5 WACKIEST TAX WRITE-OFFS
1. It went up in smoke!
This return preparer must have thought he was hallucinating when one of his clients, a criminal defense attorney, referred a marijuana dealer he was defending to him. The dealer was facing prison time for drug dealing and did not want to be nailed for tax fraud as well.
Because he was involved in an illegal business, he could not take any deductions, period. The tax code is written with the philosophy that if you are engaged in something illegal, you have to recognize all of the income and none of the deductions are recognized, even the cost of the product.
None of his clients gave the marijuana dealer a Form 1099 and the taxpayer just gave the preparer a number and paid taxes on it. There was no factual basis for the number, because the taxpayer dealt solely in cash.
2. No receipts from above!
Putting a few bills into the church offering plate got one taxpayer of a CPA in a bind when the IRS asked for canceled checks or receipts to support his charitable deductions. Explaining why he had no such receipts, the taxpayer said he Simply throws in cash "as the spirit moves me:'
The CPA said the IRS agent paused to consider the taxpayer's response, and then offered this advice: "I understand how the spirit can move you. So my advice to you is to always take your checkbook to church with you. When you feel the spirit coming on, just take out your checkbook and fill in any amount you think is right, whatever the spirit may dictate. It makes no difference how much you give, just as long as you have a copy of the canceled check. This way both the spirit and the IRS will be pleased:”
3. Silence is golden ... and deductible.
While on the subject of charitable deductions, a CPA in Fort Worth, Texas, recalls one prominent client who found a creative solution to a chronically noisy next door neighbor: He bought the house from the fellow, ripped it out of the ground and donated it to a local women's shelter. He then claimed the value of the home as a charitable deduction.
The deduction was limited to a percentage of his income, but his income was such that it was not a problem. The IRS adjusted the value somewhat, but it did allow the deduction.
Everything is bigger in Texas, even the charitable deductions.
4. He took Manhattan, the Bronx and Staten Island, too!
When accounting software was in its infancy, a rookie CPA in New Jersey prepared a return for an individual with one small glitch: The software mistook the filer's address "New York, NY" for the name of a dependent. The mistake went unnoticed by the preparer and the client until one day they received a phone call from the IRS. The agent apologized that the deduction was being disqualified, even though, as the agent politely agreed, it might indeed be justified.
5. But you can write off the pimp hat!
When does an entertainment expense exceed IRS criteria? A New Jersey CPA found out the funny way when a businessman client wanted to deduct the cost of a call girl he hired to entertain some clients. When the CPA told the businessman he would have to present said contractor with a Form 1099 to support this business expense, the client declined to do so and dropped the whole idea.
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