The hubby's favorite tax season chant — and, yes, he does just that each year as I work on our return — is "Deduct! Deduct!"
He even makes a few suggestions now and then.
But as creative as the hubby is, he's never come close to some taxpayers' really wild and wacky tax deduction attempts.
There's the nose job a wine connoisseur wanted to write off as a job expense. And then there's the profuse perspirer who was insistent that his air conditioning qualified as a medical deduction.
But my favorite is the pie shop owner who wanted to claim his restaurant meals because they included dessert, or as he called the lunch and dinner final courses, research and development for his own baked goods.
Cherry pie a la mode by Steve Snodgrass via Flickr
Sometimes such tax deduction chutzpah pays off for the taxpayer. Other times the Internal Revenue Service laughs all the way to the bank with the tax money it collects after denying crazy claims.
You can check out some of the more daring deductions at Bankrate, Business News Daily and CNN Money.
Some write-offs are legit. Others … well, let's just say that during tax filing season you can't blame a guy or gal for trying.
But regardless of their tax merits or success in taking on the tax man, all are entertaining.
Have you every trying to slip through an unusual tax deduction? Were you successful?
You also might find these items of interest:
Mitchell Fox
So – were the pies eaten out acceptable R&D costs for a baker? I’m dying of suspense here!
Kay
Mitchell, his tax advisor recommended he not try it.