TaxProJoe - Public Notary, Process Server, Legal Studies, Politics, and Tax Updates

Americans Against Food Taxes

taxprojoe — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 18:52:05 +0000

So I watched a commercial for this group Americans Against Food Taxes and I had to do some research to see what corporate group funded them. This isn’t a grass roots movement at all. It is being funded by the junk food industry. I immediately feel as if I can’t trust them because they haven’t been honest from the beginning but let’s talk about the real issue here. I am a HUGE fan of the Fair Tax plan. Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, all parties really, should be able to rally against this idea unless you want to sway votes every few years with tax cut manipulation. The Fair Tax plan though is a tax based on how you live rather than how you earn. You get to keep your entire paycheck. Those under the poverty line are given prebates to ensure they aren’t hurt under this doctrine. Imagaine if you were paid $15 an hour and you reall got to keep all $15 an hour. No social security, medicare, or Federal taxes would be taken out. Instead, revenue for the government is based on a built in national sales tax on nearly everything. TVs, cars, refrigerators, toys, etc would be taxed.

Here is a brief explanation http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_faq_answers

I am not so concerned with whether food is taxed as I am about what items are included on the Food Stamp list of approved foods though. We need to focus there. Soda, candy, all forms of junk food are allowed on food stamps but prepared foods are not. Anyone trying to save a dollar knows that Meijer and Wal-Mart both have the cooked foods counter where they sell broaster chickens. If you wait long enough they get marked down to like $2-3 from $6. An uncooked chicken from the butcher area though is $6-13. That doesn’t make sense. So a family on a limited income on Food Stamps can’t buy a prepared Chicken for $2 but they can buy twizzlers, pepsi, brownies, and gum. Absolute stupidity on the part of government.

As a person that drinks way too much caffiene, I would support a tax on soda, but not on healthy foods. I would support a giant tax on anything made with high-fructose corn syrup in it but everything else is exempt. It may not educate the public but the corporations would learn really quickly to change to a healthy recipe or suffer financially.

On a more personal charitable level, I would love to see grocery stores offer a discount on fresh foods for those using food stamps. The advertising effect on this I can already see on TV,

“During these times with so many unemployed, we are committed to helping you keep your family healthy with locally grown farm fresh foods. Every Sunday, save 20% on select fresh foods. Supporting your local growers, your communities, your families, for a healthier and financially secure future.”

If anyone out there takes my idea, I would like a cut.

Thank you.

Filed under: Paralegal

Divorce Law Podcasts

taxprojoe — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 17:59:54 +0000

http://bit.ly/eAQZyT

Here is a link to play a free podcast. They want you to use itunes but I hate itunes so here it is in mp3.

Filed under: Paralegal

Good News on the 1099 Requirements

taxprojoe — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 15:28:40 +0000

During the State of the Union Address last week, President Obama stated that he wanted to help small business and eliminate the new reporting requirements for 1099s. Yesterday on February 2nd, the Senate voted 81-17 to repeal the new reporting requirements for 1099s that were slyly shimmied into the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d112:SP00009: The voting result is listed in the above link.

These are the myopic senators that voted No to the repeal of the requirements:

Akaka (D-HI)
Carper (D-DE)
Durbin (D-IL)
Franken (D-MN)
Gillibrand (D-NY)
Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)

Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Whitehouse (D-RI)

If these are your senators, send them a message and let them know that increasing costs and burdens on to small businesses is not going to help our economy.

When this is approved by the house and signed in by President Obama, I will report some more.

Filed under: Paralegal

Dear Abby writes about Enrolled Agents

taxprojoe — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 14:47:40 +0000

MAN’S REFUSAL TO FILE RETURNS TAXES COUPLE’S RELATIONSHIP

DEAR ABBY: It has been eight years since my boyfriend, “Grant,” filed taxes. His refusal to file a tax return has caused many arguments between us.Grant’s parents got wind of it one year and gave him money to pay them off, but he spent the money to pay other bills. Grant is an only child. His parents often bail him out financially. This has begun to gnaw at me because I’m at the point where I’m thinking about marriage and children. I know we can’t be married until he takes care of his tax problem.

How serious is it not paying your taxes? Is this something I should just ignore? I couldn’t pay the bills if he was put in jail. Will this 30-something only child ever grow up? — APRIL 15-PHOBIC

DEAR PHOBIC: According to the National Association of Enrolled Agents (NAEA), a professional society of federally licensed tax practitioners, failing to file your taxes is worse than failing to pay. By not filing, your boyfriend runs the risk of paying not only the taxes he owes, but penalties and interest as well.

