Meals

Meals Deduction Barely Covers Price of Coffee

December 16, 2011

If you think American tax laws are tough on meals and entertainment, read this story recently reported by Chelm on the Web. The Israel Tax Authority finally updated the amount that the independently employed can put down on their tax returns as expenditures for wining and dining a business associate. It took a High Court [...]

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Per Diem Wasted

July 27, 2011

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Today TaxMama hears from Bob in the TaxQuips Forum, who is trying to get it right. Let me summarize.  “I live in NJ and had a temporary job in DC for 6 months in 2010 (total 196 calendar days). I used Pub 1542 [per diem rates] for DC of $258 per day ($65 M&IE and [...]

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Vacation to Orlando

June 14, 2011

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Today TaxMama hears from Shaun in the TaxQuips Forum who wants to write off his vacation. “My son and I are traveling to Florida. I have a property in Jacksonville, FL that I need to check on. Can I fly in and out of Jacksonville to take care of business? Then drive to Orlando for [...]

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Mystery Shoppers

September 23, 2010

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Today TaxMama  hears from Brad in Missouri, in the TaxQuips Forum. Brad tells us “ I’m an independent contractor for several mystery shopping companies. Today for example I did a casino shop. I get reimbursed for 1 meal expense up to $10 and paid $35 for the shop itself, but they legally can’t reimburse my [...]

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IRS News – Is this Income Taxable?

February 5, 2010
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While most income you receive is generally considered taxable, there are some situations when certain types of income are partially taxed or not taxed at all. To ensure taxpayers are familiar with the difference between taxable and non-taxable income, the Internal Revenue Service offers these common examples of items that are not included in your [...]

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