Taking your money and giving it to Hollywood. Oscar Nominees Cash In On State Tax Subsidies (Howard Gleckman, TaxVox):
Each of the nine movies nominated for this year’s Oscar for best film may already have taken home a pile of tax subsidies. Seven brought back state goodies from the U.S. and two got cash for their work in the U.K.
And, according to data collected by the Manhattan Institute, the winner is….Wolf of Wall Street. The $100 million black comedy about (irony alert) over-the-top greed among sleazy stockbrokers got a 30 percent tax credit for making the movie in New York State.
The Empire State isn’t even the most generous when it comes to doling out tax incentives to filmmakers. In Louisiana, moviemakers not only get a 30 percent credit against overall in-state production costs but also an additional 5 percent payroll credit. Even better, filmmakers with no state tax liability can monetize the credits by selling them to firms that do owe Louisiana tax or even selling them back to the state at 85 percent of their value.
Iowa used to do this, until its film tax credit program collapsed in scandal and disgrace following revelations that filmmakers were charging fancy cars and personal items to Iowa taxpayers under the guise of “economic development. Further revelations showed that millions of dollars of pretend expenses were used to claim the credit, taking advantage of credulous administration and almost non-existent oversight.
More from Howard Gleckman:
No doubt these credits are good for filmmakers. And I’m sure residents get a kick out of seeing Leonardo DiCaprio shooting a scene in their neighborhood (assuming they are not steamed over the related traffic jam). But is there an economic payoff in return for these substantial lost tax revenues as supporters claim?
Most studies conclude there is not.
It’s amazing that politicians think Hollywood deserves their taxpayers dollars. Fortunately, Iowa film subsidies now are limited to housing and meal expenses for filmmakers.
Jason Dinesen, Deducting Miles Driven for Charity. ”Taxpayers can take a deduction of 14 cents/mile for mileage driven in giving services to a charitable organization, or taxpayers can take a deduction for the actual cost of gas and oil associated with giving services to a charitable organization.”
Tony Nitti, Tax Geek Tuesday: The Sneaky Tax Consequences of Real Estate Repossessions
Kay Bell, Time to pick the proper tax pro. She gets one thing wrong about the IRS: ”For years, the agency has been trying to set up a system under which it register and test tax preparers to help ensure that they meet a minimum competency level.”
No, the agency simply wants to expand its control over preparers and help powerful friends in the big tax prep franchises. The “minimum competency level” stuff is a weak pretext.
Robert D. Flach, IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN – CHOOSING A TAX PREPARER:
Contrary to the popular “urban tax myth”, unfortunately perpetuated by uninformed journalists and bloggers, just because a person has the initials “CPA” after his/her name does not mean that he/she knows his arse from a hole in the ground when it comes to preparing 1040s.
True. But a lot of the best prepaers are CPAs. Not everybody needs a CPA. Many folks just need somebody who knows a little more than they do to help them put the W-2 income in the right place. But if you are doing a complex business return — even on a 1040 — a CPA may be your best bet.
That’s not to say only CPAs are competent preparers. Enrolled Agents can be very good, and there are many very competent unregulated preparers, like Robert. I think the competence curve between CPAs and unenrolled preparers would look something like this:
The more complex your return, the more likely it is that you will want to bring in an Enrolled Agent or a CPA, but if you already have a strong unregulated preparer who is taking care of your tax needs, you’d be foolish to switch.
Paul Neiffer, Average is Important for 2013 Tax Filing. Farm income averaging, that is. Another example of a provision that would result in frivolous return penalties for anyone but farmers.
Fairmark.com: Share Identification Under Attack
Tea Party: Resolved: Obamacare Is Now Beyond Rescue. Oh, wait, that wasn’t the Tea Party. It was a debate audience on New York’s Upper West Side.
TaxProf, The IRS Scandal, Day 258
William Perez, The Number of Sole Proprietors has been Rising for 30 Years
Tax Justice Blog: CTJ Submits Comments on the Finance Committee Chairman Baucus’ International Tax Reform Proposal. They have very different, and largely opposite, concerns from the Tax Foundation.
Jack Townsend, Tax Notes Article on IRS 2013 Victories in Offshore Evasion
Next: automated pedestrian jaywalking camera fines, for our own safety: NYC Cops Allegedly Beat Up Jaywalking Elderly Man, Refused to Tell Son Which Hospital He Was In (Ed Krayewski, Reason.com)
But I thought it was about traffic safety, not money… Council members: Traffic camera revenue helped keep property taxes down, pay for public safety.
The importance of philanthropy: Warren Buffett Offers $1 Billion For Perfect March Madness Bracket (TaxGrrrl)
The Critical Question: A Meat Tax? Seriously? (Joseph Thorndike, Tax Analysts Blog).
News From the Profession: Guy Who Couldn’t Hack Two Years in Public Accounting Needs Validation He Isn’t a Loser (Going Concern)
It’s Academic! How Not to Use Your Faculty Laptop (TaxProf)