You need to tell Grant he can get help from an enrolled agent to guide him through the process of filing back returns and, if necessary, setting up a payment schedule with the IRS. He can locate one in his area by accessing the NAEA Web site, www.naea.org. If he doesn’t have access to a computer, his local library can help him.

More than 10,000 enrolled agents are listed. Because they are the only tax specialists licensed to practice before the IRS, Grant can be assured the matter will be handled confidentially in the most competent way.

You should not ignore Grant’s behavior. Protect yourself tax-wise by filing your return separately from his until the matter is settled. Should you decide to marry him, file as “married, filing separately” so your incomes (at least in the eyes of the IRS) won’t be viewed as one entity. Use the same enrolled agent or find one for yourself.

Do check out this reputable organization. Don’t wait for your boyfriend to grow up to do it because at the rate he’s maturing, that may never happen.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at

www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Filed under: Law Firm Consulting, Paralegal, Taxes

Punishment for Criminals

taxprojoe — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 03:51:50 +0000

Working in a law firm, we often work with people who have been charged with their first offense with a DUI or OWI. I am not going to excuse what they have done, if they did in fact do it, but I would love to see some more creative ways of finding solutions that work for “punishment”. Rather than lock a guy up for 6 months, why not make him pay for his own urine test, house arrest fees, and allow him to work so he can continue to pay child support. Locking someone up is not a deterrent to so many people in the system. I see in-house detention along with urine testing to not just be a lower cost alternative for what taxpayers spend on prisons but it also allows the offender to remain responsible for his own welfare and their children’s welfare. I would like Judges, defense attorneys, and prosecutors to start using more creative forms of plea bargaining so we can get solutions rather than more numbers in prisons. What are your thoughts?

Filed under: Personal, Politics Tagged: criminal law, election 2010, madison county prosecutor, punishment, Rodney Cummings, Thomas Broderick

Madison County Indiana Election 2010

taxprojoe — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 04:40:01 +0000

Election Hopefuls for Madison County, Indiana. Click on their names for their websites or other articles written about them.

US Senator
Dan Coats – R	Rebecca Sink-Burris – L		Brad Ellsworth – D
US Representative – 6^th District
Mike Pence – R	TJ Thompson – L		NONE FILED
Secretary of State
Charlie White – R	Mike Wherry – L		Vop Osili – D
State Treasurer
Richard Murdock – R			Pete Buttigieg – D
State Auditor
Tim Berry – R	Eric Knipe – L		Sam Locke – D
State Senator – District 25
Brian S. Jacobs – R			Timothy Lanane – D
State Representative – District 35
Jack Lutz – R			NONE FILED
State Representative – District 36
Kim Builta – R			Terri Jo Austin – D
State Representative – District 37
Kyle Hupfer – R			Scott Reske – D
Prosecuting Attorney
Rodney Cummings – R			Thomas Broderick – D
Madison County Circuit Court I
Rudy Pyle – R			Kevin Eads – D
Madison County Superior Court I
Judge Dennis Carroll – R (Very Good Judge)			NONE FILED
Madison County Assessor
Larry Davis - R? He was a Democrat that stabbed other Democrats in the back so he is running as a Republican and has an agenda of revenge. Vote for Cheryl.			Cheryl Heath
Clerk of Circuit Court
Darlene Likens – R (current treasurer)			Ludy Watkins – D (current clerk)
County Recorder
Angela Shelton -R			Lisa Hobbs – D (I like Lisa Hobbs and how the recorder’s office is run right now. They have been streamlining costs.
County Sheriff
Sam Hanna – R			Ron Richardson – D
County Treasurer
Kelly Gaskill – R			Kathy Stoops-Wright – D
Board of County Commissioners
Stephanie Owens – R			Paul Wilson – D
County Council
David Michael McCartney – R		Daniel Ferris – L	William Savage – D
John Hughes – R			Buddy Patterson – D
Stephanie Hecko-Aikin		Christine Nealis – L	John Bostic – D
Rick Gardner		John Nichols – L	Joey Cole – D

