

    July 10: If your job is as a server at a restaurant or at any other establishment where gratuities from customers are part of your compensation, I hope you get all the tips you deserve for doing your job well. Remember, though, that those tips are taxable income.

    restaurant check tip iStock
    Whether you're dining at your favorite eatery or getting food, groceries and/or prepared meals, delivered to your home, if a tip isn't included on your restaurant or delivery bill, click the image above to calculate how much to tip the person who brought it to you.

    If you got at least $20 in gratuities in June for your extraordinary services as a food server or hair stylist or parking valet or whatever job where tipping is common, you must report that amount by today. Use Form 4070 to let your employer know the total tips you took in last month.

    July 11: Today kicks off the first of the annual summer state sales tax holidays. During these special shopping events, usually touted as back-to-school tax holidays, certain items are exempt from the states’ and usually the local sales taxes. Announced July sales tax holidays are (so far) in —
    Mississippi from July 11 to 13;
    Alabama from July 18 to 20;
    New Mexico from July 25 to 27, and
    Tennessee from July 25 to 27.

    July 18: If back in April you got an extension to file your 2025 tax return, you don’t have to wait until the final Oct. 15 deadline to do so. You can get this tax task out of the way so you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the summer. You also might be able to file electronically at no cost if your adjusted gross income (AGI), regardless of your filing status, is $84,000 or less by using the official IRS.gov Free File website.

    IRS Free File; click image for details

    Eight software companies are part of this year’s IRS-Free File Alliance partnership option at IRS.gov. They will be available through the Oct. 15 extension deadline, but again, you don’t have to wait. And if your income is too high, you still can file for free by using Free File's Fillable Forms option.

    July 24: Millions of us head to the beach to beat summer’s heat. But when the waters heat up, too, they can feed tropical systems. So far, the 2025 Atlantic (and Gulf of Mexico) hurricane season, which runs through Nov.  30, hasn’t been that bad. But federal forecasters say just wait. They once again are forecasting a more active than usual hurricane season. Before another tropical system forms, now is the time to get ready.

    Hurricane satellite image

    Uncle Sam's official forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center say we could get 13 to 19 total named storms, which are those with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, six to 10 are forecast to become hurricanes, meaning winds of 74 mph or higher. Three to five of the storms this season could become major hurricanes; that’s category 3, 4 or 5, with winds of 111 mph or higher.



    The countdown clock above can help you keep track of how many more days you have to worry about tracking any size or type of tropical storms. You also might want to check out the ol' blog's Storm Warnings collection of special pages with posts offer tax advice on preparing for, recovering from and helping those who sustain damages from the many ways that that weather goes wild.

    July 31: Summer is a great time to make home improvements. And there’s some added urgency this year if you’re relying on tax credits to help cover the cost of energy-efficient residential upgrades. Congress has targeted green energy tax breaks in its massive One Big Beautiful Bill. Many of the tax breaks will expire sooner than originally scheduled, so get your home improvements — and other environmentally friendly moves, like buying an electric vehicle — in under the tax law change wire.

    Small Business Tax Calendar: If you run your own company, you know there are myriad important filing, deposit, and record keeping dates throughout the year that your company needs to meet. You also can track key business and individual tax deadlines in IRS Pub. 509.

State Tax Help

  • Don't forget your state taxes!
    Forty-two states and D.C. collect personal income taxes. But even if you live in of the eight states without any 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.

Tax Forms


  • Tax Forms
    Thanks to our increased use of tax preparers and computer software, many of us don't see our tax forms until we sign and file them. But knowing what's on these documents, either in paper or digital form, and why the IRS wants it is key to understanding our tax system. And knowledge definitely is power, especially when it comes to tax savings. Find this valuable information in the ol' blog's special Tax Forms 2025 page.

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    You also might enjoy these other tax tips from some of my tax-writing colleagues:

  • J.K. Lasser 2025 Taxes
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  • Tax Savvy for Small Business 2025
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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 interpretation and 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. While I work to ensure each post's accuracy, the items are not recommendations of any specific tax action(s) you should or should not take. Similarly, mentions of commercial tax products or services are not endorsements.

    In other words, my ramblings on the ol' tax blog are free advice, and you know what they say about getting what you pay for. That's why when it is time for you to file your own taxes, I urge you to get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from an accountant, Enrolled Agent, or other reputable, qualified tax preparer who is familiar with your individual tax circumstances.

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COVID-19 & Taxes

  • COVID-19
    Coronavirus has wreaked havoc
    on the 2020 and 2021 tax seasons.
    These five Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Taxes pages have details:
    March-July 2020
    August-December 2020
    January-December 2021
    January-December 2022
    …and so it continues into 2023
    …and, alas, into 2024
    It is 2025 and, yes, it's still an issue
    You can find medical coronavirus resource links in the next section.

COVID-19 Resources

  • COVID-19
    Need help finding a coronavirus vaccine in the United States?
    Call 1-800-232-0233
    or TTY 1-888-720-7489.
    More information and resources at:
    CDC Vaccines
    CDC Booster Shots
    HHS Combat COVID
    USA.Gov COVID Info

July 2025

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
    1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
27 28 29 30 31    

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  • Uncle Sam representation on vintage postcard
    Uncle Sam on vintage postcard.
    ...............................................

Tell it to the Hill

  • DMWT Politics Posts
  • While it's easy to rail at the IRS, for the most part we can thank — or blame — Congress and the White House for our tax laws. So if you have an issue with tax legislation or want a tax bill passed, you need to let your federal legislators and the White House occupant know of your concerns. You can find out who in Washington, D.C., to contact (and how), as well as get information on your local lawmakers for matters, tax or otherwise, closer to home, at USA Gov.
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