I said I find taxes easy with the qualifier that I've spent 500+ hours in tax classes.
TurboTax and all the other programs directed at the general public are exactly what I made them out to be. They are tools that people don't know how to use. The vast majority of returns that I see that people have attemepted to do themselves were done wrong. I'm not saying this as a push to help drum about business for tax preparers. While I do paid returns on my own and work at H&R Block during the season, the majority of the returns I do are part of an IRS program that I volunteer at. Probably about 2/3rd - 3/4ths of my returns are done for free.
He loved the fact that you had all of your records together. TurboTax likes to give you 50+ pages to print out at the end. Some are useful, most are pointless. No matter where you go to get your taxes done you should get a copy of all of your forms. If you don't you should go somewhere else.
Many of the returns I see that are done by hand have errors on them. The people preparing them are generally someone who think they know what their doing. Granted it could be someone who does know what their doing and is looking for some extra money on the side, but usually it's just someone who does their own taxes and thinks they know enough to do it for other people. I never said I did it by hand. When doing it by hand you are a lot more likely to have minor calculation errors and, it unless it's a 1040EZ, it would take hours longer to complete. I use the same software the the IRS does. And when I'm done I review the forms line by line because I actually know how it should look once it's done.
I'm aware how TurboTax works and any decient preparer should interview you as well.
________________________________
From: artshow_photo@yahoogroups.com [artshow_photo@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Maria Arango Diener [1000woodcuts@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 2010 5:31 PM
To: artshow_photo@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [artshow_photo] Re: Newbie question re Federal Income Tax on startup photography business
I agree that if you don't know what line items "mean", then no tax program
can help you. But to say that Turbo Tax is what you make it out to be is
just rubbish. As you said, taxes are rather simple to do, even with a
business. Self help tax programs are probably the worst thing that happened
to American accountants, I believe that.
And as I said, the IRS agent that audited my taxes loved the fact that I
used Turbo Tax and Quicken and instead of asking endless questions, he just
looked at my files and checked them. He also said, no offense, that the vast
majority of his audits are directed at tax returns made by hand by
accountants, not individuals.
FYI Turbo Tax runs the taxpayer through an interview process and links every
single line item to the appropriate IRS publication. If an individual knows
how to read and takes an interest in tax law and how it works, it shows you,
the taxpayer, all the hows and whys of every single item. Actually the first
few years I did my taxes this way it was kind of fun learning about all the
numbers and reading the IRS pubs.
If you understand how to do taxes, then Turbo Tax makes the process so
simple that mine are done in around three hours about the second week of
February each year.
If you don't understand how to do taxes, then by all means hire an
accountant.
So you account and I'll turbo, how's that.
Maria
[=o=]<>[=o=]<>[=o=]<>[=o=]
www.1000woodcuts.com
www.artfestivalguide.info
[=o=]<>[=o=]<>[=o=]<>[=o=]
>
> Maria also recomended using TurboTax. That program is pretty much the
> worst that that has ever happened to the American tax payer. Taxes are
> rather simple for me to do, but I say that having taken over 500 hours
> in tax classes. I make several thousand dollars each year fixing
> dozens of returns that TurboTax, Tax Act, Tax Slayer, etc, screwed up.
> There was a woman I worked with a couple of years ago, all she had was
> one W2. I stood behind her and watched her enter everything in.
> Unless you know what each deduction and credit is, and why you are or
> aren't eligable to get it, how could you possibly know if you actually
> did it right or not?
__________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature
database 5703 (20101214) __________
The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
------------------------------------
Donate to support the ArtShowPhoto Forum at
http://artshowphoto.com/support.htm
PLEASE READ....PLEASE TRIM POSTS!!! Keep quoted material short.
Repeat or create accurate subject lines.
If you want to advertise services related to art shows or photography, either in a forum post or on the resource web site, please contact the forum owner for permission.
Resource web site at
http://ArtShowPhoto.com
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artshow_photo/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/artshow_photo/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
artshow_photo-digest@yahoogroups.com
artshow_photo-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
artshow_photo-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
0 comments:
Post a Comment