Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 10, 2009, 11:20 am
I just received a notice last week from my health insurance provider that rates at my office would be increasing an average of more than 25%. It’s not unexpected. Apparently, health insurance ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 9, 2009, 8:39 pm
Don’t get too excited. It’s not a huge tax break – but it’s not a bad one either. A bill that was rushed through recently passed in Congress, known as The Worker, Homeownersh...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 9, 2009, 6:28 pm
I get a number of bankruptcy-related questions submitted via ask the taxgirl. That’s why I was intrigued when I was asked to write a piece on Wallet Pop about how Chapter 13 payments affect you...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 8, 2009, 4:51 pm
When it comes to economics, the US and UK tend to find themselves on the same page. A recent example is their consolidated front over the need for banking transparency – both countries took a to...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 7, 2009, 7:45 am
“Girls Gone Wild” founder Joe Francis feels he finally got a break when a federal judge okayed a deal that Francis struck with prosecutors. Under the agreement, Francis was credited with ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 6, 2009, 2:27 pm
I’m going all Clairee from Steel Magnolias on you. I’m on the radio! You can check out my interview with Jeff Horwich on Minnesota Public Radio about “sneaky rich people” he...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 5, 2009, 4:11 pm
If you’re opposed to extending the first time homebuyer’s credit (I am), you’re probably in the minority. And you’re definitely not in the Senate. The Senate voted unanimousl...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 5, 2009, 6:35 am
If you ask a Mainer about taxes, you’re liable to get an earful: Mainers have one of the highest tax burdens in the nation. Nonetheless, on election day, Maine voters turned down proposals to ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 4, 2009, 6:33 am
Despite three campaign appearances by President Obama, Governor John Corzine lost his gubernatorial seat in New Jersey to GOP challenger Chris Christie last night. Exit polls showed that the top two ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 2, 2009, 7:22 pm
What challenges are the IRS facing this year? Apparently not the complexity of the Tax Code. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) released its perspective two weeks ago on t...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 2, 2009, 3:51 pm
And here’s their evidence: Of course more folks are e-filing. It’s fast, it’s easy. And with more folks than ever with internet and computer access, it’s to be expected. Bu...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Nov 2, 2009, 6:21 am
The Tax Justice Network has recently released its list of the most secretive financial jurisdictions in the world. And who topped the list? Luxembourg? Switzerland? Hong Kong? Caymans? Nope, it&...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 31, 2009, 7:03 am
Jeffrey Chernick, a toy salesman out of New York, was sentenced on Friday to three months in prison for hiding millions of dollars from the IRS. Upon his release, Chernick will serve six months’ ho...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 30, 2009, 2:28 pm
It looks like 2010 likely won’t be all that different from 2009 – at least when it comes to taxes. Each year, by law, the dollar amounts for certain tax provisions are indexed for inflati...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 30, 2009, 10:16 am
Get ready for it… $10.8 billion. This is an estimate for the extension portion only – the initial credit cost just over $8 billion. Call it welfare, a bailout, an “incentive plan...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 29, 2009, 6:14 am
You know what they say in Congress, if it’s not broke (enough), keep trying until it is… So, with that in mind, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has announced an extension of the ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 28, 2009, 3:17 pm
Taxpayer asks: Hi Tax Girl! I got rid of the husband and now I would love to get rid of the engagement ring. I have thought about donating it to a non-profit animal rescue group for them to auction...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 28, 2009, 1:13 pm
Taxpayer asks: Hi Taxgirl, Like many women this year, I got married and now I would like to donate my dress to charity. What do I need to do for tax purposes? I paid 1000 for it new and only wore...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 28, 2009, 12:34 pm
About a year ago, I was notified by the ABA Journal that my blog was nominated as one of the top 100 legal blawgs for 2008. I was, needless to day, extremely honored. One of my colleagues in Pennsyl...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 28, 2009, 6:47 am
Times are tough in Chicago. You can only tax the citizenry so much – and Chicago already shares the distinction of being one of the most taxed cities in America. The solution? Enforcement. N...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 27, 2009, 11:28 am
So, who among us didn’t see this coming? IRS Commish Doug Shulman has announced the establishment of a new enforcement unit targeting the very wealthy. The group, called the Global High Wealth...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 26, 2009, 7:02 am
Here’s a novel way to avoid paying tax: kidnap the tax collectors. In what may be the oddest tax news I’ve read recently, the online paper, Sindh Today, has reported that an Indian man...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 26, 2009, 5:58 am
Israeli tax authorities have acknowledged a raid on the management offices of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team. The team, known as מ.כ. מכבי אלקטרה תל-אביב in Hebrew is a profess...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 25, 2009, 8:56 pm
That yellow ball in the sky this morning threw me for a loop. They say it’s called the sun. At any rate, I was thrilled to see it. I grabbed a cup of coffee and cozied up to the computer for ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 24, 2009, 7:55 pm
When Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson reviewed the electric sports car Tesla Roadster, he had plenty to say. Notably, he complained about the price, which was at the time of filming in the UK,
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 18, 2009, 8:10 am
