[OT] I'm In Shock!

Yeah, that's what they told *me* when I lived in Bay
Area! So we moved back to FL and I got a house - to
deduct the mortgage interest....never been sorry I did that. Got a low-down
FHA loan (you got to have real good credit & a job) and 15 years later got
over double
what I paid for the house. Much better than another
spouse, all around.


"Karen" wrote in message
...
in article ,
Melissa Houle at wrote on 4/14/05 12:29AM:


CatNipped wrote in message
...
We just got back from H&R Block. We owe *FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED
DOLLARS*
to the IRS! thud

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/


*Melissa anxiously waves a bottle of smelling salts under Catnipped
nose.....

I'm sorry, that is a definite shocker. If it's any help, you're not
alone.
Proportionately speaking, I had a heck of a tax hit when I went to my
appointment last week. I tried to convince my tax man that three cats
OUGHT
to equal one child, but he just shook his head and laughed. He's a very
nice fellow, really. As nice as anyone can be who financially cleans
one's
clock.

Melissa


They always look at me and say you need a spouse. Or a house. And some
children.

On Thu 14 Apr 2005 10:13:08p, Yowie wrote in
rec.pets.cats.anecdotes ):

Currently I pay about 46% of my income on income tax, then out
of what is left over, have to pay another 10% on almost
everything I buy because it has a Goods & Services tax, and
there are extra hidden taxes on things like petrol, alcohol and
tobacco and probably other stuff that I am blissfully unaware
of. Then again, we do have a relatively decent health-care and
education system (although both still need improvement), and I
wouldn't want to give either of those up.



I heard an interesting interview a couple of weeks ago about health
care in the US. The interviewee (I can't remember his credentials)
said that American's who can afford to pay are going to have to
pick up expenses for those who can't. If this doesn't happen, we're
going to go to a government controlled health-care system and that
we're not going to like that. Thanks for reminding me of that
interview because I never had a chance to follow up with some
research into what he might have meant by that.

--
Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

Dan M had some very interesting things to say about
[OT] I'm In Shock!:

I'm lucky - my mom is an enrolled agent, so does my taxes every year.

What's an enrolled agent?

I do our taxes myself. We have a very simple tax picture, I'm
reasonably intelligent (at least enough so to follow the directions in
the booklet), and I'm too cheap to pay someone to do something I can
do for myself if I can help it. :-)

--
"The universe is quite robust in design and appears to be
doing just fine on its own, incompetent support staff notwithstanding.
:-)" - the Dennis formerly known as (evil), MCFL

"Yowie" wrote in message
...
"jmcquown" wrote in message
. ..
Helen Wheels wrote:
CatNipped wrote:
We just got back from H&R Block. We owe *FOUR THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED
DOLLARS* to the IRS! thud

--
Hugs,

CatNipped
http://www.PossiblePlaces.com/CatNipped/


Oy, what a bummer. I don't pretend to understand anything much about
USAnian taxes but that sounds like a big number. Is it all due
straight
away or do you get some time?

From what I recall of my history lessons the USA became the USA because
of
unfair religious beliefs and unfair taxes in the UK. My, how things
have
changed... NOT! LOL

Just out of curiousity, what percentage of your income do you have to pay
in
taxes?

Currently I pay about 46% of my income on income tax, then out of what is
left over, have to pay another 10% on almost everything I buy because it
has
a Goods & Services tax, and there are extra hidden taxes on things like
petrol, alcohol and tobacco and probably other stuff that I am blissfully
unaware of. Then again, we do have a relatively decent health-care and
education system (although both still need improvement), and I wouldn't
want
to give either of those up.

Um, I miscalulated that. Whislt I pay 46% on *some* of my wage, overall its
only about 30%. Sorry about the mistake.

Yowie

"Seanette Blaylock" wrote in
message ...
Dan M had some very interesting things to say about
[OT] I'm In Shock!:

I'm lucky - my mom is an enrolled agent, so does my taxes every year.

What's an enrolled agent?

I do our taxes myself. We have a very simple tax picture, I'm
reasonably intelligent (at least enough so to follow the directions in
the booklet), and I'm too cheap to pay someone to do something I can
do for myself if I can help it. :-)


They have to pass a pretty rigorous test on tax law by the IRS and in
addition to preparing taxes they can represent you if you are audited. I'm
fairly certain they are also required to have additional training each year.

Most of them pretty specifically specialize in individual income taxes,
where CPA's do a whole lot of other things.

Jo

"jmcquown" wrote in message
. ..
Jo Firey wrote:
"jmcquown" wrote in message
. ..
L. (usenetlyn) wrote:
Jo Firey wrote:
I apologize. That was kind of over the top. I'm not ****ed of at
you. But its April 14th, I do taxes and I'm kind of steamed at the
whole world.

