Taxes

Kristin's post about property tax overrides in Massachusetts was interesting for me to read. I wouldn't consider myself an override mom either (who has the time?), but I do believe strongly that a quality education is the right of every child and adult, not something that should be exclusively reserved for families with the resources to afford a private education. I could go on about this, but I have my own tax issues at the moment.

April 15 is right around the corner and I am currently sitting in a pile of business receipts, American Express statements, 1099 forms, and retirement statements. I hate tax time. Because I am self-employed, I need to trace every cent I spend and it's tedious. How many business-related miles did I log? How many gifts did I buy for clients at the end of the year?

Church donations are no longer deductible without a statement and that really stinks for Catholics like me who are known to miss a week (or several) of church. What value would you give to a bunch of old business suits? $200? $300? More? How about baby stuff?

So here I sit, watching "Oprah's Big Give" and sorting receipts in anticipation of my meeting tomorrow with my accountant. And my husband says to me, before he heads upstairs to watch the season finale of The Wire on HBO, "Did you include the charity golf tournament I played in over the summer?"

Oh yes dear, that $100 is going to make all the difference!

Come to think of it, are town-imposed trash removal fees considered a business expense?

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