Who's to Blame for the IRS Singling out Conservative Groups Seeking Tax-Exempt Status?

The agency apologized last week for automatically sending Tea Party and similar groups through multiple hoops before the 2012 election.

President Obama this week said efforts by IRS employees to target new conservative groups for extra scrutiny were "outrageous," echoing many administration critics who charged that the measures were politically motivated. "I have got no patience with it, I will not tolerate it, and we will make sure that we find out exactly what happened on this," Obama said in a news conference Monday. The Wall Street Journal reported that an Inspector General's report concludes there was widespread targeting of conservative-linked groups for aggressive questioning, but that no one outside the IRS was involved in establishing the practice. (The report was released Tuesday.) Former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, an appointee of President George W. Bush…

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Is it OK for the IRS to Use Social Media Sites to Track Tax Cheats?

Would you be comfortable having the IRS as a Facebook friend? Or maybe even a friend of a friend?

As procrastinators rush to file their tax returns before Monday's deadline, reports surfaced that the Internal Revenue Service could use social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, to check up on tax cheats. Mediabistro.com shared a report that the IRS will be checking into individual Facebook and Twitter accounts for improprieties. The report does say that, according to the IRS, it would only be in cases where a tax form raises a red flag. It is not clear, though, just how far into social media sites the agency intends to go. However, it might not be a good idea to display your Caribbean vacation photographs on your Facebook page if you've reported a big loss on your tax return. Social media sites have already contributed to the …

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Taxpayers Tired of Waiting for Refund Already

The Internal Revenue Service reports experiencing high traffic on its online “Where's My Refund?” tool.

The deadline to file tax returns isn't until April, but taxpayers appear to be filing early and are already asking, Where's my refund?"  “Due to the large number of inquiries and to avoid service disruptions, the IRS strongly urges taxpayers to only check on their refunds once a day,” the IRS said, according to a report by Accounting Today. “IRS systems are only updated once a day, usually overnight, and the same information is available whether on the Internet, IRS2go smartphone app or on IRS toll-free lines. While 'Where's My Refund?' is updated nightly, your account will not change that frequently.” According to the report, nine out of 10 taxpayers typically receive refunds in less than 21 days when they use e-file with direct deposit…

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Lawrenceville Couple Sentenced in 10-Year Tax Scheme

Stephen Paul Thomas and Patricia Denese Anderson of Lawrenceville, Ga. claimed not to be citizens of the United States to avoid paying taxes and later falsely claim $420,000 in refunds.

For 10 years, Stephen Paul Thomas, 46, and Patricia Denese Anderson, 51, of Lawrenceville, ran a tax defiance scheme against the IRS. On Thursday, the two were sentenced to serve time in federal prison. Thomas was sentenced to serve five years while Anderson was sentenced to four years and three months. Both were fined $10,000 and will have three years of supervised release. The two were convicted in October following a six-day trial. They were convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States and making false claims upon the Internal Revenue Service. Thomas and Anderson owned and operated an outdoor yard furnishing store and general contracting business in Duluth. The couple stopped filing federal income tax returns in the 1990's. …

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Last Chance: Deadline for 2011 Federal Income Tax Returns is April 17

File your 2011 federal income tax return by April 17 to avoid late penalties and interest.

You still have a few days left to meet the filing deadline for your 2011 federal income tax returns. The tax deadline is traditionally today, April 15, but has been pushed back to April 17 this year since today is a Sunday and April 16 is Emancipation Day in the District of Columbia. April 17 is also the final date to apply for 2011 tax extensions. The Internal Revenue Service encourages taxpayers to file returns electronically. According to a statement posted on the IRS website, e-file is "the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds."

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IRS Tips to Reduce 2011 Taxes

In the middle of rushing, don't neglect to do the important things before December 31.

The Internal Revenue Service knows that you are rushing right now to make last-minute donations to your favorite charities, which certainly helps reduce your taxes. In the process, givers may forget some obvious things, including other things that can be done to help you in this mad dash to the December 31 deadline. Here's a tip sheet from the IRS to help you out. 1. Make charitable contributions. If you itemize deductions, donations must be made to qualified charities no later than Dec. 31 to be deductible for 2011. You must have a canceled check, a bank statement, credit card statement or a written statement from the charity, showing the name of the charity and the date and amount of the contribution for all cash donations. Donations …

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Crystal Huskey

10:42 am on Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Not necessarily true - if you don't have health insurance and get sick, they will take monthly payments. I have been without health insurance in the past, as have many others I've known, and we pay for it ourselves, either up front or over time.   more ›

5 Things

5 Things for Last Minute Tax Filers

Where to find a post office open late, e-filing services and more.

There are just a handful of hours left before taxes are due. We had a few extra days to file as well. But if you're one to wait until the very last minute, here are some tips to help you make the midnight deadline. 1. Which Post Office is Open Late? All of the post offices in Gwinnett County have now closed. One post office in Atlanta, near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport will remain open until 11:59pm. Your envelope(s) must be postmarked by 11:59pm in order for your returns to be considered filed by the deadline, so that means you can't just drop it in a drop box at the Lawrenceville Post Office because it may not be postmarked until they open in the morning. 2. E-file and FreeFile Send your file safely from the comfort of your …