Have/Do you ever cheat on taxes?

Post by **TheCatt** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 11:46 am

Just curious....

Post by **TPRJones** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 12:26 pm

When I find a loophole I use it. My capital investments aren't a big percentage of my income but they do provide the occasional opportunity here and there to shave some off the totals.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 12:49 pm

Anything you can get away with on taxes isn't cheating.

cheating = illegal/forbidden action that causes a disciplinary reaction
not cheating = everything else

Any time I have a question about where to draw that line, I look at charts like this ...

... and conclude the gov't can go fuck itself.

Edited By Malcolm on 1457200343

Post by **TheCatt** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 1:32 pm

I have friends who will fill out their taxes with multiple software packages, then take whichever gives them the biggest return. Interestingly enough, the tax code is pretty deterministic about these people's situations... it's interesting to see how many of the software packages therefore must have bugs.

Years ago I accidentally mis-reported some Schedule D stuff (cap gains), so I cheated the government, but it was a mistake I didn't realize until a year later.

Currently, I own a business, and so there are some things I do that are probably grey. I feel like I could defend them well enough (more likely than not to be valid), but also feel there's a chance the IRS would say no if they audited me.

Post by **GORDON** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:23 pm

There are a few things you can deduct that the IRS does not require proof for, until a certain level, and there are some excuses they will accept if they catch you in certain other things that also do not require proof.

So, hell yes.

Theoretically. I of course say this just to encourage conversation because I would never cheat on my taxes because that is bad and wrong. It's b'd'ong.

Post by **TheCatt** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:11 pm

GORDON wrote:There are a few things you can deduct that the IRS does not require proof for, until a certain level, and there are some excuses they will accept if they catch you in certain other things that also do not require proof.

Now my curiosity is itching...

Post by **GORDON** » Sat Mar 05, 2016 9:16 pm

Charitable donations, for example. I believe the limit is $500, without needing receipts.

And apparently "all my records were on my smart phone and I lost them when it crashed" is an acceptable excuse for he IRS. I was told. By the IRS enrolled agent.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 1:27 pm

GORDON wrote:Charitable donations, for example. I believe the limit is $500, without needing receipts.

And apparently "all my records were on my smart phone and I lost them when it crashed" is an acceptable excuse for he IRS. I was told. By the IRS enrolled agent.

That's not cheating, that's an accepted lie with no repercussions.

Post by **GORDON** » Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:29 pm

Malcolm wrote:
GORDON wrote:Charitable donations, for example. I believe the limit is $500, without needing receipts.

And apparently "all my records were on my smart phone and I lost them when it crashed" is an acceptable excuse for he IRS. I was told. By the IRS enrolled agent.
That's not cheating, that's an accepted lie with no repercussions.

Well then I'd change my answer, but it all seems to be the same level of illegality no matter what you call it.

Alhazad · Post by **Alhazad** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:28 pm

Malcolm wrote:
GORDON wrote:Charitable donations, for example. I believe the limit is $500, without needing receipts.

And apparently "all my records were on my smart phone and I lost them when it crashed" is an acceptable excuse for he IRS. I was told. By the IRS enrolled agent.
That's not cheating, that's an accepted lie with no repercussions.

One assumes it gets noted on your file to catch habitual users.

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 12:32 pm

Alhazad wrote:
Malcolm wrote:
GORDON wrote:Charitable donations, for example. I believe the limit is $500, without needing receipts.

And apparently "all my records were on my smart phone and I lost them when it crashed" is an acceptable excuse for he IRS. I was told. By the IRS enrolled agent.
That's not cheating, that's an accepted lie with no repercussions.
One assumes it gets noted on your file to catch habitual users.

They generally don't send out auditors unless there's profit to be made.

Post by **TheCatt** » Mon Mar 07, 2016 1:33 pm

If you make less than $200k, your odds are being audited are less than 1%.

Auditing/staffing funding at the IRS is way down. Their computer system is ancient and can only catch the most obvious issues (mismatched 1099s or W2s, etc). There is no/little big data analysis there. They can't catch much.

Post by **TheCatt** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:10 pm

Filed my taxes today. I have a W2 job, and also do 1099 work. The number of things that you don't report (or that the government just 'trusts' you on) for business is insane. I'm honest, but man... I wonder about other people.

Post by **GORDON** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 5:16 pm

Take all you can get. Give nothing back. Pirate code.

Post by **Troy** » Mon Feb 17, 2020 10:30 pm

The world is a big, grey, place.

Post by **Leisher** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 9:40 am

https://youtu.be/LdtDCC0027w

Post by **TheCatt** » Tue Feb 18, 2020 9:45 am

Troy wrote: The world is a big, grey, place.

It is.

The other day on reddit someone was trying to figure out how to file $1.80 of dividends for which they never received a 1099-DIV (Cuz it's under $10).

Me: Don't bother, move on.

I got downvoted a lot. In a world where 1) Most people are in the 24% or below bracket 2) everything gets rounded to nearest dollar, or truncated to dollar, and 3) Tax compliance already takes up too damned much time - WHY BOTHER.