Re: [Nolug] Why you shouldn't be afraid of asking geeks about taxes and the law

Scott Cotton <scott@nscotton.com> writes:

> I'm just saying the current tax code is really complex and requires alot of
> studing to actually get right. There are reasons why we have attoreneys and
> cpas. They aren't just for big corporations are they not? =)

It does require studying. And lawyers and CPAs do have their uses.

However, all the information available from the IRS is available on
their website, so there is no reason that a simple request for
information should need a specialized person to answer it.

My objection was mostly that the information being requested regarding
1099s was the sort that didn't require any redirection to a specialist.

For example, all my income last year was on a 1099 basis and I don't use
an accountant or lawyer to fill out my taxes. I was doing my own taxes
before my wife started working with the IRS's VITA program. A 1099 is
not a scary, secret document that requires esoteric knowledge.

(Since I mentioned in another post that I'm Wikimedia's Bugmeister, I
should point out here that I'm doing that work as an employee, not a
1099 contractor. Last year I was a working as a developer for them on a
contract basis before they made the decision to hire me as a (for now)
temporary, hopefully to become permanent soon, employee.)

Mark.

-- 
http://hexmode.com/
War begins by calling for the annihilation of the Other,
    but ends ultimately in self-annihilation.
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