Any so called tax preparer that would tell you such a thing however
should be tarred and feathered. You could get into so much trouble
relying on that kind of advice. And I didn't want to leave it
unchallenged here and have anyone else believe it to be true.

Jo

Isn't there some "rule of thumb" that waiters have to use to claim
tips, though? A certain percentage of their receipts, or something?
I'm just curious because my sister mentioned this the other day - I
had never heard of it.

-L.

Yes. As a wait-person many years ago, I remember when that law went
into effect. The restaurant reports your tips based on 20% of your
shift sales,
whether you made that much in tips or not. It's really unfair since
there are a lot of cheap people in the world.

Jill

It was never as much as 10% of sales. Right now it is 8% And it
isn't the amount you are supposed to pay tax on. You are supposed to
pay tax on what you get. The allocation is for purposes of
comparison.

Jo

Sorry, but the corporate "giants" (read chain restaurants) report 20% of
your sales as "tips/wages". I wasn't just a wait-person, I was also the
one
putting the information in their accounting system. Also at close-out I
divvied up the tips amongst the hostesses, bar backs, busboys, etc. When
you make (I think it was $2.13 an hour) it was kinda mean to take away the
measly 5-10% you'd get from most customers and split it among people who
earned at least minimum wage.

Jill


I thought Marriott was pretty big when I worked in their main office :~}

Not that it matters or has anything to do with cats but this is my source

http://tinyurl.com/674a4

Jo

ASIDE TO SHERRY; Ford gives you TWO of those
special coded keys when you buy your vehicle. I got 2
when I bought my Ranger late 2001. Bet your DH has
stashed the extra somewhere around the house! Ask him.

You're right, and he did. And knew exactly where they were. He always
knows exactly where everything is. It's disgusting sometimes. I bet
he's never flushed his keys down the toilet, either. :-)
Taxes. Here's something to ponder, does anyone know the total
percentage the average american pays in taxes? Think about it. Not only
income tax, but property taxes, sales tax (which just KEEPS going up),
state income tax, gasoline tax, excise tax on new vehicles, and what
about all those weird federal taxes on our phone bills?

Sherry

Taxes. Here's something to ponder, does anyone know the total
percentage the average american pays in taxes? Think about it. Not
only
income tax, but property taxes, sales tax (which just KEEPS going
up),
state income tax, gasoline tax, excise tax on new vehicles, and what
about all those weird federal taxes on our phone bills?

Sherry

Wait a sec. I forgot the county and city taxes on utility bills. And
what about inheritance tax? Gift tax?

I do our taxes myself. We have a very simple tax picture, I'm
reasonably intelligent (at least enough so to follow the directions
in
the booklet), and I'm too cheap to pay someone to do something I
can
do for myself if I can help it. :-)


They have to pass a pretty rigorous test on tax law by the IRS and in

addition to preparing taxes they can represent you if you are
audited. I'm
fairly certain they are also required to have additional training
each year.

Most of them pretty specifically specialize in individual income
taxes,
where CPA's do a whole lot of other things.

Jo

The laws change so much every year. If I did my own, I'd be afraid I'd
miss something.
IMO, it's like shaving a cat's butt. There are just some things in life
you pay other people to do.

Sherry

Reason men would rarely flush keys like you did: they don't have to pull
jeans down or up to do one bodily function that's the major reason folks
visit gas station
restrooms (at least the only one I ever heard of who goes
in one barefoot was Britney Spears!). Glad you don't have to pay over $100
for another coded key from the
dealer!
Here's a useful fact (at least for Ford owners, possibly
others): if you lock vehicle *door* key inside it, dealers'
parts dept. can cut you another *door* key for about
($3.00)....but it will not start the vehicle, just useful for
the door. Better than paying about $140 or so for another "coded" key (they
actually call Dearborn MI &
get the code to reproduce it) which will do door opening
plus starting vehicle.....


wrote in message
oups.com...

ASIDE TO SHERRY; Ford gives you TWO of those
special coded keys when you buy your vehicle. I got 2
when I bought my Ranger late 2001. Bet your DH has
stashed the extra somewhere around the house! Ask him.

You're right, and he did. And knew exactly where they were. He always
knows exactly where everything is. It's disgusting sometimes. I bet
he's never flushed his keys down the toilet, either. :-)
Taxes. Here's something to ponder, does anyone know the total
percentage the average american pays in taxes? Think about it. Not only
income tax, but property taxes, sales tax (which just KEEPS going up),
state income tax, gasoline tax, excise tax on new vehicles, and what
about all those weird federal taxes on our phone bills?

Sherry