Johnmscalzi, at By The Way..., asks:
"The IRS, in its infinite wisdom, is allowing you to deduct one thing from your taxes that you haven't been able to deduct before -- anything you'd like. What do you deduct and why? Yes, anything. And your reason for deducting it doesn't even have to be good -- this isn't an audit, you know. I'm just curious as to what you'd pick.
Extra Credit: Do you wait until the last minute to do your taxes? Or did you have them done ages ago?"
Deduction: Without putting too much thought into it, I think we ought to be able to deduct pet expenses, under the same rules as medical, and for the same reasons. Pets have been proven to be good for your health. I would allow adoption fees, spay/neuter and other vet bills, food and care. (But not necessarily the excessive price of some purebreds, toys, or fru-fru clothing and spa treatments.)
Extra credit: When I did the taxes, I always finished by mid-March, then sat on them until the last minute, so I could make changes as I learned or remembered more. When Jay did them, he had me searching for the latest-open post office on 4/15, and then there was a frantic rush - to get the application for an extension in! They usually got finished in like July. He was a sweetheart, but the concept of schedules and deadlines was foreign to him.
After Jay died I used an accountant, because the estate was open for two years, and the estate taxes were complicated, and I've kept on with him because it's easy, and I worry less about screwing something up. He files my taxes electronically in early April.
Bonus: I usually get a small refund, but since I pay estimated taxes, I just roll it over into the next year.
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