Taxes Blog

Cash-hungry states are beginning to stand up to Amazon.com Inc., the online bookseller-turned-general-merchandiser, when it comes to taxes. And things are starting to get nasty. At issue is whether Amazon and other online retailers are legally required to collect sales taxes on purchases made in various states. The general rule, thanks to a 1992 Supreme Court decision,

A recent New York Times/CBS News telephone poll on the deficit and taxes indicates that when it comes to dealing with the federal deficit, America’s feelings are as mixed — and as politically partisan — as those of folks on Capitol Hill who will have to make the country’s ultimate fiscal decisions.  In general, though, we

The average tax refund last year was $3,003. Filing data complied by the Internal Revenue Service through April 8 show that refunds issued so far in 2011 are close to that amount. For returns processed by early April, the average refund was $2,895. Taxpayers who had refunds directly deposited to a bank account got a

Married couples usually have two choices when deciding which tax-filing status to use, married filing jointly or separately. But it’s a bit more complicated for spouses in same-sex marriages. In the states where such marriages are legal, gay and lesbian married couples typically are afforded the same filing status options as their heterosexual counterparts. On Internal Revenue

It’s official. President Barack Obama has declared portions of North Carolina that were hit by severe storms, flooding and tornadoes last weekend a major disaster area. And that has prompted the Internal Revenue Service to announce taxpayer relief for the disaster area residents. North Carolina state tax officials had already given affected taxpayers special treatment for their state

While millions of us were struggling to finish up our tax returns on Monday, April 18, folks in the Southeast had much more difficult and devastating battles on their hands. They were digging out of three days of deadly storms and tornadoes.  In times like that, nothing matters but finding your loved ones. And taxes definitely

With the April 18 filing deadline bearing down, I know you’re focused on your 2010 tax return. But some of us have a couple of extra tax tasks to take care of by Monday, too. Are you looking to reduce your tax bill by deducting a traditional IRA contribution? You need to get that money

Haven’t done your taxes yet? Maybe it’s because you’ve been working on your hairdo. OfficeMax’s 2011 Tax it to Me survey found that around 40 percent of respondents said they’d feel more confident taking a pair of scissors to their own locks than filling out their tax returns on their own. Before you go gender stereotyping, that

Yes, the tax filing deadline is close. But don’t get in such a panic that you fall victim to a tax scam. To make sure we all avoid this season’s most prevalent cons, the Internal Revenue Service has released its annual ”Dirty Dozen” tax scam list. These 12 scams could cost you more than you expect. Not only

It’s looking like neither side is willing to blink in the government shutdown game of chicken. So what does that mean to taxpayers who haven’t filed their tax returns yet? Nothing. Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Doug Shulman has made it clear that while his agency will be short-staffed if the federal government runs out of money,