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Keep Uncle Sam cranky!

  • It's no wonder Uncle Sam is not very happy here. His vault is empty.
    Don't Mess With Taxes aims to keep him cranky by providing tax and personal finance tips and advice that will put more money in your bank account, not the government treasury.

Great Googly Moogly!

July 2009

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Tax Calendar

  • April 15 has come and gone, but millions now have until Oct. 15 to file their 2008 returns. And millions more have 2009 tax planning to do.
  • There are plenty of year-round tax dates to keep track of, as well as lots of tax-saving moves you can make between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31.
    Find them here each month.

    monthly tax moves
  • July 1: You're halfway through the year. Now's the perfect time to make some midyear tax moves that could cut your 2009 IRS bill. If your life has changed significantly since the beginning of the year, adjust your withholding to more accurately reflect your new life, and tax, situation. Just give your employer a new W-4.

    July 4: Happy Independence Day! Celebrate your independence from future tax hassles. Hire a tax professional now to help get your tax life in shape while there's still plenty of time to plan.

    July 10: Does your job include tips? If so and you received $20 in tips in June, use Form 4070 to report them today to your employer.

    July 17: Are your kids at day camp while you work? You might be able to use that expense to claim the child and dependent care credit to cover some of the costs.

    July 21: It's been summer for month. How's your air conditioner holding up? If you need a new one, make sure it's energy efficient; that way on your 2009 tax return you can claim a tax credit for 30 percent of the cost, up to $1,500. Other energy-saving home improvements also qualify. Get the details at EnergyStar.gov.

    July 31: If you kids are older and working summer jobs, make sure they understand their tax responsibilities. You also can help your youngster get a nest egg head start by helping him or her open a Roth IRA with some of those summer earnings.

    Small Business Tax Calendar -- July: Important filing, deposit and record keeping dates your company needs to know.
  • 2010 Tax Countdown Clock

2009 Tax Guide

Carnival of Taxes

  • Where we party like
    it's 1040 ... Form 1040!


  • Check out the latest
    Carnival of Taxes,
    #55: Tax Fireworks

    Want to be a part of the next one on August 3? Just review the Tax Carnival guidelines
    and then send
    your tax musings, mumblings,
    even music to the
    Tax Carnival submission page    .
  • Catch up on prevous
    Tax Carnivals in our archives.

Improve the IRS

Tax Terms

  • Earned income -- It's just like it sounds: Compensation you receive from work, including wages, salaries, commissions, tips and self-employment endeavors. Learn more...
  • Unearned income -- Money that is not gained by work or delivery of a service or product. It's most well-known source is from investments. Learn more...
  • Tax rates/brackets -- The U.S. tax system is a progressive one, in which the greater the earnings, the higher the tax rate. Learn more...
  • See these and other tax terms
    in the perpetually updated
    Tax Glossary.

Cool tax quotes

  • The income tax has made
    more liars out of the American people than golf has.
    -- Will Rogers, humorist
  • I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is,
    I could be just as proud for half the money.     -- Arthur Godfrey, comedian
  • Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a refund from the IRS, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. -- Author unknown, from a Washington Post word contest
  • "Internal Revenue Service: The world's most successful mail order business.” -- Bob Goddard, writer
  • "If you are truly serious about preparing your child for the future, don't teach him to subtract. Teach him to deduct." -- Fran Lebowitz, writer
  • "The United States has a system of taxation by confession." -- Hugo Black, Supreme Court Justice

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I gotta tell ya ...

  • AKA Disclaimer:
    The content on Don't Mess With Taxes is my personal opinion based on my study and understanding of tax laws, policies and regulations. It’s provided for your private, noncommercial, educational and informational purposes only. It’s not a recommendation or endorsement of any company or product. I strongly suggest that when it comes to filing your taxes, you get additional, professional, paid-for guidance from your accountant and other financial advisers who are familiar with your individual circumstances. In other words, don't blame me!

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Fun beyond finances, really!

Rocking Around Austin!

Dept. of N-yah, N-yah!

« Independence Day | Main | Are you missing some
tax money? »

Friday, March 03, 2006

More sweet music to my ears

Music_bordered_2 I am so jazzed this morning!

Moneysmartz Personal Finance Blog has named Don't Mess With Taxes one of the best tax blogs out there in the blogosphere!

And I quote:

"Does the thought of anything related to taxes send shivers down your spine? Since we are in the midst of tax season, we don't have a choice; we have to talk about taxes. ... [T]ax bloggers now offer a small, but growing body of information, insight, and commentary. Moneysmartz took a closer look at this trend-setting group of tax bloggers and identified tax blogs most helpful to individual financial decision-making."

Thank you, Moneysmartz! And thanks to all my readers! Am I starting to sound like a babbling Academy Award winner? Sorry! I hear the orchestra playing me off stage now.

But news of the listing is a great way to start the weekend and to mark a blogging milestone. This post marks the 100th entry on Don't Mess With Taxes.

Posted at 10:40 AM in Taxes, Weblogs |

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Comments

Hi, just checked out your website - very cool that you’re a music pro. Certainly makes your advice suddenly very persuasive.
http://www.danosongs.com

Posted by: danosongs | Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 05:13 AM

Congratulations, Kay!! Keep up the great work!

Posted by: Luis | Saturday, March 04, 2006 at 07:50 AM

Congrats, Kay, you deserve it. It's a tough job to make tax information into a readable story.

Posted by: William Perez | Friday, March 03, 2006 at 03:03 PM

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