JohnH

Maybe they are shipping using a system similar to the one we use in deciding which extension client's returns to complete first.

Mine arrived yesterday with the scan demo. On first impression, the scan & fill seems to me to be more trouble than it's worth. It makes much more sense for issuers to be given a format to bar-code W-2 forms, 1099's, & 1098's.

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2202020,00.html Warren Buffet is complaining that his average tax rate (including payroll taxes) is lower than anyone who works for him. He thinks something needs to be done about this state of affairs. Seems like I remember Bill Clinton & Bill Gates making the same complaint. Can somebody get in touch with the Oracle of Omaha and explain that if he is really serious about this, there is already a mechanism to do so? It's right there in the instructions for preparing his tax return, (Page 64 & 65) and the really nice thing about this is that his payments can be applied directly to the national debt. He can also get a tax deduction for this payment, although I'm sure he would want to forego that deduction in the interest of being consistent and a person whose actions conform to his words. So if he's really true to his convictions, then once he gets the word I expect him to be telling us pretty soon that he wrote an extra check & mailed it in with his 2007 return. Otherwise he's just another blowhard who likes to talk a good game, but really has no intention of backing up his words with meaningful action. And this applies to anyone else who complains they aren't paying enough in taxes - mostly a bunch of peacocks, strutting & posturing but doing nothing more than putting on a show.

Rich: You actually lay out some pretty good answers, although I agree that someone who just wants to gripe isn't going to be convinced anyhow. I like your last line, and it might work with some people. My only problem with using it is that my face may turn red with embarrassment at my inconsistency, since I constantly harp on the fact that the government doesn't HAVE any money of its own - it only has what it has confiscated form its rightful owners in the first place.

The simplest answers I can think of, and which I use in these situations are: 1) It's the law. I don't write 'em, I just interpret them. 2) I agree it's unfair, but I can't do anything about it. Your time would be better spent complaining to your congressperson. Of course, they aren't going to do anything unless you can grease their palms with some big campaign contributions. 3) If my advice isn't adequate, maybe you need to have that barber prepare your tax return since he obviously has a better grasp of the tax system than I. BTW, here's a 2003 Cato Institute article on the subject, altough I think it may raise more questions that it answers for some taxpayers. http://www.socialsecurity.org/daily/02-05-03.html

Then it appears that Mike gave my powers of observation too much credit and I did the same for you.

Mike: I think the number must be 34 or less, since Zeke had to have noticed that he had "advanced" prior to posting # 35.

And this doesn't even address the changes that would be required if Charlie Rangel gets his way - a 4% surtax and higher capital gains tax rate on the "high income" taxpayers. This would be anyone earning over 150K sngle or $200K MFJ.

When I do tax planning, I like to "Duplicate" the return and then alter the name enough to let me know it's a current-year estimate but still keep it in alphabetical order. I prefer keeping the original return in its as-filed form in the data base.

Its a designation you can put on your business card and charge your clients higher fees. Just add "Advanced Member - Unofficial ATX Community". Your clients will immediately recognize the significance & happily pay more for your services.

Wow! Changing passwords every 45 days, confusing screens to do a simple thing like sign onto your account, plus getting nickled & dimed on junk charges with undecipherable names. The benefits just keep on coming... And we were worrying a few months back about whether the new ownership would disrupt the quality of customer service. How silly of us to worry about these things - what WERE we thinking???

kc, jainen, OldJack: Thanks very much for your thoughts on this issue. This helps give me some direction.

I'm off to a great start here. Helping someone prepare an OIC on a pro bono basis and I don't know what to enter in the name fields. Husband died earlier this year, but the amounts due relate to joint tax returns for several years past while he was dying of cancer. Since he is no longer living, do I simply enter the wife's name on the 433-A & 656 and then explain on the attachment, or do I enter both names since all the paperwork related to the liability is in both names?

I'm with you Wayne. I haven't renewed and haven't decided whether to do so or not. Still waiting, with an alternate solution already sitting on go in the wings.

Do you know if he filled out any loan documents or applications claiming this was gonig to be his personal residence in order to get a lower interest rate? If so, he may have a problem.

What a concidence. I just received a return receipt for one I placed in the US mail last month.

Here's the link: http://www.dol.state.ga.us/ This is a means of accessing the 1099G. It requires a PIN, but it appears to allow you to work around it with the proper info. https://www.dol.state.ga.us/WS4-MW5/cics.js...p;FRMNAME=BP80A

All mine are finished, picked up, & in the mail - including my own which I finalized yesterday. As someone said on another forum, I like to prepare my return after I've practiced on everybody else's.

Highlight the entire name by sweeping your cursor from right to left with the left mouse button held down. Then retype the name That should get rid of any extraneous characters or spaces.

Ditto! It amazes me how many people put the bulk of their retirement funds in every risky investment they can think of and then get mad when normal market forces drive the value of some of their foolish gambles DOWN. They seem to think they have a God-given right to gains no matter how much risk they choose to incur. Mention "Asset Allocation" to them and the first thing they say is "But I can't score any big hits with that Fixed Income stuff." They forget that sometimes return OF one's principal is as important as return ON the principal - even more true as we get older.

I just went to their knowledgebase and also accessed my account data and everything seemed to work normally for me. (I assume it worked normally. I was able to pull up info on the knowledgebase and my account info is current as of May 2007. I haven't decided whether to re-order so there isn't any current or recent info to be posted on it.) Have you tried holding down the "control" key while accessing the ATX site?

So I'm betting you have even less sympathy for us Neandertals who further waste IRS resources by insisting on paper filing & not even bothering to become ERO's - right? Like Taxbilly, reading KC's post makes me glad I don't have a dog in this fight.

Sorry, I don't have a template. I just construct a spreadsheet to fit the circumstances whenever I need one. Usually, if the spreadsheet presents a clear path showing how you got to the end result, that will be accepted in response to a mail inquiry.

I'd prepare spreadsheet showing how the amounts were derived. Be sure the spreadsheet ties back to the numbers on the return. They love spreadsheets.

If you're willing to pay enough money, you can probably get a program which will have almost no mistakes. But no vendor is going to guarantee perfection, and as Wayne points out, you are taking a huge chance relying on any program to do it all right. No software is a substitute for your judgement and experience - putting all your faith in the software is guaranteed to trip you up.