The Tax Preparation Blog

Posts Tagged ‘web2.0’

Question: Why doesn’t the US Government have a balanced budget amendment?

For that matter why don’t ALL the states have balanced budget amendments?

Wikipedia has a very good article about balanced budgets proposed in the past. One even included a provision that would require the President would submit to Congress a budget that would balance.

My state Arkansas does not permit (it’s in our Constitution) a budget that does not balance. Lawmakers have a choice every session. If they want to spend more and the state revenues aren’t on the rise and there’s not an existing surplus, they have to raise taxes. We may not have all the ‘benefits’ places like California or New York do but we’re not in hock up to our eyeballs either.

I know it’s late. As the adage goes you don’t wait till you are thirsty to start digging a well. But at $10 trillion dollars in debt and rising fast something needs to be done, and done quickly. Pardon me for being skeptical but I don’t believe spending like there’s no tomorrow is the answer.

Answer: I hate to be the bearer of bad news; but there are more ways to get around a balanced budget provision in a constitution than there are roads that lead to Little Rock.

Even with constitutional requirements, the state of Arkansas is projected to have a budget deficit of $146 Million for fiscal 2010. Balanced budget provisions in the constitution can be gotten around by many ways: Capital Budgeting, Off Budget Enterprises (OBEs); truly, the list goes on and on.

I applaud your desire for fiscal discipline, but without the political will to make it work, the constitution will not and cannot make politicians (most of whom are lawyers and/or accountants) do the right thing.

Sorry for the bad news.

California Governor promises budget and tax reform

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he is planning to undertake a budget and tax reform this year to give the state a more solid and reliable source of revenue

my california tax paid or voyage immobile

Question: My car tax is due on 31st March. What’s the latest I can buy online to receive it before that date?

Please consider the easter bank holidays.

Answer: Other answerer is correct; when you have paid you will receive a confirmation number. Print that out, keep it in the car, and IF you get stopped then show them that.

Assume you want to leave it late as poss to make sure you have money in your account?

Have you checked that you have the new style paperwork to allow you to pay online?

Tax credit for some hybrid cars ends Thursday

Hybrid-car buyers have just a couple more days to take advantage of a state tax credit for their vehicles. Oregon’s tax credit for new gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles ends Thursday, Dec. 31. The tax covers hybrids like the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic and Ford Escape. However, the next …

I Work in My Underwear and I’m NOT a Model!

Question: Aren’t you glad you don’t live in California?

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-state-tax31-2009oct31,0,2028140.story

Starting Sunday, cash-strapped California will dig deeper into the pocketbooks of wage earners–holding back 10% more than it already does in state income taxes just as the biggest shopping season of the year kicks into gear.
Technically, it’s not a tax increase, even though it may feel like one when your next paycheck arrives. As part of a bundle of budget patches adopted in the summer, the state is taking more money now in withholding, even though workers’ annual tax bills won’t change.
Think of it as a forced, interest-free loan: You’ll be repaid any extra withholding in April. Those who would receive a refund anyway will receive a larger one, and those who owe taxes will owe less.
Good one John. I, for one, am impressed by your firm grasp of the english language and your unique sense of spelling. Good luck to you, John, because you are truly going to need it.

Answer: thats why i moved to texas two years ago (almost three now)….best thing i’ve done in my life

2009: Coast prevails in troubled times

This was a rigorous year. 2009 will be remembered for profound changes spawned from financial crises emanating from all corners of society.

How to: Emerald City Green Eyes Makeup Tutorial PIXI, JEMMA KIDD

Financial experts agree that personal finance software can help you reduce “financial stress”. Financial planning helps you keep track of your expenses and income, plan wise money-saving strategies, gives you control over your money, peace of mind, and saves you time.

These budget software reviews provide information to help you decide which personal finance software is better for your needs.

Mvelopes – uses an envelope budget system where you save part of your income periodically (by-weekly or monthly) to pay future bills and stay within your budget. You create spending categories called “envelopes” which you set up for your various expenses. Mvelopes focuses more on budgeting your money than most other personal finance software programs.

