Income Tax Refunds

[Crankin]

We are getting a lot back (kind of let the gov. use our money) and it is going to pay for our trip to Spain. We were not depending on the tax refund to actually do the trip, as my DH gets a huge bonus and stakeholder check in February. So now, we were able to use that money to invest in our 401Ks (which due to my DH's diligence are above the amount the were at prior to the "crash.").
This is the first year since we moved into this house (2005) that we haven't had to use all of this extra money for home repair or remodeling.

[wackyjacky1]

I'm one of those people the government taxes unmercifully -- lower middle income, no kids, not a homeowner. I get squat back from the ol' IRS.

What little I did get went towards a new pair of eyeglasses (my old pair broke) and paying my sister's half of the bills this month (we share a house and she is constantly short when it comes time to pay the bills ).

Sigh.

“I would like to electrocute everyone who uses the word 'fair' in connection with income tax policies." -- William F. Buckley, Jr.

[NoNo]

Nono - I had a tax accountant for a short while and learned a lot from him. His prices weren't much different from the chain tax prep agencies. I would say go for the tax accountant, especially if you're starting a business. He/she will help you separate business expenses from home and maintain some level of sanity check. The only reason I no longer use the tax accountant is that I changed states.

Yesterday a friend gave me the name of his accountant from when he had a bakery. I'm going to email and see what she has to say. I feel a little better knowing it's someone who specifically has dealt with small businesses and comes highly recommended.