Tax Law

Pringles Qualify as “Potato Chips,” Court Rules

Reversing a lower court's ruling that Pringles did not qualify as "potato chips" for purposes of taxation, Britain's Court of Appeals has held that they are, basically, close enough. This matters because if Pringles are considered "potato chips" – or…


Tax Returns Are Hard, Says Federal Reserve Bank President

According to a spokesman, the mistake Timothy Geithner made on his tax returns is a common one, and since he's corrected it and paid the $34,000 he owed, the matter should be considered closed.  Our system is so complicated, said…



Tax Tip: Income Earned In Antarctica May Not Be Deductible

A recent report advises U.S. citizens that, although up to $80,000 of income earned in a "foreign country" can normally be excluded from taxable income, that does not apply if you earned the money in Antarctica. Antarctica, which is not…


Crocodile Dundee Taunts Tax Authorities

I guess after you’ve conquered New York, humiliated Colombian drug dealers, and . . . well, whatever happened in that third movie I didn’t even know existed until now, the Australian Tax Office does not seem very daunting. Paul Hogan,…



People You Probably Don’t Want to Have Do Your Taxes

This list could probably get a lot longer, but right now I have two. First, Marva Bilberry, of Belton, Missouri, who runs Bilberry Bookkeeping & Tax Service, at least for now.  On April 11, the Justice Department sued Bilberry, alleging…




Witchcraft Class Ruled Tax-Deductible

Dutch tax officials have ruled that a woman can deduct about $2200 that she spent on a witchcraft-training class, on the grounds that she was using the class to "extend her professional knowledge." Apparently, she was training for her employment…