Effective Tax Rate: Not As Simple As It Seems

Mitt Romney recently expressed the belief that his effective tax rate is roughly 15 percent. Most people become incredulous upon hearing this claim.

Their initial thought is that most people pay a much higher rate than that.

The reality is that they really don’t, however.

In fact, based on the specific calculation methodology, Mr. Romney’s effective rate is significantly higher than that of most Americans’.

Comprehending why this is true requires understanding that “effective tax rate” does not equate to your maximum income tax bracket. Those rates range between 10 and 35 percent, depending upon gross annual income.

This figure … Read more at 2010 Tax.

Would You Like To Have the IRS Do Your Taxes?

To paraphrase Will Rogers, more liars were made of the American people from income tax than from golf.

But if the IRS made it easy and almost impossible to lie on a tax return, would anyone be interested?

Doug Shulman, the IRS Commissioner, recently hinted that if the IRS would prepare taxpayers’ returns the potential for tax fraud would be reduced. No-one would have to prepare their own returns at tax time because the IRS would do it for them.

The common name for this idea is a “ready return” or “simple return.” The IRS would complete the … Read more at 2010 Tax.

Top 10 Reasons for a Tax Audit

A tax audit can occur for several different reasons that most people are not aware of. You will have to comply with at least two of these factors before you have anything to worry about.

The most popular reason for a tax audit is unreported income. Here, there is a lot of paperwork that must be filled out and completed. When the paperwork contains errors or does not get turned it at all, issues can start to occur. This type of paperwork is also time sensitive and should be received in order to file by January 31st.

Improperly prepared tax … Read more at 2010 Tax.

Best Places To Live In The US – Deciding Before Retirement

At a party last week there started a discussion about the best places to live in the US. It quickly turned to matters of living in a pleasant climate with low cost of living as the group was primarily of the age about to reach retirement.

These friends were vigorously debating the virtues of living in a warm climate mostly to avoid the drudgery are dealing with winter temperatures and precipitation. Places like the Southwest and southern states dominated the conversation throughout.

If you are in the same age category as my friends and myself, there is a … Read more at 2010 Tax.

IRA: Traditional IRA and Roth IRA

When two things are present and you have to pick one, you should compare first the two before making a decision. Because that IRA has two forms which are the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA, it is then valuable to compare these two so that you can determine which of them is the best for you.

In order to distinguish one from the other, we will compare the Roth IRA and the traditional IRA with regards to their rules ad regulations.

Traditional IRA Rules and Roth IRA Rules

Of course, there are qualifications before an individual person can … Read more at 2010 Tax.

How a Good Reverse Mortgage Splash Page Works

As the demand for reverse mortgage leads grow, so do the websites and lead generation companies that know how to put together a good, working, lead-attraction splash page. The reverse mortgage lead generation splash page is much different from other types of lead creating splash pages. They cannot operate in the same way as a real estate or shoe sales splash page operates because not everyone can qualify for a reverse mortgage loan. They have to try to attract a specific kind of person. Anyone can sell a home or buy shoes, but not everyone can receive a reverse mortgage … Read more at 2010 Tax.