Earlier this month, we celebrated an important 100-year anniversary. On February 7, 1913, the Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified. All amendments to the Constitution are important, of course, but this particular amendment was huge. In effect, it opened the door to the eventual explosive growth of our federal government. Up until February 7, [...]

This is among my favorite weeks of the year. No, it’s not because we are almost one-half of the way through the tax season, although that is an important milestone for all of us at Action Tax. No, it’s not because it seems like winter is winding down. I like boats but it’s not because [...]

The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is one of the largest refundable credit programs administered by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). In 2011, 27 million taxpayers claimed 62 billion dollars of EITC via their income tax returns equating to an average of approximately $2,200 per claim. The IRS estimates that four out of five taxpayers [...]

Mercifully, Congress wrapped up making changes to the 2012 tax return tax week when they passed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. Everything seems to be a struggle in Washington. At least, it seems to have been that way for all of my life and before. I’m only 60 but I’m pretty confident in [...]

The end of the year is always interesting to tax professionals like me. We get to talk with many people and discuss a variety of tax situations. If the truth be told, however, most taxpayers don’t have to do anything special at the end of the year. For those taxpayers who don’t itemize, the timing [...]