The Tax Man
January, February, March and then... April, the dreaded month when all of the United States citizens seem to loose their heads. Why? A simple answer; Uncle Sam is ready for his annual review of whether he has taken too much or not enough, that is right it is tax time. Tax preparation is a daunting task that just about every American participates in. In this paper will be taking a journey on what alternative options are available and why it is better for your wallet to investigate those options rather than following the crowd and getting them done professionally. It is a system that consumers have an American right to. Whether or not the consumer actually wants to put in the time themselves, or if they hire a professional, it
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At this point they were working on the analysis because of the new government laws that were changing rapidly and the need to have educated tax preparers. In 2010 the average person would spend approximately $189 dollars on an tax return in a retail office at H&R Blocktm (Steverman, 2011). So why offer something for free when you already seem to be making money? As H&R Blocktm did market research they began to realize that the margins of people using there services were going decreasing, and to counter act this they took a plan of action to most people that would have seemed rather unlikely (Steverman, 2014). H&R Blocktm choose this route because of the limitations that there are on the 1040EZ forms. The amount of individuals whom use the form within two years need a more extensive form. It is rather ingenious on there part to be drawing in new consumers and hooking them on there services. Another reason why H&R Blocktm offers this program is the limitations the form has such as; anyone who makes more that $100,000 and/or has dependents and/or has college home or properties taxes or interest paid can not file an EZ form (Steverman, 2011). H&R Blocktm intends to lure users in with the concept of “getting something for free” with the hopes that they will be able to sell extra services with that free piece received. This sort of “bait and switch” approach can be perceived as and is a contributor to the absorbent amounts of money earned by the tax
Blaise M. Sonnier, J.D., DBA. (2012). Circular 230: Its Day-to-Day Impact on Tax Practices. Retrieved October 12, 2016, from http://www.thetaxadviser.com/issues/2012/feb/tpr-feb12.html
Whether or not to keep or discard the Bush era tax cuts for the wealthy, give tax breaks to the lowest tax bracket, and even throwing out the entire current tax code and replacing it with a simpler version, tax code and tax law has been a very controversial topic for the past few years. As it stands, the current tax code has over seventy two thousand pages, compared to the four hundred pages it had in 1913. There are many different stakeholders in this debate including taxpayers, corporations, businesses, etc. Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) is an organization that was “founded in 1985 by Grover Norquist at the request of President Reagan”(.N.p.). Their goal is to create and advocate for a simple flat tax,“...on the belief that they will provide a strong stimulus to investment, employment, and output” (Stokey 1). They promote their organization and represent taxpayers in all fifty states. Along with tax reform, ATR also advocates for individual health care, free trade, and spending transparency (.N.p.). Using very simple and easy to understand images, ATR is able to convey their goals and get information across to the general audience that visits their website.
Last weekend, while attending Lexington, KY’s Southland Christian Church, I received an invitation to attend a “Poor Man’s After-Tax Dinner.” Located on a 115-acre plot that occupies a stretch of the rapidly disappearing farmland between Lexington and Jessamine County, Southland will host the gala, which includes a catered meal and a performance by the Dale Adams Band. On the church’s website, an announcement for the event asks, “Did you have to pay when you filed taxes? This month’s Gathering is designed to help you to forget your IRS woes.”[1] The After-Tax Dinner will minister to those still reeling from the April 15th deadline, and, with any luck, it will foster solidarity among Southland’s flock, the majority of whom are members of the tax bracket whose wallets ache most severely after just having rendered unto Caesar the money that belongs to him.
The FairTax Act will replace these costly, oppressively complex and economically inefficient taxes with a progressive national retail sales tax, which would be levied on the final sale ...
JACKSON, S. B., SHOEMAKER, P. A., BARRICK, J. A., & BURTON, F. (2005). Taxpayers' Prepayment Positions and Tax Return Preparation Fees. Contemporary Accounting Research, 22(2), 409-447.
Our current system of taxation is a varied rate percentage based on different income brackets. Many say that it violates our constitutional rights through unequal taxation. Multiple deductions, loopholes, special rates, and a complex system of regulations all characterize our Federal Income Tax System, prompting many to question why it is still being used (Peters, 2013). The current system although bringing in over $3 trillion, taxes income multiple times, and includes the taxing of estate, labor, savings, and investments (National Priorities Project, 2013). The system itself is complex with over 20,000 pages of regulations, requiring a massive filing system, which is set up and maintained by an even larger IRS, requiring over $225 billion in compliance costs (Hall, 2001). One can be hard pressed to find an advantage in the current system, other than the fact that it provides the government with an enormous amount of funds, and it has...
What does every employee constantly complain about every single paid day? What is one of the main topics that the presidential candidates stressed while campaigning? How come people like drug dealers get a big advantage in this world when it comes to pay taxes? And again, what consistently holds down the hard working American? I have found a way to answer all those questions? This concept has actually found a way to tax everybody, not just the working ones. This concept also makes it fair and economical to our federal government, not just the individual taxpayer. Under the implementation of this concept an individual could receive a paycheck and have virtually no taxes taken from it. This 15% sales tax eliminates confusion, taxes everybody, and organizes the government in a way that has never been done.