Filed under: Politics Tagged: 2010, Angela Shelton, Brad Ellsworth, Brian Jacobs, Buddy Patterson, Charlie White, Cheryl Heath, Christine Nealis, Dan Coats, Daniel Ferris, Darlene Likens, David Michael McCartney, Dennis Carroll, Election, Eric Knipe, indiana, Jack Lutz, Joey Cole, John Bostic, John Hughes, John Nichols, Kathy Stoops-Wright, Kelly Gaskill, Kevin Eads, Kim Builta, Kyle Hupfer, Larry Davis, Lisa Hobbs, Ludy Watkins, madison county, Mike Pence, Mike Wherry, Paul Wilson, Pete Buttigieg, Rebecca Sink-Burris, Richard Murdock, Rick Gardner, Rodney Cummings, Ron Richardson, Rudy Pyle, Sam Hanna, Sam Locke, Scott Reske, Stephanie Heck-Aikin, Stephanie Owens, terri jo austin, Thomas Broderick, Tim Berry, tim lanane, TJ Thompson, Vop Osili, William Savage

New PTIN regulations for IRS Tax preparers

taxprojoe — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 18:55:54 +0000

Today the IRS released new regulations for ANYONE who wants to be able to prepare taxes or represent anyone in front of the IRS. You now must get a new PTIN and pay a fee to get it. The cost is $64.95. The nice thing for me is that H&R Block will be paying for mine. They have agreed to pay the fee for all of their employees.

There will be 2 more phases of the IRSs’ new regulations. One of which will be a test for proficiency. The test will be released this summer. Only Attorneys, CPA, and Enrolled Agents who are current on their CLE/CPE training will be exempt of this requirement.

From the IRS website:

Phase 1: Apply For or Renew Your PTIN (required by January 1, 2011)

Beginning January 1, 2011, all paid preparers must have a Preparer Tax Identification Number. If you already have a PTIN, you must renew it. You can sign up for or renew your PTIN now. It costs $64.25 per year.

To get your PTIN, just follow four easy steps:

Create Your Account—First, you must create an account by providing your name, email address and security question information. The system will then email your temporary password, which you will change when you go back to enter your information in the PTIN application.

Apply for Your PTIN—You will complete the online application by providing personal information, information about your previous year’s tax return, professional credentials, and more. See a checklist of what you need before you start.

Pay Your Fee—The application will transfer you to our partner bank where you will make your payment by credit card or direct debit.

Get Your PTIN—After the bank confirms your payment, your PTIN is provided online. If you already have a PTIN, you will retain the same number in most cases. You will also receive a welcome letter providing additional guidance.

It only takes about 15 minutes to sign up online and receive your PTIN. If you opt to use the paper application, Form W-12, IRS Paid Preparer Tax Identification Number (PTIN) Application, it will take 4-6 weeks to process.

Phase 2: Pass IRS Competency Exam (begins mid-2011)

In mid-2011, the second phase of the paid preparer oversight program is scheduled to begin. You must pass an exam to demonstrate your competency to prepare federal tax returns. Once you pass the exam, you will become an IRS Registered Tax Return Preparer.

Exception—if you are an attorney, CPA or Enrolled Agent (and are active and in good standing with your licensing agency) you are exempt from the test requirement.

We expect to have the exam available in mid-2011. If you register and get your new PTIN before the competency exam is available, you will have until the end of 2013 to take and pass the exam. If you delay getting your PTIN until after the online exam is available, you will have to pass the exam before you can get your PTIN and start preparing federal tax returns.

Phase 3: Take Continuing Education Courses (start date not yet determined)

In addition to a competency exam, IRS Registered Tax Return Preparers must take continuing education annually. The start date for continuing education courses has not been determined. You will be given further instructions through your PTIN account once more guidance is available.

Exception—if you are an attorney, CPA or Enrolled Agent (and are active and in good standing with your licensing agency) you are exempt from the continuing education requirement. These professional accreditations generally already have continuing education requirements.

All in all, I just want to say that H&R Block is a wonderful employer and I am glad that are taking care of their own. I hope this will cut down on the number of poorly filed returns and will lend some credibility to professionally trained return preparers.

If you need your taxes done, let me know. I am studying for the Enrolled Agent exam right now, I study the tax code, and I am familiar with the complications of the law and taxation. You can find me at an H&R Block this coming tax season in downtown Anderson.

