Disappointed

[Gary]

I am really disappointed that I couldn't get a legitimate response to my question about commuting expenses, but 45 people could take the time to respond about wearing ties to work.

Gary Marmer

[jainen]

more than once

>>45 people could take the time to respond about wearing ties<<

Actually it was only a couple dozen. Some of us posted more than once.

[Black Bart]

Me too.

I am really disappointed that I couldn't get a legitimate response to my question about commuting expenses, but 45 people could take the time to respond about wearing ties to work.

Gary Marmer

I certainly agree that it's disheartening to discover a preference for wardrobe discussion as opposed to that of our beloved taxes. So...anyway, I think the answer to your question is usually no if you're not driving outside that "metropolitan" area (who knows how far off that is?). But even then, my tax tome, "Old Yeller," - aka J. K. Lasser's "Your Income Tax," states "The cost of work between your home and place of work is generally not deductible, even if the work location is in a remote area not serviced by public transportation." And I don't know if the "temporary" work rule helps since I'm guessing the music gigs are unrelated to your regular job, assuming you've got one (I seem to remember that you retired).

There's a big three-page free-for-all discussion about it by one Unregistered (10/11/2006-"Car mileage"-page 27 I think) in which Bees wins the argument with his definite "NO;" although I'm not sure whether or not your mix of occupations (music/Blocktax) has a bearing on it.

Keep in mind, no matter what you decide if you do read that post, that many, many preparers would probably "take it off" since "everybody else does" (don't know where the cite for that is).

P.S. Not much question that I'd have been right in there amongst those 800 or so clothes-horses if I hadn't been poutin' for a couple of days about a comment by the poster formerly known as Prince--strike that--I mean Armando -- hint: I lean heavily toward black oxford-cloth and am seriously considering the parrot and bandana sea-tax suggested (I draw the line at earrings).

[Ken]

commuting

I would say that if this is your only job, then you shouldn't take the commuting expense.

If you had another main job and you did this one part time I would take the expenses, although I believe its more trouble keeping a record of your miles than you are going to get out of it as a deduction.

I played in a band for 20 years and I was playing two or three nights a week and I never bothered with any of that. Of course that was in my younger days and I wasn't into doing taxes either.

[newbie]

Gary,
Try this thread:

http://www.thetaxbook.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2890

or do a "home office mileage" search.

[Gary]

Thanks

Thanks for the responses.

Gary