Tips On Filing Late Tax Returns Why You Should File Your Taxes Even If You Dont Have the Money to Pa
By: Merrill Montgomery | Posted: 14th February 2011
You will need to know, for tax purposes, when you purchased the items, and for how much, the fair market value of the items on the day you donated them to charity and the name and address of the charity. If all else fails, than just bite your tongue and write a four figure deduction to your favorite charity. If your cash flow will not allow a four figure donation, any charity will be more than happy to accept whatever amount you can space.
At the same time, it was also my first time paying taxes to the IRS. I got my forms filled out just fine and I ended getting a refund from the IRS where Mark owed the IRS. Now, when I was doing my taxes, I was horrified; I didn't understand a single form or what to do. So, unlike Mark, I went to a tax professional to get help with my tax forms. They helped me and explained the whole process to me. I asked my friend later on why he would not get help from a tax professional and he said it was too expensive.
H+R Block has sued the company that produces the tax software in the above mentioned ad, and has asked a federal judge to shut down the advertising campaign.
Tax collection is often a ruthless process with little place for emotions in it, by hiring the services of a tax attorney you can ensure that the process is dealt with rationally. When a lawyer steps into the picture it turns into a negotiation between two professional, there is no pleading involved, which seldom works. Also if you take the motions out of the equation you turn it into a normal meeting to reach a resolution and not an extremely charged situation. So getting a tax attorney may be the smartest decision that you will ever make if you are confronted by an IRS issue.
Many people fail to file tax returns. Many of those who fail to file, do so because they are for whatever reason, overwhelmed by the tasks involved. In the case of members of professions, doctors, lawyers, judges or other government officers, teachers, etc, the added fear and embarrassment of facing the possibility of having their problem become public often creates an additional emotional hurtle which must be overcome. It is always best for people in this situation to seek out professional tax preparation assistance, particularly from professionals who are familiar with preparing delinquent and non filed returns, to get started on handling the problem.
The true return on your portfolio is how much you keep after taxes. For this reason, many investors in the highest income tax brackets are attracted to municipal bonds, which are free from federal income tax. Municipal bonds are also free from state income tax when you buy bonds issued in the state of your primary residence. Focusing on your after-tax performance through tax-advantaged investments like high-quality municipal bonds can help you enhance your long-term returns, while potentially reducing investment risk.
The IRS goes through penalty abatement with tax payers on a case-by-case basis. This is encouraging and "reasonable cause" can be open for interpretation. According to the IRS, abatement should be "generally granted when tax payer exercises ordinary business care and prudence", when attempting to pay back outstanding tax debts, fines and interest. Did you make a genuine effort to repay the taxes and find a solution to your problem? When you first ran into this problem, did you contact the IRS in a timely manner? Did you attempt to make a payment arrangement or have you been making repayments on an installment basis? Remember that with any problem, you will need to prove yourself through a paper trail. So it's very important that you remember to keep all your tax records.
There are many types of professionals that can help you if you have an unfiled tax return. One source is actually the IRS. The IRS is actually very informative and can be helpful, but they work for the government. In many situations it may be better to have someone helping you that is working for you to assist you. An income tax attorney or a certified public accountant that specializes in income tax returns may be exactly what you need. A good professional tax accountant will be able to assist you not only with your needs with your federal tax return and the IRS, but with issues on the state level as well.
If IRS has sent you communications that you had to sign for - then your time may be short before they start the process to levy your wages or your bank account. Once this happens you will need to talk to them one way or another, either by calling them or by contacting a tax professional who will call them for you. (I recommend the second option)About the Author
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Tags: advertising campaign, name and address, emotions, irs, negotiation, charity, cash flow, professions, lawyer, paying taxes, tax returns, motions, embarrassment, tax purposes, tax forms, tax software, tax attorney