[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Refund Anticipation Loans

[Mark Morenz]

Marti:

First, thank you for your activism and thanks to the
list-administrator's for this list. 

I hadn't heard of the 'refund loan' thing. Thanks for
the tip.

I am not affiliated with any tax preparation firms--
but, in the interests of fairness, it should be
clearly pointed out that tax preparation firms can
also save people money. In my family, my wife and I
have, at different times, owned our own (small)
businesses and cashed out portions of our own
retirement funds. There is a particular tax shop here
in town that has literally saved/made us $2-3K during
the years that those events occured. 

Since this whole topic is a bit off-topic for the
list, let me try to bring it back...One thing I've
never tried is the whole
not-paying-the-war-funding-portion-of-phone-bill
thing. I've considered it, but I don't know enough
about it. Also, is there a similar tactic regarding
taxes (that won't end a person up in prison)? Thanks!

Be well!

:-{)]
Mark M.




--- Marti Wilkinson <martiwilki at gmail.com> wrote:

> I took my daughter to an appointment Monday
> afternoon and on the way home I
> stopped at Domino's on Bradley to pick up a pizza
> order that I had called
> in. Next to Domino's is a Jackson Hewitt tax office
> and the place was
> crowded with early filers. At this time of year many
> people with either
> their final paystubs or W-2's end up filing taxes in
> anticipation of a
> refund loan. The end result is the tax preparation
> agency ends up with a
> pretty nice chunk of the refund.
> 
> I just got my W-2's in the mail and I went on the
> irs.gov website and filed
> my federal taxes for free. Then I went to the
> Illinois.gov site and filed my
> state taxes for free. Before I started using the
> internet to file my taxes I
> would head on over to the local HR Block office and
> like many individuals
> living paycheck to paycheck I used to take the
> "Rapid Refund" approach.
> 
>
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Taxes/Preparationtips/P41332.asp
> 
> For me the good news is I did end up realizing just
> how much my choices to
> get a refund loan was costing me. However, I wonder
> how many of the patron
> in the Jackson Hewitt office are really going to get
> their full refunds.
> 
> It's my understanding that legal aid does offer tax
> assistance to low income
> individuals. Now I wonder if there are any other
> resources. Personally I
> don't have an issue with places like Jackson Hewitt
> preparing tax returns
> for a set fee...it's the whole concept of the "rapid
> refund" that I don't
> like.
> 
> Marti
> > _______________________________________________
> Peace mailing list
> Peace at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace
> 


Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to reform (or pause and reflect).
--Mark Twain

There is no such thing as security for any nation-- or any individual-- in a world ruled by the principles of gangsterism.
--Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Meetings are by definition a concession to deficient organization [sic] For one either meets or one works.
--Peter Drucker

Nothing you do for children is ever wasted.
--Garrison Keillor

News is what powerful people keep hidden-- everything else is just publicity.
--Bill Moyers

This isn't all true.
--Steven Wright


      ____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing.  Make Yahoo your home page. 
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs