The US Government has recognized Bitcoins which is good in a way but at the same time they have decided to view them as property, making them taxable. If they had decided that the virtual currency actually was a currency then a tax could not be placed on them when they gain in value. Some view this as making the currency legitimate, and a good thing.
Bitcoin Magazine (Photo credit: zcopley)
The fact that they can now be taxed reduces the interest for some who see the risk in the fluctuations in value and don’t want to take on the additional tax risk. Spending them would trigger the taxation while holding onto the property would not create a taxable situation. An odd part of the IRS decision is that miners would need to count their Bitcoins as income.
Stability in the marketplace is what many hope for with a couple exchanges having financial trouble in recent months. This decision by the government should increase stability.
It will be interesting to see if there’s a form to claim Bitcoin income in the future or if exchanges will need to issue 1099 tax forms to miners at the end of each year.
Usually, tax planning is not included on most people’s lists of new year’s resolutions. However, maybe 2014 ought to be the year when you make the effort to understand more about your taxes. This will allow you to correctly plan and organize your responsibilities. Take a look at TurboTax for your 2014 Taxes.
This resolution will help you once tax season arrives, and it might result in you saving more cash over the long run.
Here’s some advice to help you get started on achieving this goal:
Organize your tax file for 2014. This might be an online file, where you can scan transactions and documents over the course of the year. This will impact on your total tax amount. Alternatively, you could use a bin or folder to store the details.
The advantage of electronic files, like Turbo Tax 2014, is that when your tax is due, you can just email the data to your accountant. Then, he or she can keep the file for use during an audit. Ensure that you have sufficiently backed your data up, just in case an unforeseen problem arises. Including notes on your tax documents will help your accountant understand the transactions, which facilitates the filing procedure.
Examples of important tax documents are: 1099s, W2s, escrow documents for purchase, K1s, receipts for car registration charges and real estate tax, receipts for additional tax deductible purchases, and letters confirming charitable donations made to recognized nonprofits.
All the best to everyone for a healthy, happy, successful and tax conscious 2014.
This image depicts the total tax revenue (not adjusted for inflation) for the U.S. federal government from 1980 to 2009 compared to the amount of revenue coming from individual income taxes. The data comes from the Office of Management and Budget’s record of the ‘Budget of the US Government FY 2011’, specifically the ‘Historical Tables, Table 2.1.’ The information is also here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Welcome to the July 2, 2013 edition of Tax Carnival Ecstasy. In this edition we start with an article from Bill Smith on completing your 2012 tax return for free if you have not already. John Schmoll writes about raiding a 401(k) to purchase property and how he would not do it. Keddon Carlisle has some lifetime tax planning software that looks quite interesting. Hope you enjoy all the material, like on Facebook, share, tweet, bookmark, and come back next time.
John Schmoll presents Things I Would Never Do: Raid My 401k to Buy Property posted at Frugal Rules, saying, “There is an increasing number of investors taking out loans on their 401k accounts in order to buy investment property. While diversification of investments is key, the inherent risk may not be enough to offset the potential gain. This is also not to mention the fact of the possible tax implications and loss of hard earned retirement savings.”
Keddon Carlisle presents Lifetime Tax Planning Software | Best Financial Planning Software | Retirement Planning Software posted at Best Personal Financial Planning Software, saying, “This lifetime tax projection software provides fully integrated IRA retirement calculator and 401k retirement calculator facilities automatically apply lifetime taxes related to your traditional IRA, 401k, 403b, 457, Simple, Keogh and other retirement accounts and to your Roth IRA and to your designated Roth 401k, Roth 403b, and Roth 457 account contributions.”
Bill Smith presents TurboTax Makes Tax Season a Breeze posted at 2009 Taxes, saying, “Financial capability is a major part in an adult’s life. Finishing your degree and getting a job is needed in order to maintain a sustainable life, along with paying taxes.”
Bill Smith presents Tax Return Extensions Made Easy posted at 2013 Taxes, saying, “Most people these days have such busy schedules and isn’t it a hassle to personally file our tax returns?”
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tax carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Completing an annual tax return is a responsibility that is shared by all American wage earners. If you fail to file a tax return in any given year, you could face both legal and monetary penalties. If you have not yet filed past due tax returns for your 2010 taxes or previous years, it would be a good idea to file a complete tax return for those years as soon as possible to avoid being penalized.
When looking to complete a return for 2010 or a previous year, the first thing that you need to do is gather as much of your financial records as possible. If you have lost or thrown away pay stubs or bank statements, you should be able to get everything you need by contacting your employer, bank, brokerage firm, or any other entity that provided you with tax information that needs to be reported.