Stephanie Dean and Stefani Hovarter (yeah, I know!) have filed a lawsuit against Feed The Children for wrongful dismissal. Dean and Hovarter claim that they were fired after pointing out to the chari...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 17, 2009, 3:45 pm
The IRS amnesty program for taxpayers who had previously failed to disclose income from offshore accounts ended last week on October 15. By all accounts, it was wildly successful. According to IR...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 16, 2009, 4:47 pm
The proposed excise tax on “Cadillac” health care plans is raising a lot of controversy. Opponents, like Health Care for America Now (HCAN), believe that it might affect middle class Amer...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 16, 2009, 8:42 am
“Survivor” winner Richard Hatch is finally a free man. The controversial TV personality, sometimes referred to as the “fat naked guy” on the show, has completed his sentence f...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 15, 2009, 7:02 am
In 1999, my husband and I decided that our house was too big and empty for the two of us. So we did what many couples our age did: we got a dog. Our lab mix, Lyle, has been a part of our family eve...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 14, 2009, 5:28 am
It’s somehow appropriate that the IRS would release a private letter ruling regarding a double mastectomy in October (in case you’re not aware, it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month). ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 13, 2009, 3:16 pm
Are we one step closer to health care reform? The Senate Finance Committee sure gave that impression by putting forth a $829 billion health care bill today. The bill passed in committee by a vote of...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 13, 2009, 7:56 am
The voluntary disclosure program which allows US taxpayers to avoid criminal prosecution for not reporting foreign accounts ends on Thursday. No, you’re not reading an old post. The amnesty de...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 12, 2009, 5:45 pm
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to participate in the first 22Tweets Roundtable. 22Tweets is a real time interview on twitter. The theme for the inaugural roundtable was life/work balance (yes, t...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 12, 2009, 12:12 pm
Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks that tax – and related stories – are pretty funny. Dan Rosandich actually does illustrations about tax for a living. And you thought I w...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 12, 2009, 8:02 am
Happy Columbus Day! It’s a holiday for many across the country. I can think of a bunch of fun ways to spend a day off. However, if you’re one of those taxpayers who filed an extension...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 11, 2009, 9:03 am
It’s a chilly Sunday morning here in Philadelphia. I thought a bit of housekeeping might be in order, so I’m opening up the ol’ taxgirl (e)mailbag. I have a bunch of non-technical ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 10, 2009, 9:06 am
For a short time, I’m going to have to go back to 100% moderated comments on the site. The culprit? Health care reform. So don’t panic if your comment doesn’t immediately appear...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 9, 2009, 3:52 pm
It’s Fix the Tax Code Friday! This week, health care reform is in the news again, this time with a focus on the proposed excise tax for high-premium insurance plans. The latest proposal for he...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 9, 2009, 3:27 pm
It has been a crazy week. I’m waiting for things to eventually settle down, which should be, er, sometime soon? In the interim, I’ve been lucky enough to be asked to write for some cool ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 9, 2009, 2:04 pm
Taxpayer asks: I have a difficult situation. I won a lot of money in my church’s 50/50. I know I have to report it as income but when I asked for written information from my church, they aske...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 8, 2009, 9:58 am
This week, 157 House Democrats (which for math junkies like me, who want to know the actual percentage of House Dems who signed, it’s 62%) signed a letter which put House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 8, 2009, 9:12 am
I’m a little all over the map these days. I’ve been lucky to be asked to write guest posts for a number of high quality sites. I’ve really enjoyed it because writing about tax is j...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 7, 2009, 6:50 am
Taxpayer asks: Can you file single if you are married? Short info I am still in school only have 1 more year then I am done. My insurance ran out so my husband and I got married for the insurance. We...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 6, 2009, 6:40 pm
Rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man was arrested Monday on tax evasion charges stemming from an alleged refusal to pay personal income taxes. Method Man, whose real name is Clifford Smith, has ...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 6, 2009, 7:21 am
Taxpayer asks: I read this article today and it seemed very aggressive, bordering on overly aggressive. Can you comment? http://www.startchurch.com/blog/view/name/can-pastors-deduct-tithes-as-busin...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 5, 2009, 8:50 am
Philadelphia is a town known for its scrappy sports teams and its passionate fans. We’ve collectively cheered our world champion Phillies and wrung our hands over last minute Eagles’ loss...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 3, 2009, 8:52 am
The Internal Revenue Service invites proposals for original papers for the 2010 IRS Research Conference. Topics can include tax compliance, taxpayer burden, improving tax administration, and the natu...
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 2, 2009, 8:01 pm
I’m a little bit obsessed with Elvis Presley. You may not know this about me (and perhaps now, are a little frightened). Yes, I’ve been to Graceland and I might have bought a few things....
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Kelly P. posted an article on Tax Girl - Oct 2, 2009, 12:45 pm
Here’s a crazy thought: if you give people a financial incentive, you can make them do almost anything (trust me, I watch a lot of reality TV). For the IRS, the financial incentive comes in th...
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