The government of the United Kingdom, likewise the government of many other countries, raises money to spend on public services towards the tax system. The taxes are raised by two different levels of government, the HMRC, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, and the local governments, as Barnet, Islington, Camden, Haringey, among others twenty nine local authorities in London, for instance. While the HMRC deduces taxes through Income tax, National Insurance contributions, VAT, corporation tax and fuel duty, local governments are responsible for business rates, council tax and other fees, such as on-street parking. In turn, the money deducted for tax purposes are applied to improve the health, education, social services and social security system. There are different types of taxes for different circumstances, for example, you have to earn above a certain limit to qualify for income tax and if you are self-employed you may be entitled to claim back much of your VAT (BBC, 2009).
In “The Federalist No. 21” Alexander Hamilton addresses the citizens of New York concerning the issue of taxation. Hamilton (1787) writes, “It is a single advantage of taxes on articles of consumption, that they contain in their own nature a security against excess. They prescribe their own limit; which cannot be exceeded without defeating the end proposed, that is, an extension of the revenue.” The advice given by Hamilton in 1787 is the backbone of the FairTax Act. The FairTax or bill H.R. 25 is not a flat tax or a VAT tax. It is a tax on consumption. The FairTax is a twenty-three percent sales tax levied on all new goods and services. The FairTax replaces all current federal taxes imposed on the people of the United States. This includes all personal and corporate income taxes. The twenty-three percent tax is not imposed on old or used items. It is applied only to new items. The FairTax is levied on all services, even on doctor’s visits. Educational institutions are the only exceptions to the rule. The FairTax is revenue neutral, meaning it provides the same amount of federal income as the current system. To prevent the FairTax from becoming an undue burden on the poor, a monthly prebate is paid to every family (Americans For Fair Taxation 1007). The prebate is equal to the amount of taxes a family pays on all purchases up to the poverty level. For instance, if a family was estimated to spend $26,400 a year on basic necessities, based on a 23% sales tax, their annual tax burden would be $6,072. This tax burden is paid to the family in monthly installments at the beginning of each month. With this prebate, all families living under the poverty level will pay no federal taxes (Boortz & Linder 2005). Arguably, the most app...
Introduction Taxes; who benefits and who gets ripped off focuses mostly on Federal and county taxes and not on state taxes. This report aims to give the reader some insight on taxes: Why we have them, what types of benefits they supply, who benefits from them, and who gets screwed by them. It informs the reader of the different types of taxation, where the money comes from and where it goes. How can people avoid some tax increases? But most of all, this report informs the reader that there is an incredible amount of money being wasted by the federal government through overspending and irresponsible behavior of government departments. This overspending has created a deficit that has caused billions of dollars in damage to the credit of the country. As a result of these excess taxes, the American taxpayer is getting ripped off by paying for waste in government. Most people in this country are being ripped off in the amount of taxes they pay due to corruption gover...
Kinsley, Michael. “Tax Reform in Plain English. Honest!” Time 9 Dec. 2002: 58. Academic OneFile. Web. 31 Mar. 2011.
The IRS sensibly decided against a Supreme Court review of the decision; however, in June 2014, they announced that they would introduce a voluntary program to regulate independent tax return preparers. In lieu of instituting a mandatory program the IRS created a voluntary program, called the Annual Filing Season Program, which would provide a preparer with a record of completion each year upon showing that they have registered with the IRS and completed the required continuing education; furthermore, the record of completion is effective for one calendar year.
A growing trend in our society today is corporate tax evasion. It has become increasing more common for corporations to pay no or little income tax, and in some cases actually receive money back from the government. It is illegal and therefore deviant by that definition. Corporate tax evasion (using borderline legal means) is widespread. White-collar crime is a term that is usually applied to crimes associated with business that do not involve violence or bodily injury to another person. Corporate tax evasion falls into the category of white collar crime.
According to Accounting Theory: Contemporary Accounting Issues by Evans, accountants have developed two alternative approaches to accounting for income taxes, which are the cash method and the allocation method. The cash method is described as a simple and direct approach. The amount of income taxes actually paid for the year is reported on the Income Statement. The amount comes from the firm's income tax return and fit is not adjusted in any way. Therefore, the firm's actual transaction to record its income tax liability is the basis for the amount of the income tax expense reported on the Income Statement. The allocation method is a bit different. The actual amount of tax that is paid in the year is ignored when it comes to reporting income tax expense on the Income Statement. The amount of income tax expense reported on the Income Statement is based on the on the income tax rate that the firm pays, which is applied to the amount of pretax income. This makes the Income Statement perfectly consistent with the before-tax income. Using the allocation method makes it look like all items on the Income Statement based on the same method.
The ethical dilemma in this case is one that Daniel Potter is faced with. Daniel is a staff