Comments on: Sarah Palin’s income tax mess says she’s a victim of an absurd tax system

By: Kurt Schulzke

Kurt Schulzke — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:10:16 +0000

Cayuga –

No need to be sorry. Taxes are boring. I try to spend as little time as possible on them.

What’s this about “name-calling” and “cratering”? “Useful idiots” isn’t a name. It’s a term of art. Some people just don’t have a sense of humor. And Obama happens to be one of them.

By: Cosmo

Cosmo — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:59:34 +0000

“Has everyone noticed how Cosmo, Kurt and some others have cratered on the Palin tax return issue and are now taking up your time with defending HRBlock and name-calling?

Weren’t the Palin Tax Return Issue and H&R Block connected?

Where did I call names?

By: Cayuga

Cayuga — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:17:56 +0000

Gee, let’s talk about all the money obama gets from overseas. Or maybe, from someone named (not the name, but I can’t remember) good will, or his emails from odinga (that Sean talked about today) or on and on. They surely would be more interesting unless your saying that “lovely Sarah” was cheating.
It’s too bad that you can’t recognize a sincere woman, regina, or doran. Smart, CUTE (I know you hate that), looks good in a skirt and high heels, and wears lipstick, is married to the same man all these years and has never had an abortion (as one of the left wing wingydingys complained). Imagine that! I don’t know anyone I know who has ever had an abortion, but I guess I’m not up on that.
Sorry, Kurt, I’m bored with taxes.

By: mdallinm

mdallinm — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:59:49 +0000

“If so, it would typically be some kind of investment-grade asset like diamonds, paintings or antiques — not the kind of stuff I imagine the Palins buying. But who knows?”

Could be guns? They appreciate in value.

By: mdallinm

mdallinm — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 23:58:16 +0000

Doran-I think it started with you implying that Sarah Palin was either stupid in choosing to go with H&R Block or that she was trying to find someone who would be unable to see that she owed money. I know you didn’t use those words, but that was the implication. What Kurt, Cosmo and others have said since then in defense of H&R Block and Palin started with your unfounded insinuations.

By: Doran Williams

Doran Williams — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:26:54 +0000

Has everyone noticed how Cosmo, Kurt and some others have cratered on the Palin tax return issue and are now taking up your time with defending HRBlock and name-calling?

By: Kurt Schulzke

Kurt Schulzke — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 22:26:42 +0000

Doran –

You could check to see how many lawsuits have been filed against H&R Block and PW. But that wouldn’t tell the whole story. There are so many blown tax engagements that never reach the lawsuit stage. Many nowadays are settled privately out of court through arbitration.

Some big cases go public — if for some reason the tax advisor wasn’t able to get an arb clause into the engagement letter — and when they do, they’re most often filed against the really big firms. Big firm, big mistake, deep pocket lots of trial lawyers anxious for a piece of the action.

But I see no justification for tagging H&R as somehow per se “worse” for Palin’s tax returns than KPMG or PW. Neither of the returns — 2006 or 2007 — is that complicated. And, in fact, there’s no apparent reason why any preparer would have a reason to dig behind the W-2s as delivered by the State. So I don’t think it’s fair to tag H&R for doing a bad job on that aspect of the tax return unless the Palins had occasion to raise questions about the State allowance thing.

I will confess that the amounts deducted by Palin for tax prep fees are unusually low — at least in my view — in light of the Schedule Cs.

I also find curious something I’ve not seen mentioned elsewhere. In the 2006 return, page 18, the Palins report FMV of $1,000 for donated items with an adjusted basis of $400. It’s possible that donated items like this might have risen in value over the taxpayer’s holding period. If so, it would typically be some kind of investment-grade asset like diamonds, paintings or antiques — not the kind of stuff I imagine the Palins buying. But who knows?

By: Cosmo

Cosmo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:19:34 +0000

According to their Website, there are two year round locations in Wasilla, one in Palmer, one in Eagle, and one in Anchorage.

By: Regina

Regina — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:16:57 +0000

Wonder just how many “prmiere locations” H&R Block has in Alaska…

By: Cosmo

Cosmo — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:51:41 +0000

There you go again, Doran! You consistently make negative claims—all over this blog, without offering anything to substantiate them, and then you say you don’t feel obligated or you offer some other cop-out.

If you don’t have time to research the allegations you make, then don’t make the allegations in the first place. If you can’t provide something to support your attacks, then keep your mouth shut.

You have time for drive-by shootings, but you don’t have time to stand trial!