Their application is website-based, so you don’t need to download any personal finance software on your computer. This allows you to share financial planning with another person, such as your spouse and this also causes less tech support problems. This envelope system includes features such as FREE online bill pay service, automatic monthly income allocation to your spending accounts, and links to more than 14 thousand financial institutions.

Summary – Mvelopes is particularly useful for people who travel frequently and want web access to their financial planning. Disadvantages: There is only one savings category, it has quarterly and yearly fees, and is more elaborate than other personal finance software systems, so it takes longer to learn.

You Need A Budget – By using their four sound financial principles, you’ll never find yourself in financial trouble. Their personal finance software is user-friendly and allows you to import information from your bank, set up repeating expenses, offers unlimited user-defined categories, charts, and other reports. A great advantage is their automation, so you don’t need to repeat data entry.

Setting up YNAB personal finance software is fast and easy and they offer great support such as online tutorials, a wiki, user forum, online user manual, a FAQ section, and FREE online coaching through webinars. After you set up your starting budget, you can easily import information from your banks, schedule payments and tasks, create charts, and other reports to organize your finances.

Summary: YNAB comes with 5 bonus spreadsheets, auto-suggest budgeting and The YNAB Way eBook FREE. Disadvantages: Currently is not available for Macs, though you can run it on an emulator.

Quicken Deluxe – combines data from your bank account, investments, and monthly bills into a single database so you can better organize your financial planning. This personal finance software includes many solid tools to help you create your monthly budget, pay your debts, allocate regular savings, manage your investments and plan your retirement.

Their personal finance software is very good for tracking and analyzing your expenses and this is a big help at tax time. It provides you with comprehensive, searchable help topics even with no Internet connection. Quicken Deluxe offers access to most major banks so you can download your statements automatically online. You can set up automatic data downloads at a specific time each day; however you must close it to run scheduled updates.

Summary: Your impression of Quicken Deluxe personal finance software will depend on the compatibility between your bank (and other financial institutions) system, and Quicken’s data access. Disadvantages: It has reported software bugs, no portfolio analysis, expensive phone support, and doesn’t open during downloads.

Mercator Gold plc: Trading Update and Interim Results (Unaudited) for the 12 Months to 30 June 2009

LONDON—-The Company is pleased to provide a trading update and unaudited interim results for the period to 30 June 2009 and announce that it is in the process of changing its group reporting date to 30 September.

TurboTax 2007 Fed+State Review / Epinions.com: “nonedude”

What takes place when you neglect to give your tax on time or refuse to give tax to the U.S. government? Many US citizens, who have experienced the IRS bank account levy, which came ‘out of the blue’ and left them bankrupt very fast, know the answer – you miss the tax- you lose your money.

Using this powerful tool of IRS bank account levy, Uncle Sam accumulates owing taxes from those who failed or refused to pay taxes on due date. Moreover, no permission is essential for the IRS to block the bank account and if needed, they can seize the assets of the default taxpayers. However, before freezing the account, Internal Revenue Service first send one notification to inform the person about IRS bank account levy and give the person a time set of thirty days to either pay or to request hearing to the federal government. That 30-day period is the only time when you can organize yourself to defend and save up your savings from going to the coffers of the IRS.

How Can You Relieve Your Money from IRS Bank Account Levy:

At first, get help from an experienced tax consultant who is well equipped with the process of tax payments and can help you to settle the matter. When that is done, with the advice from the consultant you can try a few ways, which have been proved successful to stop the IRS bank account levy. Several the most competent and approved steps are:

Process of recovering your money from IRS bank account levy is a prolonged procedure and can bear no result for you, yet you should think positive and appoint a veteran tax consultant to assist you.

Your Porter County briefs

Find out all the events going on in your community, and planyour week’s activities with The Times.

Professional Tax and Accounting Preparation Services – Online