Author Archives: Russ

The IRS Overreaches

What happens when you receive a Form 1099-MISC, but you never received the income shown on the information return? You don’t include it on your tax return—after all, you didn’t receive the income, so you don’t owe tax on it. … Continue reading

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He Gambled and He Lost (In More Ways than One)

I’ve repeatedly said that gamblers aren’t treated well under the Tax Code. One Michigan resident allegedly had a way around this problem: just ignore the gambling. This may turn out to be a much bigger problem, as he now faces … Continue reading

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A Big Case for the Supreme Court Later this Year

The Supreme Court doesn’t decide many tax cases. They’re usually not that interesting, and it’s rare to see a split among the different circuits in a tax issue. However, a very important tax case will be decided in the next … Continue reading

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A Dose of Fraud to End the Week

The fraudsters have been active in the tax realm this week. We’ve got stories from across the country. We’ll start in Youngstown, Ohio, where Ronald Wells had an idea of how to increase his $1/hour pay as a prisoner at … Continue reading

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What If a Casino Decides to Ignore the Rules?

Suppose you’re a poker player, and you are backed (sponsored) by a friend. You’ve agreed with your friend that for the money that he has given you, you will give him 50% of your winnings. You complete the IRS Form … Continue reading

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Partially Up In Smoke

The Tax Court today looked into whether a non-profit corporation that provides help to the terminally ill and provides medical marijuana to the terminally ill is allowed to deduct its operating costs. The non-profit, Californians Helping to Alleviate Medical Problems, … Continue reading

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Some Good News for California…But Will the Legislature Spend the Money?

State tax collections in April have exceeded projections, a pleasant change for California fiscal authorities. As of April 19th, the Central Valley Business Times reported that California has a $1.9 billion surplus compared to a $1 billion deficit in January. … Continue reading

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Why I Haven’t Been Covering the Conrad Black Trial

Because Mark Steyn is. You haven’t hear of Mark Steyn? You haven’t read Mark Steyn? His daily column is available on his web site. His column is carried by many newspapers, including the Orange County Register. He appears weekly on … Continue reading

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Holy Housing in Los Angeles?

Back in 2005, I reported on the Orange County Sewage District’s hiring of a spiritual counselor. The idea of spiritual sewage made me laugh…at least, I’m not in the OCSD so the tax dollars didn’t come out of my pockets. … Continue reading

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Tax & Spend Doesn’t Have to Happen

The Presidential election in still 18 months away, but campaigning is in full swing. I haven’t decided who I’m going to vote for, but I have decided on one candidate I won’t vote for. Former Senator John Edwards (D-NC) is … Continue reading

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