My merry tax Christmas!

December 26, 2009

Not only does the hubby read the ol' blog, he acts on its suggestions! Sometimes.

Tax-Stories_Paul-http://www.typepad.com/site/blogs/6a00d8345157c669e200d8341bf6f353ef/post/6a00d8345157c669e2012876805286970c/edit?saved=e#Caron One of my Christmas gifts yesterday was Tax Stories, the book edited by TaxProf Paul Caron. I had mentioned it in my Holiday gifts for tax geeks post earlier this month with a parenthetical note to my sweet spouse.

Thanks, dear!

In addition to editing the publication, Caron wrote the introduction, Tax Archaeology, in which he concludes that the problematic results in the book's 10 Supreme Court federal income tax cases underscore that "perhaps the fault lies…in our income tax itself."

"Instead of chastising the lawyers and judges for consistently supplying the wrong answers, we should direct our fire at the Congresses and Administrations that created a tax system that inevitably asks the wrong questions," writes Caron. "Until fundamental reform of our income tax becomes more than a chimera, Tax Stories will remain without a happy ending."

Well said!

In addition to that rousing intro and intriguing chapter titles such as "A New Front in the War on the Income Tax," "The Use (and Misuse) of the 'Ordinary and Necessary' Test for Deducting Business Expenses" and "How a Widow's Misfortune Led to Tax Shelters," I was pleased to find another of my favorite tax bloggers was a contributor.

Daniel Shaviro, who pens Start Making Sense, wrote the book's final chapter. "Judicial Doctrines Combating Tax Avoidance."

Or, as Caron notes in the intro, "Shaviro uses Knetsch v. United States to tell the story of how courts have struggled since the inception of the income tax to draw a line between permissible tax planning and impermissible tax shelters."

If you ask really nicely, I might just let you borrow my copy. After I'm through reading it, of course!

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We made it. Tax Day 2025 is finally over. For most of us. When the filing season started on Jan. 26, millions who were expecting refunds filed immediately. Most of us got our returns to the Internal Revenue Service by April 15. But plenty of taxpayers also got extensions. They are looking at an Oct. 15 filing deadline.

Those procrastinating filers aren’t a problem. In fact, the IRS appreciates taxpayers who take time to fill out their 1040 forms correctly. It also is grateful that tax submissions are spread out a bit, especially now that the IRS is a leaner agency. Processing returns is easier when they arrive throughout the year instead of in massive bunches.

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. Since your new mid-October due date will be here before you know it, let’s get started now on meeting it.

The ol’ blog is here to help you finish up your extended Form 1040. You can start with January’s tax tips page, which has links to the rest of the year’s tips by-month collections. You also can peruse various tax categories for more tailored advice by clicking on the More Tax Posts drop-down menu at the top of this (and every) page.

And to make sure you don’t miss your new filing deadline, the count-down clock below will let you know just how much time you to file by Oct. 15. At the latest.e. (Note: I’m in the Central Time Zone, so adjust accordingly for where you live.)

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