You are one of 50,000,000 Americans who must fill out an income tax return by March 15 do it now! …. (Photo credit: Keijo Knutas)
Once you have gathered all of your financial information, the next thing to do is prepare the tax returns. Be sure that you prepare the tax returns based off of 2010 forms. Since the tax law changes from one year to the next, 2012 tax forms will not be usable to complete the 2010 tax return. These forms are available through either the IRS directly, your accountant, or any tax preparation software.
After you have completed the return, be sure to mail it in as soon as possible. It would be a good idea to also include a check for any owed taxes, but you should be prepared to have to pay interest or fees on any past due amount.
Welcome to the May 24, 2013 edition of Tax Carnival Ecstasy. In this edition we start with an article from Bill Smith on TurboTax having an issue with their service at the very end of the tax season this year. John Schmoll from Frugal Rules discusses the financial concepts that he understood before he left college in a nice post. And finally Edward Webber looks at the amount of income you can earn before you need to file a tax return. Hope you like all articles, bookmark, share on Facebook, Tweet, and come back really soon.
English: The headquarters of Intuit Consumer Tax Group at the northern end of San Diego. This is where Intuit develops its flagship tax return preparation product, TurboTax. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
filing
Bill Smith presents TurboTax Survives Twitter Panic posted at 2009 Taxes, saying, “The 2013 tax season was fraught with unprecedented problems caused by government budget fights and IRS delays in updating forms.”
John Schmoll presents 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Graduated From College posted at Frugal Rules, saying, “It’s sadly been too long since I graduated from college. There are a number of things I wish I knew before I did, chiefly among them avoiding debt, investing early for retirement by taking advantage of a 401k and networking all with the intention of growing professionally as well as growing my wealth.”
John Schmoll presents Online Brokerages I’ve Used: Etrade Review posted at Frugal Rules, saying, “There are many online brokerages to use as you look to invest in the stock market. The good ones are there to meet your needs and help make sure you’re doing what you can to be investing for things like retirement.”
taxes
Edward Webber presents How Much Can You Earn Without Paying Taxes 2013? posted at TaxFix Feed Update, saying, “Do you want to know how much you can earn without paying any tax in the UK? This article provides all the details and how the limit has been increased.”
tips
Simpsonsparadox presents Tax Evaders! posted at Geek Insider.
That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of tax carnival ecstasy using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
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The Turbo Tax 2013 advertisements were undoubtedly memorable and those who have seen them will not soon forget them. It is also impossible to deny that these advertisements were more aggressive in than previous advertisements aired by the company. Despite the fact that TurboTax is one of the most popular tax programs on the market, the company is definitely trying as hard as it can to put down the competition.
Why Were the Ads Controversial in the First Place?
The Turbo Tax 2013 ads emphasized the fact that many tax preparation companies hire trained professionals who do not work as accountants year round. The ads clearly displayed various people who prepared taxes during the tax season later going back to their regular jobs. More specifically, one individual in question worked as a sales clerk while another worked as a plumber.
The ads did not mention H&R Block by name, except to note at the very end that TurboTax handles more tax clients than H&R Block and all other similar companies combined. However, the fact that Turbo Tax was trying to undercut H&R Block and other, similar companies was unmistakable.
The Case
H&R Block retaliated with a swift, harshly worded statement against Turbo Tax before taking the tax software giant to court. In court, H&R Block made a few valid arguments against Intuit, the company that owns and runs Turbo Tax. H&R Block noted that the company puts down those individuals who do not work as accountants on a year round basis, without noting the fact that these individuals do have the training required to properly prepare tax forms. The ads also did not note the fact that many of H&R Block’s employees have extensive experience. Furthermore, the lawyers also note that the ad portrays an unflattering picture of those who work in sales or plumbing.
While the court noted that these arguments were valid, in the end TurboTax won the case and is able to play the ads when and where desired. The courts found that the ads did not breach any laws and, more specifically, did not cause illegal harm to H&R Block. Given this ruling, it is not unrealistic to expect more, similar Turbo Tax ads next tax year.
While Turbo Tax has won the first round of this battle, this is u
Boxing Generic copy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
nlikely to be the last battle between these two giants. H&R Block does tax preparation in person while TurboTax is a software program that a person can use on his or her own. However, both these companies are vying for the same clients and so are likely to continue attacking each other and other, similar businesses in an effort to reduce the competition and get a larger share of customers.
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