50% Meals Test

[Matt Sova]

opinion?

Please understand that any poll placed on this board still represents opinion and not fact.

Unless, of course, if I post the poll. Then it is fact!!! (just kidding admin, don't ban me).

[Black Bart]

Phantom "bad guys"

I guess I expected too much from a forum run by a respectable tax group to not allow this kind of problems

I don't feel sheepish about pointing out that someone was cheating

I would have expected they would have offered some form of apology

I find it strange that you think I am the bad guy

It is a little unbelievable that you find no fault with others involved when their actions have been intentional.

That's my whole point. I don't think there are any "bad guys" in this argument. I just think it's making a mountain out of a molehill. "This kind of problems" didn't really exist until they were hyped into "hanging chad" magnitude.

Yeah, I think Brad/Bees may have been a little embarrassed about it when he realized that the machinery was taking unregistered votes and he joked around about it for a while until he realized how deadly serious you were. He may even have clicked on it more than once. I know I voted for it twice--once when I pulled up the screen without signing in and then later when I did sign in and clicked on it again to see if it would work, but I don't feel like a low character about it (did you ever do anything that wasn't 100% on the up-and-up?). And I don't in any way believe that it's a dark conspiracy to rig votes--as I recall, Bees was for it in the first place. They haven't had any more experience on this forum with polls than you or I have, and no way do I believe they intended to sway the results. Don't you think that if someone really wanted to slant a vote, they'd certainly pick out something of more consequence than smilies?

I think most of us can only guess at what must be the enormous amount of time, trouble, and sacrifice that must be required to keep an excellent forum like this one going. I know that if it was mine, I certainly wouldn't want my efforts to be rewarded with blunt insults like "Poll is invalid due to cheating," "Someone was cheating," and "Don't bother using it, as a poll on this forum is not valid and is a waste of time."

I don't think you're a bad guy. You do furnish good input and information. I don't want you to leave and I'll bet they don't either, but I think the apology due is the other way around.

[Donanita]

Cheating

A tax preparer cheating !!!!!!!! Now what would the Gov. think of this??? Could this be why the Senate & House has voted for licensing of (paid) tax preparers. Guess I'll spent all summer studying for THE TEST.I hate tests.

[Unregistered]

The answer is found on page 8-9 of TTB under "when the 50% limit applies.

I believe B takes the hit because they have the substantiation. A is paying for repairs, not travel and meals.

[OldJack]

You make a good point, however, it appears that substantiation and accounting are a little different. I should have been clear about the "accounting" all the way up the line.
It has been a general practice with business to account by line item on the billing invoice to the customer and most either attach receipts or provide them when ask for. I think there was some court case or ruling on this but I don't have that info at hand.

2 - Self-employed. If you are self-employed,
your deductible meal and entertainment
expenses are not subject to the 50% limit if all of
the following requirements are met.
• You have these expenses as an independent
contractor.
• Your customer or client reimburses you or
gives you an allowance for these expenses
in connection with services you
perform.
• You provide adequate records of these
expenses to your customer or client. (See
chapter 5.)
In this case, your client or customer is subject
to the 50% limit on the expenses.