Filed under: Taxes

What is an Enrolled Agent?

taxprojoe — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 04:45:10 +0000

I am always asking people, “Do you know what an Enrolled Agent is?” An Enrolled Agent (EA) is a federally-license tax practitioner who has technical expertise in the field of taxation and who is empowered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service for audits, collections, and appeals even in tax court. Only Enrolled Agents, attorneys, and CPAs may represent taxpayers before the IRS. Enrolled agents, like attorneys and CPAs, are unrestricted as to which taxpayers they can represent and what types of tax matters they can handle. Enrolled Agents are certified through the IRS and can practice in any state though unlike CPAs and Attorneys who can only practice in the states they have licenses. EAs are the only tax professionals who must pass a series of stringent examinations administered by the IRS on their knowledge of tax law and regulations. EAs adhere to a code of ethics and professional conduct and are required by the IRS to take Continuing Professional Education. Because of the knowledge necessary to become an Enrolled Agent and the requirements to maintain the license, there are only about 46,000 practicing Enrolled Agents. Only Enrolled Agents are required to demonstrate to the IRS their competence in matters of taxation before they may represent a taxpayer before the IRS. Unlike attorneys and CPAs, who may or may not choose to specialize in taxes, all Enrolled Agents specialize in taxation.

So now you know what I have been studying for so long… My testing starts at the end of the year.

Filed under: Law Firm Consulting, Paralegal, Personal, Taxes Tagged: audit, ea, enrolled agent, IRS

Bankruptcy is on the rise

taxprojoe — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:09:02 +0000

It is no surprise looking around Anderson, Indiana to see that more and more people are filing, or need to file, bankruptcy. According to the Administrative Offices of the U.S. Courts, As of the end of the 12 month period ending June 30, 2010, All Bankruptcy filings (7,11,12, & 13) were up 20%. That is the highest it has been since right before the changes in the BAPCPA in 2005. Chapter 7 filings totaled 1,133,320 up 25 percent from the 907,603 Chapter 7 filings in the 12-month period ending June 30, 2009. Chapter 13 filings totaled 424,242, up 10 percent from the 384,187 filings in the same time period in June 2009. Farmers in Chapter 12 proceedings were up 20% as well. Business reorganization only went up 2%.

The way I see this is that people are finally getting some jobs or finding a way to get the money to file. Most people don’t file bankruptcy, from my experience, until they are back to work and know what their new financial outlook will be. Because they haven’t been working, they haven’t had the $800-$3000 to go file their bankruptcy. Now that they are back to work they are coming in and filing to discharge that debt that accrued while they were out of work. And still the number one reason why I see people coming in for bankruptcy is for medical debt. Perhaps they didn’t work while they were ill or they just had to wait until the procedures were done and the bills had come in… the point is that we need to do something as a people, as a nation, to change the way we live so we can make medical costs go down.

Filed under: Bankruptcy Law, Law Firm Consulting, Notary, Paralegal, Politics Tagged: anderson, anderson indiana, bankruptcy, bankruptcy statistics, madison county, paralegal, statistics

Process Server in Anderson Indiana

taxprojoe — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:14:05 +0000

Process Server – Afterhours, During the Day, & Weekends

If you need someone served in the Madison County area or within 45 miles from the center of Anderson, I can help you. I am a process server in Anderson, Indiana. I can refer you to someone else if I cannot travel for the service. I only work for attorneys and not private parties or non-attorneys. All Attorneys are billed with payment due within 20 days. There is no charge if I do not make service. I cannot guarantee personal service. I do make every effort to find the respondent/defendent though. I have the unique abilities of searching through the most obscure sources to find the information I need. I have been know to use connections and data on Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, DoxPop, Neighbors, Friends, Family, and more to find the responsible party and get them served. I do ask that you provide me with as much information as possible to locate the party.

For Madison County (including Anderson, Pendleton & Alexandria)
$50
For Contiguous Counties within 45 miles (Delaware County, Hamilton County, Henry, Hancock & Tipton)
$70
NO CHARGE FOR NO SERVICE
Prices include Proof of Service or Affidavit of Service

For Service You Can

E-Mail Scanned Documents to TAXPROJOE@YAHOO.COM
Arrange for Local Pick up by calling 765-278-0609

When providing me hardcopies, please include an extra copy of all papers being served.

Filed under: Bankruptcy Law, Crazy Stuff, Family Law, Law Firm Consulting, Notary, Paralegal Tagged: anderson, delaware county, Hamilton County, Hancock County, indiana, madison county, process server, process service, service processor, tipton county